Habitat Conservation Efforts

As introduced by the Yearbook of Republic of China:

Habitat Conservation Efforts

One of the best ways to protect wild animals is to preserve their natural habitat. Unfortunately, this is not easily done in Taiwan, since it contains 590 people per square kilometer and nearly as many motor vehicles as people, making it one of the most crowded places in the world. While the ROC government has been able to put a cap on serious pollution problems, the fact remains that much of Taiwan's unique habitat has suffered from human encroachment.

Taiwan's location between three major climatic zones and its diverse topography have, however, endowed the area with a wide range of flora and fauna. Some 60 species of mammals, around 500 species of birds (40 percent of which reside in Taiwan year-round), 90 species of reptiles, 30 amphibian species, nearly 150 species of freshwater fish, and 17,600 named insect species (including 400 butterfly species) are known to exist in the Taiwan area. As to the flora, there are 4,021 species of ferns, 28 species of gymnosperms, and 1,184 species of angiosperms.

The different land forms, climates, and forest types, not to mention the impact of large-scale human development, have combined to create ecological islands within the physical entity that is Taiwan. To protect these ecological islands, the ROC government has set aside 12.1 percent of the land in the Taiwan area as part of a multitiered conservation system that includes six national parks, 18 nature reserves, 23 forest reserves, and 11 wildlife refuges.

Three laws specifically authorize the designation and protection of natural areas and wildlife refuges: the Cultural Heritage Preservation Law, which authorizes the creation of nature reserves and identifies endangered species of flora and fauna; the Wildlife Conservation Law, which establishes wildlife refuges; and the National Park Law, which allows for the designation of national parks. The central government agencies that supervise Taiwan's refuges are the Ministry of Interior's Department of National Parks and the Council of Agriculture. Answerable to the COA are the Taiwan Forestry Bureau and the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute under the Taiwan Provincial Government, the Bureaus of Reconstruction under the Taipei and Kaohsiung city governments, and the agriculture bureaus of all city and county governments in the Taiwan area.