National Parks of Taiwan

Visions and prospects for Taiwan’s national parks shall based on the concept of comprehensive protection and realized through the following policies:

In accordance with the National Park Law, trends in social development and characteristics of resources, national parks can be categorized into three types: natural, historical and recreational national parks. In addition, management of land use should be enforced as needed according to the six standards of natural resources and tourism resources protection established by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) to enable the national park authority to implement appropriate management schemes.

Adjustments in the national park framework and respective professional management functions shall be made with reference to practices observed in advanced countries in order to gradually enhance the quality of management. The comprehensive management plan shall be reviewed every 5 years, and communication with local authorities and citizens shall be actively promoted. Conservation support shall be encouraged, and recruitment and training of professionals should be enhanced to further develop professional operational and management capabilities.

Located on the eastern edge of the Eurasian Plate and in the center of the East Asian island arc, Taiwan has a diversified topography that has developed unique and rich bio-clusters. In the interest of sustainable conservation of these ecosystems, surveys and studies must be carried out to establish an ecology management system and a long-term monitoring system to ensure the sustainable development of these resources. This is also necessary with regards to maintaining cultural assets, providing guidance for the local or indigenous community culture, and the sustainability of local cultures.

In order to improve public awareness of the importance of national parks and resources, promotion of environmental education across the country is needed to encourage public participation. Environmental education shall be promoted within the national park facilities and the effectiveness of such efforts shall be evaluated regularly. Moreover, environmental education shall be promoted through cooperation with schools and communities in order to provide the public with correct concepts of conservation and to promote environmental concepts on a full scale.

In order to maintain a balance between resource protection and recreational use of national parks, the limits of acceptable change for recreational uses should be determined. Monitoring indicators for the impact of recreational activities and visitor behavior shall be established along with with long-term research to establish a dynamic interactive operation model between resource management and park users. To sustainably conserve natural resources, national parks shall provide recreational activities such as eco-tourism to minimize environment impact. Local recreational service networks shall be established by consolidating recreational resources and information to provide incentives for developing recreational services and facilities in neighboring communities so as to facilitate local development. This will contribute to the dual goals of resource conservation and the easing of development pressure within national parks.