With resources limited, population growing and environmental damage worsening, “sustainable development” has become a significant global issue. Specialists of sustainable development from America, Japan, Korea and Finland visited Taroko National Park to participate in a symposium with delegates from Taroko National Park Headquarters, Hualien County Government and National Dong Hwa University. The symposium was not only a chance for the specialists to understand the effort on sustainable development by Taroko National Park and Hualien County Government, but also a chance for them to share with us their experiences.

These specialists were invited by National Council for Sustainable Development, including the Secretary General of Japan Council for Sustainable Development (JCSD), Miwako Kurosaka, Council member, Jin Adachi, group convener of Korean Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development (PCSD), Moon-Kyu Kang, research associate at the Yale Center for Environmental Performance Index & Environmental Sustainability Index, Christine Kim and the delegate from the secretariat of Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, Tuire Nikulainen. After spending 2 days in Taipei for the “2007 International Forum on Sustainable Development”, they then visited Taroko National Park with the company of staffs from Environment Protection Administration and Institute of Environment and Resource, and received a warm welcome from Taroko National Park Headquarters. They enjoyed various multimedia programs in the visitor center, then visited scenic spots like Jiucyudong (Tunnel of Nine Turns), Buluowan, etc., following the detailed explanation of interpreter. During the visit, the group, who were amazed by the Taroko gorges, expressed deep interest in the entire 3000-meter high mountain ecosystem, and constantly discussed environmental issues such as wild life and vegetation, and their adaptation to the environment. They were very satisfied with the detailed descriptions which the park staffs gave. 

In the afternoon, the event organizers scheduled a “Local Sustainable Development Symposium” in Hualien City, which was attended by the specialists and delegates from Taroko National Park Headquarters, County Government and National Dong Hwa University. Teng-Lang Yu, the Deputy Superintendent of Taroko National Park Headquarters, gave a 10-minute presentation on park resources, management and challenges the park faces. After the presentation, the participants complimented on the management of the Park, and then fell into a deep discussion with regards to issues like overlapping of authorities, ticketing for national parks and policies concerning indigenous people. Participants shared their practical experiences on national parks.

According to Taroko National Park Headquarters, sustainable development is a global issue; however, we need to act locally. Even though Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, its effort on sustainable development can not be left out from the international trend. Sustainable development is the ultimate goal for national parks. The symposium was not only an opportunity for foreign specialists to understand Taroko’s effort on sustainable development, but also a chance for Taroko to learn from foreign experiences.




Source:Taroko National Park,2007-06-01
Re-edited by Taiwan News