National parks are places that have natural areas and cultural relics of national importance. Conservation work in Taiwan began in 1961 and in 1972 the National park Act was established, with the intention of protecting special natural scenery, wildlife and history and providing places for leisure and research. To date, eight national parks have successively been established in Taiwan: Kenting, Yushan, Yangmingshan, Taroko, Shei-pa, Kinmen, Dongsha Atoll National Park and Taijiang.

At present, the main role of Dongsha Atoll National Park is ecological restoration so it is not yet open to visitors. The other parks area open to visitors, however, they require a park entry permit to enter ecological protected areas, and have related public facilities and offer resource interpretation and environmental education services. In the future conservation and protection work will continue and a variety of ecological experience activities will be held to give the public a chance to acquire an understanding of the ecological environment and its importance, to plant conservation concepts deep into society so people protect precious natural resources of their own accord.

Translated by：Kevin Lax
Source：Taroko National Park Headquarters