In 2011, the Marine National Park Headquarters (MNPH) published an explanation manual titled “Oasis on the Sea—Dongsha Marine Chapter” that introduces the Dongsha Atoll and the diversity of the peripheral marine environment and organisms. This gives the public an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the abundant marine environment and ecosystem that sits on the beautiful ring of the South Sea—the Dongsha Atoll.

The Dongsha Atoll is Taiwan’s first marine national park. Situated in the northern end of the South Sea, it is the result of the accumulation of coral reefs across the span of thousands of years, gradually forming to become the only completely developed large-scale atoll landscape found in the seas of Taiwan. Moreover, the Dongsha Atoll is simultaneously home to different but interdependent ecosystems of the island, lagoons, intertidal zones, sea grasses, coral reefs and ocean, which breed a rich and diverse collection of marine organisms. The MNPH states that out of all the books on Dongsha’s birds, insects, plants, fish and sea grasses that were published in the past, the publication of “Oasis on the Sea” is highly representative, as it integrates a series of books published by the MNPH. It enables the public to finally get a glimpse of the complete picture of Dongsha and to further cherish this little slice of paradise.

This book was written by Chang-Feng Dai, a professor and the Director of the Institute of Oceanography at National Taiwan University with over 30 years of experience in the study of coral reef ecosystems. Rich in content, the book includes in-depth descriptions of the marine geology and topography, the physical and chemical environment, the marine ecosystems and explanations of Dongsha’s marine environmental conditions and phenomena. Moreover, the book also brings up the concept and issue of a sustainable ocean, indicating the dangers faced by Dongsha Island under the trend of looming global change and ways to cope with it. Upon reading the book, aside from getting to know the island in a more structured and systematic manner, one can better understand the global impact on the world’s marine environment and how to facilitate marine conservation and other issues. Numerous rare photographs that have been provided by Professor Dai can be found within the book which vividly display Dongsha’s beautiful coral reef ecosystem. There is one particular photograph of an Acropora that is worth mentioning, as it is also used on the book cover. This photo is shot in the northern sea area of outer atoll. The Acropora in the photograph displays a rare, vibrant red color, and perhaps due to the excellent environmental condition of the outer atoll, the entire coral colony appears to be healthy and growing relatively well.

Those that wish to gain a better understanding of Dongsha Atoll’s marine ecosystem and environmental beauty may purchase this book at Wunan Books(http://www.wunanbooks.com.tw/), Government Books( http://www.govbooks.com.tw/), the Youth Bookstore, the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society, the Wild Bird Society of Keelung and MNPH’s information centers.