National Parks of Taiwan

Walking a Tightrope

How We Practice Conservation,Service, and Adaptation

Article/ Hui-Ying Lui

Interviewee(s)/ Yu-Min Hsu, Associate Technical Specialist, National Parks Division, Construction and Planning Agency. Kai-Wen Cheng, Technician, Taroko National Park Environmental Maintenance Section;Chi-Hung Lan, Technician, Taroko National Park Recreation Services Section.Ching-Ch’i Hsu, Technician, Shei-Pa National Park Environmental Maintenance Section.Meng-Che Tsai, Section Manager, Yushan National Park Environmental Maintenance Section.Hsuen-Wen Chen, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Resources, National Chiayi University

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that global warming could exceed the planet’s threshold between 2030 and 2052, but mankind cannot afford to pass up every opportunity to mitigate the downturn. The IPCC report emphasizes the need to increase nature reserves to at least 30% of the world’s surface area, and to strengthen resilience and adaptability to climate change, with the upcoming decade proving decisive.This article introduces the U.S. Climate Change Response Plan, which provides a concise step-by-step framework to assist managers in making adaptation decisions. Taking the management of wetlands and the construction of national park cabins as case examples, we will look at how to make the most appropriate choices in the face of demand for use and environmental protection, while concurrently upholding the original intent of nature conservation.

The Pioneering, United States National Park Service

The United States National Park Service (NPS) is the world’s oldest protected area management organization. In 2021, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the NPS collaborated to develop the Planning for a Changing Climate Guide. The most important purpose of this guide is to assist park management in formulating forwardlooking goals for future climate conditions and in adopting dynamic strategies that are adaptable to a variety of environmental conditions. Over the past few decades, several U.S. national parks have piloted key management concepts and practices.The results of these valuable efforts have been incorporated into the guide, which provides an important framework for other national parks to consider the risks associated with climate change and to design strategies to address the impacts.

Among these are the Acadia National Park ’s extreme climate scenario simulations for 2016-2040. This includes a 2016-2040 extreme climate scenario simulation for Acadia National Park,which predicts the impacts of changes in heavy rainfall patterns during the wet and dry seasons as a result of temperature shocks on ecosystems,infrastructure, wildfire frequency, and visitor safety, and is used to plan the enhancement of park facilities and improve operational programs. The Denali National Park and Preserve uses climate scenario simulations as a reference for winter recreation programs and for planning park infrastructure upgrades. It is also used to optimize the number of visitors during peak and off-peak seasons, and to divert the excessive concentration of visitors during the winter months. Big Bend National Park invests in water storage and other hydraulic infrastructure based on local climate forecasts. An example would be the correlation between rainfall in the Chisos Mountains and the flow of Oak Spring, the region’s primary water source. The “best case” and “worst case”scenarios of rainfall are simulated through climate models to estimate future changes in the flow of Oak Spring, and to prepare for the construction of water storage and supply facilities.

In order to enable the National Parks and Reserves to develop climate change adaptation strategies in a more efficient manner, the Planning for a Changing Climate Guide has set out a concise 6-step framework. Each step has its own checklist,and the six steps form a continuous feedback loop of adjustments. The NPS believes that there are still too many unknown variables in the face of climate change. However, what we can do is proactively adjust decisions and facilities to protect national park resources on a rolling basis, based on changing conditions and an honest record as new conditions arise. “Learning by doing” is the most responsible approach that can be taken at this stage.

A Healthy Ecosystem is an Essential Solution to Global Climate Change

The Glasgow Climate Pact, concluded at the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26), mentions Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) as an important means of restoring nature through nature itself. The international community has also emphasized that natural ecosystems can help achieve important goals such as climate change adaptation and net-zero carbon emissions, and forest carbon sinks and blue carbon have once again become hot topics of discussion. Healthy wetlands already possess carbon sink capabilities and therefore play a key role in achieving the present global carbon reduction targets. Various strategies for increasing wetland carbon sinks in the name of NBS have been proposed and discussed. Among these, proposals such as planting mangroves are also included.

According to Hsuen-Wen Chen, Assistant Professor,Depar tment of Biological Resources, National Chiayi University, the core spirit of NBS should be clarified before introducing any management measures. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) definition, the point of NbS is about harnessing the power of nature and modified ecosystems to protect people,optimize infrastructure, and maintain stability and biodiversity for the future. It integrates the two concepts of Nature-based Management and Ecosystem Service. By preserving biodiversity, we aim to maintain the integrity of the ecosystem’s production, regulation, and support functions. By preserving biodiversity, maintaining the integrity of ecosystem functions such as production,regulation, and support, and maximizing the benefits of ecosystem service under natural conditions, we can help solve problems and challenges such as biodiversity loss and even climate change.

Therefore, the primary task in maintaining the blue carbon function should be to preserve natural wetlands and their biodiversity, which are disappearing across the globe. As for wetlands that have been degraded or damaged due to human intervention, they should be restored in a natural way (e.g., ecological engineering methods),but this must be wholly based on the premise that biodiversity should be respected and restored.

Ecological restoration work often lacks complete information on the ecological history of a site to be restored. Therefore, ecological, biological,and physicochemical indicators must be used to examine whether ecological functions have been improved or restored. For example, the number of Taiwanese fiddler crabs inhabiting the mudflats in Siangshan Wetland has decreased dramatically.After an investigation, scholars found that the expansion of man-made mangrove plantations led to the terrestrialization of the mudflats and changes in the substrate of the wetland, and water exchange capacity becomes worse, which in turn affected the entire benthic ecosystem. Even through the food chain effect, the ecology of waterfowl was affected and the biodiversity of the wetland was endangered. After human intervention to thinning mangroves, the number of Taiwanese fiddler crabs,the size of the mudflat substrate particle size, and the abundance of benthic organisms can be used as indicators to continuously monitor whether the wetland is improving towards a healthier direction.Thus, we can know whether the measures of mangrove thinning are appropriate.

From the above example, we can understand the impor tance of establishing a basic ecological database. Based on data from past ecological surveys, we can develop management strategies and compare their effectiveness. Hsuen-Wen Chen believes that over the past decade or so, Taiwan has diligently accumulated a wealth of ecological survey data. If we consider each single species and single item of physical and chemical data as a single point, the next step is to integrate and link the data points in linear and facial manners.One example is how substrate particles affect the composition and abundance of benthic organisms,and how they further affect other organisms in the food chain. In addition, the systematic analysis of related ecological services should be further strengthened. One such example of this is nutrient cycling and CO2 balance in wetland ecosystems.All of these rely on the exchange and cooperation of specialists and exper ts across various disciplines and fields.

Especially after the concept of Social Ecological System (SES) was introduced, it is believed that the management of ecological system cannot exclude“people.” The use behavior and cultural habits of stakeholders are also part of the ecological operation

Therefore, the management of the natural environment must integrate the knowledge and methods of both natural and social-humanistic systems. The NbS emphasizes fairness and equity regarding the environment, the joint management mechanism of stakeholders, and the integration of traditional local ecological wisdom and innovative technology, which coincides with the goal of “sensible use” in the Wetland Conservation Act.

National Parks of Taiwan, A Foundation of 50 Years

The National Park Act was enacted in 1972 and will reach its 50th anniversary in 2022. Under the legal framework, a solid foundation has been laid for the management of national parks, conservation research, ecological engineering, and interpretive education and partnerships. In the past, national parks have held on to their role of protecting natural resources in the face of conflicts between conservation and development, but the future remains fraught with challenges. Particularly at this juncture, as people look to reintegrate into nature, national parks have been given the task of strengthening the relationship between humans and the outdoors.

After the Executive Yuan announced the opening of mountains and forests on October 21, 2019,Taiwan’s national parks were prepared to handle a new distribution of recreation and hiking communities in terms of the composition and abilities of these groups. However, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in various parts of the world beginning at the end of 2019 and the control of entry and exit from various countries have led to a shift in the number of foreign travelers being received domestically. In particular, recreation sites that focus on outdoor spaces and experiences in nature have become a priority for domestic tourism due to social distancing. Taiwan’s national parks are also experiencing record high visitor numbers due to this wave of domestic tourism.

According to the Construction and Planning Agency National Parks Division’s Associate Technical Specialist Yu-Min Hsu, in the past, under a strict vetting system, the alpine hiking population may have been limited to those with relatively high levels of climbing experience and mountain safety awareness. The increase in the number of applicants after the opening up of the mountain and forest policy will lead to a general and normal distribution of the number of hikers. Therefore, it was also found that the proportion of accidents in mountainous areas would increase from 2019 to 2022. The National Park Headquarters has strengthened management measures such as onsite counseling and pre-trip counseling, and has continued to review and improve hardware and equipment. The construction and improvement of mountain cabins is one of the important factors.It is important for managers to carefully weigh the need to provide more climbing safety assistance while maintaining the original intent of ecological conservation.

For the 2010-2023 National Park Medium Term Development Plan, a comprehensive inventory of mountain cabins was conducted in 2018. The first objective was to improve the quality and comfort of the cabins, and the second was to determine if there was a need for additional cabins based on the difficulty of the hiking trails and emergency relief experiences. After taking stock of the existing resources of large (over 60 people), medium (25-60 people), and small mountain (less than 25 people) cabins based on the highlighted routes (mainly general public routes) proposed by each headquarters, an analysis of the need for improvement and construction was conducted.Subsequently, a plan was drawn up for the demolition and reconstruction of existing buildings,simple renovations, minor additions, or new construction on selected sites.

Yu-Min Hsu and Kai-Wen Cheng, a technician from the Taroko National Park Headquarters shared their experience in selecting the site for the newly completed Ju-Shan East Cabin in 2021. The Mt.Bilu to Mt. Yangtou hiking route, nicknamed the “seven-up, eight-down” sawtooth ridge route, is a challenging route and usually scheduled for two days. However, after the opening of the mountains,the number of hikers who attempt the trail over the course of a single day has increased, leading to an increase in cases of hikers becoming unexpectedly stranded in the evening. Therefore,the construction of a new cabin is planned to improve the hiking experience. The original plan was to locate the water source of Mt. Bilu near the head of 820 logging road, but during the deliberation process, scholars suggested that three species of cryptobranchoidea, unique species of salamanders, were located in the area. In order to avoid any negative impact on the ecological habitat of these creatures, the site was relocated to the campground in front of the east peak of Ju-Shan.The project went forward smoothly, and a beautiful story of species preservation was accomplished.

Section Manager Meng-Che Tsai of the Yushan National Park Headquarters believes that “safety” should be the first priority in the selection of sites for mountain cabins. The factors to consider include not only the stability of the environment and geological conditions, but also the distance from the trail to the site of the mountain cabins under the premise of satisfying emergency needs and preserving the physical strength of hikers.Thus, the site should also not deviate too far from hiking trails. The choice of materials should be in the direction of materials that are low weight yet have sufficient resistance to weathering. The assembly method to be used should be universal,so as to avoid the quality being affected by the skill of the construction workers. Meng-Che Tsai also mentioned that many environmental concepts need to be considered according to the individual conditions of each specific mountain cabin.For example, the appearance and texture of construction materials for mountain cabins are often expected to blend into the natural environment.However, for mountain cabins situated along the South Section 2, the color of the roofs is almost always red, which may appear to be abrupt in the forest environment. However, on long hiking routes,the fact that the cabins can be seen from a distance can provide a great deal of psychological comfort to hikers. In addition, the use of environmentally friendly building materials focuses on recycling. But in some cases, it is more important to reduce the frequency of maintenance and management than to reuse and recycle them, so that the purpose of carbon reduction and environmental protection can be truly achieved.

The most difficult part of building new mountain cabins is the transportation of new structures and the maintenance and management of the cabin once it is built. Therefore, under the harsh conditions of an alpine environment, it is a blessing to have comfortable and safe mountain cabins to provide shelter. In an environment where energy and water resources are scarce, national parks are striving to improve the quality of services provided by mountain cabins. It is hoped that visitors will abide by the principles of mountain cabins and return them to their original state after use. These actions not only extend the life of the mountain cabins, but are also a tangible effort to reduce carbon emissions.