Yangmingshan

The National Park Law of the Republic of China, commonly known as "Taiwan", was passed in 1972 to protect the nature, wildlife, and history in its current jurisdiction.^[1]

A National Park should not be confused with a National Scenic Area: National Scenic Areas fall within the control of the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China, while National Parks fall within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China.^[2] The philosophies that govern the development of the two types of areas differ. For a National Park the emphasis is on the preservation of natural and cultural resources, and development for human utilization is definitely a secondary priority.^[3]

The following is a list of the National Parks of the Republic of China:

• Kenting National Park (332.69 km²), the oldest and southernmost national park on the island of Taiwan (Pingdong County), with tropical coral reef and migratory birds.
• Kinmen National Park (37.8 km²): due to its proximity to Mainland China, there are historical battlefields in Kinmen. It is currently the only National Park not located on the island of Taiwan.
• Shei-Pa National Park (768.5 km²), located in the central northern part of Taiwan island, located in both Hsinchu County and Miaoli County.
• Taroko National Park (920 km²), marble gorge, eastern Taiwan.
• Yangmingshan National Park (114.55 km²), the smallest and northernmost national park on the island of Taiwan; it has a volcanic landform. It is located north of the city of Taipei, in Taipei County.
• Yushan National Park (1054.91 km²), the largest national park in Taiwan, located on the central part of the island. it contains Jade Mountain (Yushan literally means "Jade Mountain", 3952 m) which is the highest peak in East Asia.
• Dongsha Marine National Park (3537 km², including 1.74 km² of land), this is the first oceanic National Park. It houses about 72 species of endemic plants,and 125 species of insects.

The total area of these seven National Parks is more than 322,870 square kilometres (79,780,000 acres), approximately 9.0% of the total area of territories currently under ROC administration.

Wikisource has an official English translation of the National Park Law, as promulgated on June the 13th, 1972:

National Park Law (Republic of China)

[edit] National Parks in Taiwan under Japanese rule

In 1937, while Taiwan was under Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945, the Governor-General of Taiwan Kobayashi Seizo designated three National Parks in the island:

• Daiton National Park (大屯国立公園): including what is now Yangmingshan
• Shintaka (New Highest) Arisan National Park (新高阿里山国立公園): now Yushan and Alishan
• Tsugitaka (Second Highest) Taroko National Park (次高タロコ国立公園): now Taroko National Park and Shei-Pa National Park

The administration of these National Parks was no longer in force when Japan withdrew from Taiwan in 1945 after World War II.

[edit] Additional National Parks

The Council for Economic Planning and Development of the Executive Yuan finalized the name of the first oceanic National Park – the Dongsha Marine National Park (東沙環礁國家公園) – to protect Dongsha’s marine ecology and its landscape features.^[4] Wu Hsiang-jen, director of the organizational committee for the oceanic park in Dongsha, said that research and long-term monitoring were the foundation for effective management and sustainable operation of the protected area. In the future, a resource survey, ecological research, determining the environmental impact of infrastructure and the overall planning for Dongsha will be top priorities.

An eighth national park based on the Taiwan Strait and an ancient lagoon (now filled) near Fort Zeelandia (台江黑水溝國家公園) is being planned by Tainan City.^{[citation needed]}

Three other national parks were proposed but the plans of formation were halted due to opposition:

• 馬告檜木國家公園 ("Magao National Park for Chamaecyparis formosensis", opposed by local indigenous peoples)
• 能丹國家公園("Neng-Dan National Park", opposed by the Bunun people)
• 蘭嶼國家公園 ("Ponso no Tao National Park", opposed by the Tao people)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• National Parks of Taiwan (English)