National parks of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

are protected spaces for the nature, wildlife, and history under their current jurisdiction. Currently there are nine national parks in Taiwan, all under the administration of the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

. These national parks cover . The total land area constitutes around 8.6% of the entire land area of the country. The first national parks were designated for establishment in 1937, when Taiwan was under Japanese rule, though never formally managed as such. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, calls for protecting the

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses ...

were met with opposition due to the prioritization of economic development. The National Park Law was passed in 1972 and the first national park was established in 1984.Reference on Act Title from Kinmen Park website
/ref> National parks should not be confused with national scenic areas. The national scenic areas are administered by the

Tourism Bureau The Tourism Bureau, MOTC () is the government agency under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Taiwan (Republic of China) responsible for the administration of domestic and international tourism policy making, execution and de ...

of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. There are also different philosophies that govern the development of the two types of areas. For a national park, the emphasis is on the preservation of natural and cultural resources, with development for human utilization being a secondary priority.

History

The first in Taiwan were planned on December 27, 1937, by Governor-General . This was when Taiwan was under Japanese rule, thus the three national parks were to be

national parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

of the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

. The legal basis for these national parks was no longer in force when Japan withdrew from Taiwan in 1945 after

. However, these planned national parks formed the basis for subsequent national park establishments.

Current national parks of Taiwan

Currently there are nine national parks in

. There is also one national nature park, which is designed for areas with fewer resources compared to a full national park.

National Nature Park

Proposed national parks

Five other national parks were proposed but the plans of formation were halted due to opposition: * 馬告檜木國家公園 ("Makauy National Park for ''

Chamaecyparis formosensis ''Chamaecyparis formosensis'' (Formosan cypress, Taiwan cypress, Taiwan red cypress; Chinese: 紅檜/红桧 ''hóngguì, Taiwan pron. hóngkuài'') is a species of ''Chamaecyparis'', endemic to Taiwan, where it grows in the central mountains at ...

''", opposed by local

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

) * 能丹國家公園("Neng-Dan National Park", opposed by the

Bunun people The Bunun (), also historically known as the Vonum, are a Taiwanese indigenous people. They speak the Bunun language. Unlike other aboriginal peoples in Taiwan, the Bunun are widely dispersed across the island's central mountain ranges. In the y ...

) * 蘭嶼國家公園 (" Ponso no Tao National Park", opposed by the

Tao people The Tao people are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the tiny outlying Orchid Island of Taiwan. They have a maritime culture, with great ritual and spiritual significance placed on boat-building and fishing. Their ways of life have been th ...

) * 綠島國家公園 (" Green Island National Park", opposed by the inhabitants.) * 北方三島海洋國家公園 ("Three Northern Islets Marine National Park")

Proposed national nature park

Another national nature park was proposed but the plans of formation were halted due to opposition: * 美濃國家自然公園 (" Meinong National Nature Park", opposed by some inhabitants.)

References

External links

National Parks of Taiwan
{{authority control

Taiwan geography-related lists

National Parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

National parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...