"For example, it provides the nesting grounds for an endangered species, the black-faced spoonbill, which is of great importance to our world," Byrne said.
"We must find a way to welcome efforts by human beings living on the island to exercise stewardship over this globally significant island ecosystem. Politics should not override our responsibility to ensure an ecologically diverse and sustainable future for all living things on Taiwan, and everywhere else," Byrne said.
Journalists who focus on sustainable development issues share Byrne's opinion.
"I certainly believe that the biodiversity of all countries ought to be preserved, whether [the countries are] members of the UN or not," Darryl D'Monte, president of International Federation of Environmental Journalists, said.
Lorna Hahn, executive director of the Washington-based Association on Third World Affairs Inc, said a true world leader would take the lead in finding a way for international organizations concerned with the environment and health to accommodate Taiwan.
"China wishes to be universally respected as a great civilization and a great power. It cannot earn such respect ... by pressuring other countries to isolate Taiwan, thereby depriving them of the important contributions Taiwan could make to improving the world's environment."
Leena Srivastava, director of Regulatory Studies and Governance Division of India-based Tata Energy Research Institute, said that the "new mechanisms of global environmental governance," be it a strengthened UN Environment Program (UNEP) or increased coordination between the secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), would not include Taiwan, based on the fact that it is not party to UNEP or to MEAs.
"However, if a `world environment organization' were to be established, its core agreement could possibly allow the participation of customs territories such as Taiwan by, for example, adopting a provision similar to Article XII of the WTO agreement," Srivastava said.
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