Four islets south of Penghu County are set to be designated on Sunday as Taiwan’s ninth national park, which will officially open in October, a Ministry of the Interior official said yesterday.
The new park, situated to the east of Wang-an (望安) and Cimei (七美) islands to the south of the Penghu islands, encompasses Dongji (東吉), Dongyuping (東嶼坪), Siji (西吉) and Siyuping (西嶼坪) islets, as well as their surrounding waters.
The park covers a land area of 370 hectares and a sea area of 354.73km2 in the Taiwan Strait. Its boundary overlaps with that of Taijiang National Park in southwestern Taiwan, according to data provided by the ministry.
Photo: Liu Yu-ching, Taipei Times
The official reported during a Cabinet meeting that the four islets in the park are composed mainly of ocean basalt and are characterized by a wide array of geological features, marine biodiversity and historical evidence of human habitation.
After the national park is inaugurated, the ministry will promote the conservation of resources in the park, including the preservation of traditional settlements, setting up environmentally friendly public service facilities, promoting education and protection of the marine environment and in-depth ecological tours, according to the official.
In addition, the ministry plans to devote efforts to protecting coral reefs and conserving marine resources in the waters of the park.
Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) said the Executive Yuan approved the application for the designation of the four islets as a national park on March 10 and was to ratify the designation on the World Oceans Day on Sunday.
“The park is to be officially established this October,” Chen added.
After listening to the briefing, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) directed the ministry’s Construction and Planning Agency to take measures regarding future operation and management of the park, including preserving natural resources, protecting the rights of local residents and promoting ecotourism.
Taiwan currently has eight national parks: Pingtung County’s Kenting National Park, Kinmen County’s Kinmen National Park, Miaoli County’s Shei-Pa National Park, Hualien County’s Taroko National Park, Taipei City’s Yangmingshan National Park, Nantou County’s Yushan National Park, Greater Kaohsiung’s Dongsha Marine National Park, and Greater Tainan’s Taijiang National Park.
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