The Cabinet-level Council of Cultural Affairs yesterday named five historical and natural sites in Taiwan for nomination as UN World Heritage sites.
At a year-end press conference, the chairwoman of the CCA, Tchen Yu-chiou (
"The council will set up an operations committee in March to manage the application schedule, as well as oversee the maintenance and preservation of the potential world heritage sites," Tchen said yesterday.
The council also revealed an evaluation report by international world heritage inspectors, including Yukio Nishimura, the vice chairman of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), one of the agencies responsible for recommending potential sites to the UN World Heritage Committee.
The CCA last year invited academics from around the world, as well as local governments and communities to participate in the selection of potential world heritage sites in Taiwan with universal historical, cultural or natural qualities.
Twelve sites have been identified, seven of which require conservation work in order to meet World Heritage criteria.
Citing the international inspectors' report, Tchen said the natural resources at Toroko Gorge and Yu Shan are well preserved under the protection of their "National Park" designation, making them priority choices for nomination as World Heritage sites.
Chilanshan Forest in Ilan County houses the only remaining giant Taiwan hinoki cypress trees, an ancient cypress type that currently only exists in North America and East Asia.
The false cypress forest, planted by the Council of Agriculture's forestry bureau, at Chilanshan is the only botanical site among the 12 locations.
The report highlights the Alishan Mountain Railway's importance to forestry development and economic and industrial development in Taiwan.
The Peinan Culture Site in eastern Taitung County houses a large number of ancient and prehistoric artifacts dating from between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago.
It is the largest prehistoric burial site in the Pacific Rim area, and the only archaeological site in Taiwan recommended for a World Heritage listing.
The additional seven sites include: Yangmingshan National Park; the Penghu Archipelago for its basalt formations; the Old Mountain Railway in Miaoli County; the island of Kinmen; the historic foreign customs houses and trading depots in Tamsui; Orchid Island and the old mining township of Chinkuashih (金瓜石) in Taipei County.
The procedure for having a site named as a World Heritage site can take up to five years and involves applications to the ICOMOS and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
The ICOMOS and IUCN then issue recommendations to the UN World Heritage Committee, the decision-making body.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is set to issue sea and land warnings for Tropical Storm Krathon as projections showed that the tropical storm could strengthen into a typhoon as it approaches Taiwan proper, the CWA said yesterday. The sea warning is scheduled to take effect this morning and the land warning this evening, it said. The storm formed yesterday morning and in the evening reached a point 620 nautical miles (1,148km) southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, moving west-southwest at 4 kph as it strengthened, the CWA said. Its radius measured between 220km and 250km, it added. Krathon is projected
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