Forestry researchers said on Tuesday they have discovered more than 2,000 trees of an endangered species of conifer from the Taxaceae family known as Formosan Amentotaxus at a nature reserve in Taitung.
Yang Cheng-ren (楊勝任) of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology's forestry department, said he and fellow researchers discovered seven new breeding sites of the conifer at the Dawu Taiwan Amentotaxus Nature Reserve, home to 762 Formosan Amentotaxus trees identified by Forestry Bureau inspectors between 1997 and 2005.
The Council of Agriculture has listed Formosan Amentotaxus, which is endemic to Taiwan, as an endangered species and began implementing protective measures in June 1986, including setting up a nature reserve in Taitung County's Daren Township (
In the past decade, bureau inspectors found the species in several sites outside the reserve. It was those discoveries that prompted the bureau to launch a comprehensive survey of the trees' distribution and the state of reproduction, the council said.
Yang's team was commissioned by the government to conduct the survey.
He said his team found that the conifers grow very slowly because it takes more than a year to produce seeds after pollination.
Believing that there are more of the rare species growing near the reserve, Yang has suggested exploring the southern section of the Central Mountain Range as a further project.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
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