Yangmingshan (陽明山) National Park in Taipei City is soliciting volunteers to help with a census to discover changes in the demographics of butterflies found in the park.
In a very short period of time, 192 people have signed up to spend a day conducting a survey of butterflies living in the Yangmingshan area, park superintendent Lin Yung-fa (林永發) said.
The volunteers will conduct the surveys on Wednesday, next Saturday, July 22 and July 25, with 48 people working on the census on each of the days, park administration officials said.
They will be guided and assisted during their efforts by park rangers and specialists from the Butterfly Conservation Society of Taiwan, a non-profit organization.
“The survey results will help the park administration to build a database on butterflies in the area, of which there are at least 168 different species,” Lin said.
Chen Chien-chih (陳建志), founder of the Butterfly Conservation Society of Taiwan and a professor at the Taipei Municipal University of Education, said only a few of the 168 species found on Yangmingshan are migratory. One of them is the chestnut tiger, which usually appears in Taiwan, particularly in the Yangmingshan area, in spring and summer, with its numbers reaching a peak of around 100,000 during June.
After reaching a population peak, the chestnut tigers disappear all of a sudden, with experts still unsure of exactly where they go, he said.
“Some say they go to Japan and some say they migrate to other parts of Taiwan,” Chen said. “The census data might help answer questions like these.”
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS