A declaration aimed at protecting areas with particular geological and landscape features by establishing a network of geological parks (geoparks) was signed in Taipei on Monday at the opening banquet of the International Conference of Landscape Conservation.
The Landscape Conservation Taipei Declaration says conservation of Taiwan’s landscape is to be placed among the most important issues on national agendas, is a national responsibility for the global environment and the implementation of the geological parks is a means to improve the conservation of natural landscapes and sustain social-cultural heritage at the same time.
The declaration also says that while legislative and government support is needed to ensure the implementation of the program, to make the plan sustainable the public needs to be involved in environmental protection and social-economic planning.
Photo courtesy of the Forestry Bureau
Geography and earth sciences academics from the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Switzerland, Poland and Hungary were invited to the conference, hosted by the Forestry Bureau, to exchange views with local academics, government officials and officials from the Tourism Bureau as well as the Forestry Bureau.
The Forestry Bureau said there are already more than 300 sites throughout the country listed as rare landscape conservation sites, but only 20 are designated as nature reserves, meaning that there are still many neglected sites that are at risk of being destroyed.
The Forestry Bureau said it had designated four geoparks according to UNESCO’s core values: conservation, environmental education, community development and landscape recreation.
Geoparks, which feature unique landscapes of scientific, educational and esthetic values, can enhance local community involvement and stimulate economy growth through eco-tourism, the Forestry Bureau said, adding that as of the end of last year, there were a total of 77 geopark sites in 25 countries.
Among the four designated geoparks, Penghu Marine Geopark (澎湖海洋地質公園) features a total of 10 geological spots, including its famous natural basaltic cliffs found on the sides of mesas, historic fishing weirs built with coral and basaltic rocks, as well as the Double Heart Stone Weir, which is a popular tourist attraction.
Taitung Liji Badland Geopark (台東利吉泥惡地地質公園) has a variety of landscapes, including badland fruits, sea ports, bays, mountainous landscapes with eroded gullies and five Aboriginal communities within the park.
Yulin Caoling Geopark (雲林草嶺地質公園) features the Caoling Landslide, which is one of the largest landslides in the nation. Mud volcanoes are the highlights at the Kaohsiung Yanchao Badland Geopark (高雄燕巢泥惡岩地質地質公園).
The Forestry Bureau said more geoparks would be eventually be designated to form a network to protect the country’s valuable landscape and issues concerning geologic hazards, tourism, heritage, conservation and diversity would be discussed during the two-day conference.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS