The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a certification scheme aimed at contributing to global efforts to conserve 30 percent of the Earth’s terrestrial and aquatic areas by 2030.
The Terrestrial Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM) certification is part of efforts to meet the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal, dubbed the “30 by 30” target.
Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) told a news conference that protected areas and OECMs are recognized as effective conservation that can add up to the target.
Photo: CNA
Most protected areas in Taiwan are public or national land, as the incorporation of private land often faces pushback, he said.
OECM sites are not legal nature reserves and use of the land would not be legally restricted, as long as their biodiversity resources can be sustainably conserved, and local cultural, spiritual, social and economic values can be preserved, Lin said.
“They are places where humans and nature coexist and would not exclude the ‘people element’ the way traditional [nature reserve] enclosures do,” he added.
Government-led conservation and development of private land biodiversity resources can be traced to the introduction of the Satoyama Initiative in 2011, which guided local residents in managing and protecting natural resources based on the concept of community forestry, Lin said.
Although Taiwan is not a UN member, the government is committed to achieving the “30 by 30” target and is planning for several new protected areas, he said.
About 19 percent of the more than 1.5 million hectares of national forests have already been demarcated as protected areas, including national parks, Lin said, adding that a large part of national forests are protection forests, which are less explored and could be included.
Aside from these existing or potential protected areas, more public or private land would be included through the terrestrial OECM scheme to meet the target, he said.
Based on the previously launched Taiwan Ecological Network Construction Project, natural resource governance areas, indigenous peoples, local communities, urban green and blue spaces, and conservation corridors would be prioritized for OECM certification, Lin said.
Other potential OECM sites, such as green space in science parks or industrial areas, could also be repurposed as refugia or ecological stepping stones, he added.
Nature Conservation Management Division technical specialist Chang Chin-chia (張晉嘉) said people and legal entities can apply for OECM certification.
Candidate OECM sites cannot be located within a protected nature reserve and should align with as many biodiversity values as possible, he said.
They are required to have a management system that is effective in the long run and must obtain consent from primary stakeholders about the certification and management plan, Chang said, adding that the first application session has started and would run through Aug. 15.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍) said that ecological conservation and natural sustainability should not be limited to nature reserves or national forests.
“Anyone who owns land, whether it is in the countryside, in the mountains or in a city, has the opportunity to take part in ecological conservation — that is the spirit of OECMs,” she said.
Asked whether OECM certification would be accompanied by legal protection, Lin said that OECM sites would not have extra protection from the government, as they are not protected areas.
The goal is to facilitate biodiversity resource conservation through the help of the public and prompt them to internalize the spirit, he said, adding that companies would also support the policy, as they can include OECM investments in their environmental, social and governance reports.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
RSS