More than 100 people walked under indoor artificial trees and on wooden boards mimicking forest trails with green plants alongside them and sounds of insects in the air, as they learned about Taiwan’s forests and nature conservation in a public exhibition at Huashan Creative Park in Taipei yesterday afternoon.
In celebration of the Republic of China’s centenary and the UN’s International Year of Forests, the Forestry Bureau opened an exhibition on Friday to share with the public the history, challenges, policies and future prospects of forestry in Taiwan.
At the opening ceremony, Forestry Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Hung-chih (楊宏志) said that because of the unique geological environment in Taiwan, 58 percent of the country’s land was covered with forests, so forests have always linked together life on the island and thus hold treasures of cultural, social, economic and ecological benefits.
Yang also said the exhibition would introduce the diversified aspects and roles of forests, not only the ecology of abundant species, land security and recreational usage, but also their important roles in maintaining water sources and carbon sequestration — the capturing of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The exhibition is divided into eight sections by topic, such as the technology of aerial photography and remote sensing; 100 recommended forest trails and 18 National Forest Recreation Areas; forestry culture and eco-friendly products; biodiversity; as well as other issues pertaining to ecological engineering and threats from invasive alien species.
Basic facts about Taiwan’s ecosystem were revealed, telling visitors there are about 950 million trees, more than 5,300 species of animals and plants, an average of 2,510mm of rainfall per year (about 3.44 times more than the world’s annual average) and that forests holds 26 percent more water than farmland in the country.
Visitors enjoyed a hands-on experience to understand how aerial photography and remote sensing functions in natural resource and disaster investigations. Numerous colorful photographs, samples and videos of animals and plants from forests were displayed, as well as handmade artifacts made of wood, sponge cucumber, seeds and other natural materials. Some visitors gazed at terrain models while guides explained the design and actual effects of different types of fish ladders.
To emphasize the concept of forest protection and carbon reduction, all exhibition displays and stages were made from recycled materials and could be recycled after use, the bureau said.
The exhibition is free and runs through Saturday. It is open from 9:30am to 6pm. Lectures and activities for parents and children will be held throughout.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
IDENTITY SHIFT: Asked to choose to identify as either Taiwanese or Chinese, 83.3 percent of respondents chose Taiwanese, while 8.4 percent chose Chinese An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese, 71.5 percent, think that Taiwan should compete in international competitions under the name “Taiwan,” a Taiwan Brain Trust survey published yesterday showed. Referring to Taiwan’s victory last month at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, the survey results showed that 89.1 percent of respondents said that Taiwan’s exceptional performance in sporting competitions furthers national unity. Only 18.8 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese teams’ continued use of the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting competitions, the survey showed. Among Taiwan’s leading political parties, the name “Team Taiwan” was supported by 91.1 percent of self-identified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters,
RSS