Populations of many endangered mammals are likely growing or stabilizing, although the leopard cat is still facing challenges to its survival, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said on Monday.
The agency, which was this month upgraded from the Forestry Bureau, announced the results of a year of observations from more than 300 infrared cameras set up in forests around Taiwan.
It has since 2015 commissioned the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology to build a camera network for collecting population data as a reference for conservation policymaking.
Photo courtesy of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency
Sightings indicate that the protected Formosan sambar deer, Formosan serow and yellow-throated marten populations have all increased, as have the Reeve’s muntjac, Formosan hare and Siberian weasel populations, which are not protected, the agency said.
Meanwhile, protected Formosan pangolin and civet sightings, as well as those of the Formosan wild boar and masked palm civet, have stabilized, it said.
The Formosan rock macaque, which was removed from the protected species list in 2019, has become more common across central, southern and eastern Taiwan, with the biggest population gains seen in the east, it said.
Formosan black bear sightings are also growing every year, although more data is needed to determine whether their actual numbers are up, the agency said.
However, the leopard cat is still facing many threats, the agency said.
As it mainly lives in hilly farmland, they are vulnerable to stray dog and cat attacks, vehicle collisions and habitat loss, it said.
Close monitoring in Nantou County shows a growing population density in that region, but as a whole their numbers have not yet stabilized, it said, adding that it would continue encouraging resident participation in preserving low-lying mountain species.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS