Taiwan 2002

		Environmental Protection
		Cultivating a Conservation Ethic Many government agencies and private conservation groups are working to carry out a massive educational campaign aimed at cultivating a conservation ethic in Taiwan. At the forefront of conservation education is the COA, which sponsors research projects, hosts international symposia, and subsidizes publicity campaigns. The COA also commissions other government agencies to provide conservation-related publications. To help educate the public about conservation, the Ministry of Education ±Ð¨|³¡ (MOE) trains teachers to teach courses on wildlife conservation and has introduced wildlife conservation into the public school curriculum. In 1998, 16 new textbooks introducing conservation concepts were published that are suitable for students of all ages. Targeting the general public, the Government Information Office (GIO) has made wildlife conservation a major part of its own informational campaigns. In July 1995, the GIO went on the Internet (http://www.gio.gov.tw) with a new database--available in both Chinese and English--of facts and figures about Taiwan, including the island's efforts in the area of wildlife conservation. In recent years, the people of Taiwan have placed greater emphasis on environmental protection, as can be seen from the planting of cypress trees pictured here. The ROC has an established record of cooperation with international conservation organizations. In 2000, the COA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated US$402,000 and US$74,000, respectively, to support international conservation activities and projects, such as the IUCN Species Survival Commission's project titled "Sustainable Trade in Medical Plants, Reptiles and Marine Organisms, the Role of the Precautionary Principle, and New Methods to Collect Species Status Information"; TRAFFIC (Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce) International's project titled "Assisting the Enforcement of CITES and Related National Legislation"; Bird Life International's project, Important Bird Areas of South Asia; and a project by the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations titled "Assisting the Development of the Chinese Version of Forest Terminology." The ROC government's donations toward international wildlife conservation efforts have continued into 2001. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office.   All rights reserved.   Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution