National Parks of Taiwan

The Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters organized the 2023 International Symposium for Salamander Conservation, making special invitation to agencies dedicated to conservation and management of the Formosan salamander habitats to participate in the event. In addition, experts and scholars from Russia, South Korea, and Japan were also invited to come to Taiwan to share their knowledge, leading participants to visit the long evolutionary journey of the Formosan salamander, all the way from Siberia to Taiwan. They also discussed the conservation and research of the Hynobiidae family in different countries. The symposium was attended by over 200 participants.

Director General Chen Mao-Chun said that the first salamander species was discovered in Cueifong Lake in 1919 by a Japanese man, Jinhaku Sonan, and five more salamander species have been discovered in Taiwan since. Taiwan also happens to be the southernmost area with regard to the worldwide distribution of the Hynobiidae family. This symposium also worked to draw the attention of the international community to the diversity and achievements in conservation of amphibians in Taiwan. It will also open opportunities for cross-border collaborative research on amphibians between Taiwan and other countries in the world. The general public is also invited to participate in the conservation of the Formosan salamander and protect Taiwan’s endemic species.