National Parks of Taiwan

1. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) protected area categories and definitions, a national park belongs to Category II, and is defined as a “protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation”. IUCN created the criteria and a list of national parks in 1969. The basic criteria is that it is a resource for which the central government authority has established legal protection, of which the highest competent authority is in charge, and a sufficient budget and staff is provided for protection.

2. Our country’s national parks are created according to the provisions of the “National Park Law”. Article 1 of the National Park Law states that the Law is enacted for the purpose of protecting the nation’s unique natural scenery, wildlife and historic sites, as well as setting aside areas for public recreation and scientific research. Therefore, conservation, recreation, and research are the 3 main objectives of national parks.