•Publication Date：02/24/2014
•Source： Taiwan Today
The ROC Forestry Bureau said Feb 22 that conservation efforts over the years at the 18 Arhats Mountain nature reserve in southern Taiwan have protected not only the fragile landscape, but also the endangered plants and species inhabiting the area.
The mountain lies within the Maolin National Scenic Area, next to Laonong River and alongside national freeway No. 27 in Kaohsiung City’s Liugui District. With 72 separate peaks, it is one of Taiwan’s most famous landscapes, ranking alongside Dabajian Mountain and Turtle Island.
The mountain was designated a nature reserve in 1992, and measures were implemented to prevent any possible harm from development, according to the bureau.
In 1997, Pingtung Forest District Office commissioned a survey of the area’s geology, fauna and flora by universities including Tainan City-based National Cheng Kung University, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and Kaohsiung City-based National Sun Yat-sen University.
The area has since been found to have 555 species of plants, including 38 which are endangered or critically endangered; 144 types of animal, including 27 protected species; and 684 species of insects. This total species count of 1,383 compares with a 1994 survey that found only 71 species, the bureau said. Additional species long extinct in the area have also been found.
The scenic area was heavily damaged during Typhoon Morakot in 2009 and the fragile nature of the geological formations has necessitated a thorough review of visitor access, the bureau said. Experts and academics have been invited to carry out geological monitoring and evaluation work to seek alternatives that combine conservation with environmental education, the bureau added.
Besides the risk of rockfalls, applicants wishing to enter the reserve should consider preservation of the special scenery, fauna and flora of this area so that it can be enjoyed by future generations, the Pingtung office said.
The Pingtung office stressed that the area is only open to a limited range of activities, including scientific research, ecological and cultural monitoring, as well as some environmental educational excursions.
