Biodiversity targets
“Biodiversity” refers to the variety and variability of the Earth’s living organisms. While variability may be assessed through three primary aspects—DNA, species, and ecosystems—in reality biodiversity is far more complex. Like an intricate web, the concept embraces everything from elemental forces to animals and plants, with ecosystems and biological organisms varying according to numerous factors such as climate and geography.
In 2019 the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services reported that around 1 million of the world’s animal and plant species were threatened with extinction. The situation does not seem to have improved since then.
In light of this, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) drawn up in December 2022 clearly defines 23 action-oriented targets, requiring that at least 30% of the world’s lands, seas, and inland waters should be protected by 2023.
Shih Chih-chin, a section chief in the Conservation Management Division of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA), says that under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, the Forestry Act, and other laws, 35% of Taiwan’s land surface is already under protection. So in addition to monitoring existing protected areas and national forests, the government seeks to promote biodiversity by conserving low-elevation mountainous regions, which have been relatively overlooked in the past.
Apart from the land area, Taiwan’s marine biodiversity is among the world’s top 5%. Huang Hsiang-wen, director-general of the Ocean Affairs Council’s Ocean Conservation Administration, says that in order to achieve the 30% target, the administration is working with the government and non-governmental organizations to survey the populations of marine species and define conservation areas.
The winners of the inaugural Taiwan Biodiversity Awards come from a wide range of industries. (courtesy of Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards)
In recent years, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has put low-elevation mountain areas under protection. (MOFA file photo)