INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES/COOPERATION EVENTS

Agreements

On February 24 and March 6, 1995, respectively, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States and the American Institute in Taiwan signed an agreement on technical cooperation for the conservation of flora and fauna.

Conservation agencies of the ROC and the Republic of South Africa are currently negotiating an agreement to strengthen their cooperation on law enforcement, technology and other areas related to wildlife conservation.

Visits/Abroad Training

In March 1995, the USA sent delegates to Taiwan to evaluate Taiwan's progress with wildlife conservation. International conservation NGOs such as TRAFFIC International, IUCN/SSC, IUCN/CNPPA and the Nature Conservancy also sent representatives to visit Taiwan to discuss possible cooperation.

Taiwan sent delegates to the USA to study identification techniques for wildlife products. Delegates also visited the US Fish and Wildlife Service and conservation NGOs such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, Environmental Investigation Agency, Earth Island Institute and TRAFFIC. A similar group was sent to Sweden to study wildlife protein purification techniques. The WPU also sent one person to the 1995 International Training Seminar for Wildlife Enforcement Officers in the USA.

International Meetings or Workshops

Between January and October 1995, Taiwan sent delegates to participate in the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) held in France, the CITES Animals Committee Meeting held in Guatemala and the CITES Asian Regional Meeting held in Japan.

From January to November 1995, Taiwan hosted nine conservation- related meetings/workshops with topics and meetings including traditional medicine containing wildlife parts, ecotourism, sustainable development, trade and the environment, CITES implementation, WESPA's First International Conference on Nature Conservation, Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) Applied to Endemic Wildlife -- Conservation Research on Felidae, Fifth Annual Conference of South-East Asian Zoological Parks' Association and conservation of the black-faced spoonbill.

Donations

From January to November 1995, Taiwan donated US$540,000 to support international conservation activities and projects such as the Decision Support-2001 Conference held in Canada, Israel's roe deer reintroduction project, Swaziland's rhino conservation project, 1995 International Training Seminar for Wildlife Enforcement Officers in the USA, Thailand's CITES Standing Committee Asian Regional Office for its daily operation, TRAFFIC International's project entitled "Assisting the Enforcement of CITES and Related National Legislation," IUCN's project entitled "Promoting Sustainability in International Trade in Wildlife and Supporting the Implementation of CITES" and the Wilderness Conservancy's anti-poaching project to purchase light observation aircraft to be used in Africa to protect rhinos and elephants.

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

Taiwan's wildlife conservation work, whether domestic or international, has made tremendous progress. On the domestic front, Taiwan has made significant progress in the registration and marking of wildlife products, law enforcement and conservation education. On the international front, Taiwan has attended and hosted a series of international conservation conferences, supported international conservation projects, and boosted technical exchanges and international cooperation. In the future, Taiwan will continue to do its utmost for conservation work both domestically and internationally.