 Wild
animal species which have been recorded in Taiwan include some
80 mammals, 500 birds, 80 reptiles, 30 amphibians, 17,600 insects
and 160 freshwater fish. After the glaciers retreated at the
end of the last Ice Age, Taiwan was separated from the Eurasian
landmass by the Taiwan Strait. During the long period of isolation
since that time, many unique species and subspecies have evolved
here, making the island's wildlife resources all the more precious.
Wildlife is a renewable natural resource which plays an important
role in culture, religion, art, the economy, medicine, scientific
research and the ecology. But in the past, for want of personnel
and resources we have lacked systematic and comprehensive research
into Taiwan's animal life. Thus there is an urgent need to survey
the distribution and populations of all kinds of different animal
species on the island, and to investigate more deeply such questions
as how they are ecologically, behaviorally and genetically adapted
to survive, what threats they face and how they can best be
conserved.
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