¡@Taiwan's special natural environment has endowed it with a rich flora and fauna, and a diversity and density of species which is renowned over the world. At the same time, its long geographical isolation has given it a high proportion of endemic species. Of its 4,200 or so vascular plant species, 27% are endemic; of its more than 18,500 wild animal species (including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fish, butterflies and other insects), over 60% are endemic. Such a rich flora and fauna and high proportion of endemic species have tremendous value for academic research, for the conservation and use of natural resources, and even for international tourism.
"Species endemic to Taiwan" means species which breed or live only in the Taiwan area. As well as forming an important part of Taiwan's natural heritage and biological resources in themselves, these species' survival or otherwise is also a measure of the health of Taiwan's natural ecology as a whole. Due to a long-standing lack of basic data on our local flora and fauna, there is an urgent need for comprehensive and systematic research into the distribution and numbers of Taiwan's rare and endemic species, threats to their survival and how to rehabilitate them, and for education on our local ecology.

To improve research into Taiwan's endemic plant and animal species and special ecosystems and to promote ecology education, the Taiwan Provincial Government took a policy decision on nature conservation. On 8 January 1990, at Meeting 909 of provincial government heads of department, Chiu Chuang-huan, the then Governor of Taiwan Province, directed that "a Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute should be established specifically to conserve and research Taiwan's existing endemic species." To implement this decision, Taiwan Province Department of Agriculture and Forestry prepared an "Outline Plan for the Establishment of a Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute," which was completed in May 1990. After being debated and passed by the Provincial Government Council, the plan was presented to the Executive Yuan, which approved it on 23 April 1991. TESRI was formally established on 1 July 1992.