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NGOs urge support for Yushan in seven wonders contest

At a news conference Oct. 27, Taiwan’s NGOs urge people to vote for Taiwan’s Yushan, the highest peak in East Asia, in the final round of the Switzerland-based New Seven Wonders of Nature contest. (CNA)

• Publication Date：10/28/2011
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  June Tsai

Environmental advocates and nongovernmental organizations in Taiwan called on people to vote for Yushan in the worldwide contest for the New Seven Wonders of Nature at a promotional event Oct. 27.

Yushan, also known as Jade Mountain, at 3,952 meters is the tallest peak in East Asia and a Taiwanese icon.

“Yushan National Park, stretching over 105,000 hectares and home to the peak, is a sanctuary of diversity rich in flora and fauna,” said Chen Bing-huang, an associate professor of environmental science at Tunghai University.

Yushan has survived the selection process since the contest started in 2007, organized by the nonprofit New7Wonders Foundation in Switzerland to make people aware of the beauty of the world’s natural heritage.

In July 2009 the peak was short listed for the final round, open for public voting, along with 27 other sites around the world, out of 77 nominees. The seven-member jury based its judgments on ecology, history, culture and geography. Other finalists include the Amazon rain forest, Angel Falls, the Dead Sea, Galapagos Islands, Great Barrier Reef and Mount Vesuvius.

With polling scheduled to close Nov. 11, Yushan is still fall far behind in votes, promoters said. They include the Homemakers’ Union and Foundation, Taiwan Environmental Protection Union and Taiwan Society of Wilderness.

“Let’s help Yushan, a natural wonder formed over tens of thousands of years, be seen by the world,” HUF President Chen Man-li said.

According to the organizer, following a verification process, each of the seven winners will be confirmed at an official inauguration event Nov. 11. (THN)