Located around Dongsha Island--also known as Pratas Island--in the South China Sea about 240 nautical miles southwest of Kaohsiung, the DMNP will become Taiwan's seventh national park and its first marine park. Covering around 80,000 hectares of atolls and around 350,000 hectares in total, it will be by far the largest national park to date, occupying an area roughly one-tenth the size of Taiwan proper.
The CPA, an agency under the Ministry of the Interior, proposed the plan in order to conserve the area's unique ecology and natural environment, which consisted mainly of coral atolls and reef flats, it said in a Nov. 14 press release.
In the press release, Wu Hsiang-chien, chief of the CPA's Dongsha Marine National Park Preparatory Office, said his agency's priorities were to undertake a thorough survey of the area's marine ecology and resources, to revive coral reefs and to protect the ecosystem and the environment. Wu said that conservation efforts had become increasingly urgent, due to climate change causing bleaching of reefs, and destructive fishing methods used by Taiwanese and foreign vessels threatening fishery resources.
The budget for the 10-year project was passed by the cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development. The proposed sum would cover research and surveying, monitoring facilities, transportation and safety equipment, education, environmental preservation, and other amenities needed to help make Dongsha Island self-sufficient, such as desalinization equipment to provide water, and solar- and wind-powered generators to produce electricity. The plan also includes setting up an underwater research station in preparation for long-term scientific research and monitoring.
Due to the island's distance from Taiwan proper and its politically sensitive status--China also claims the fishing grounds--Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration would be responsible for repelling fishing boats using destructive methods, a CPA official was quoted as saying by the semi-official Central News Agency. The CGA would also assist in coral reef revival work.
Tourists wishing to experience the park's natural beauty will have to wait at least 10 years, however. A spokesperson for the preparatory office said tourist facilities were not a focus of the project, and environmental impact would need to be carefully considered before such developments could go ahead.