SHEI-PA NATION PARK

When we are trying to gain some understanding of any national park, it is useful to consider in what country and what area the park lies. Shei-Pa National Park is in Taiwan, so a quick review of Taiwan may be helpful here.

Taiwan, or Formosa as it used to be called, is an island about 160 kilometers off the southeast coast of Mainland China, between Japan and Philippines on a line running north-southwest. It is approximately 36,000 square kilometers in size, about the same size as Holland, and a little larger than Massachusetts and Connecticut States combined. Three quarters of the land area is mountainous, much of it too steep to be cultivated easily. There are more than 200 peaks over 3,000 meters in altitude. The highest of them, Jade Mountain reaches 3,952 meters.
The climate is subtropical, and rainfall is heavy: average annual rainfall in the north is 100 inches(2,540 mm).

The population now numbers 23 million, mainly ethnic Chinese, but including also more than
300, 000 aborigines of south Pacific ancestry, languages, and culture. The people live mostly on the level plains, where the population density is very high. The population has increased very fast recently, moreover in one generation Taiwan has changed from an agricultural to a predominantly industrial society. Taiwan, with its warm climate, abundant rainfall, steep mountains and valleys, is rich in natural resources co-existing in a delicate equilibrium. This equilibrium is particularly threatened in two ways: firstly, owing to the steepness of the slopes and the force of the rainfalls, the forest cover is essential to prevent erosion, with loss both of soil and of water. Secondly, the rapid development of human life causes many kinds of disturbance to the ecology, with the danger that today's advantages might be at the expense of man's future This situation gives a particular urgency to the work of the national parks: to prevent certain chosen parts of the country from being overwhelmed by industrial growth; to provide areas where people can get recreation and exercise in contact with nature; and, especially important in a rapidly developing country, teach visitors in the park how to enjoy, understand and protect the wild life around them.

Shei-Pa National Park covers an area of 76,850 hectares on the central Taiwan range, slightly to the north of central Taiwan. This is a region of magnificent mountains: within the park are 51 peaks over 3,000 meters high. It is a mostly wild and undeveloped area with a range of wildlife that includes many rare and endemic species. The park was founded to protect and study this splendid wilderness, maintaining the natural environment and all forms of life it includes. Conservation is therefore the first priority for Shei-Pa National Park, and a large proportion of its land is protected as Conservation Area, or Special Scenic Area, with limited access for ordinary visitors.

Under the National Parks Law, the parks are required actively to promote resource conservation, research, recreation and sustainability of use. To further the attainment of these ends, Shei-Pa National Park is divided into four types of management zone, with different levels of restriction and control over land use:

Conservation Area Natural biotic communities and their habitats, which are strictly protected for ecological research. The unauthorized collection of specimens, the use of pesticides, and construction of any kind are forbidden. Special Scenic Area Areas of special natural features which could not be recreated, and in which development must be strictly controlled. General protected Area Areas of land and water not within other zone types, including existing small villages. Continuation of existing land use modes is permitted. Recreation Area Areas suitable for various outdoor leisure activities. The construction of recreational facilities and limited exploitation are permitted. The areas of this type are the Wuling, Guanwu, and Syuejian Recreation Areas.

The Tropic of Cancer crosses Taiwan almost 100 km south of Shei-Pa National Park, which therefore lies entirely in the subtropics. Temperatures, however, vary a great deal according to the altitude. The range of altitudes in the park is from 760 meters above sea level in the Da-an River Valley to 3,886 meters at the top of Syue Mountain; average temperatures to be expected during the year are as follows:

This is a region of magnificent mountains: within the park are 51 peaks over 3,000 meters high, like Syue Mountain, Dabajian Mountain, Wuling Quadruple Mountains, and Jhihjiayang Mountain. The range of altitudes in the park is from 760 meters above sea level in the Da-an River Valley to 3,886 meters at the top of Syue Mountain. The name, Shei-Pa, refers to two notable mountains in the park: Syue Mountain and Dabajian Mountain. Syue Mountain is the highest point of the Syue Mountain Range, which stretches northeast-southwest across Taiwan from Sandiaojiao to the Jhuoshuei River. At 3,886 meters, Syue Mountain is the second highest park in Taiwan, only a little lower than Jade Mountain, 3,952 meters, the highest mountain in Taiwan, or in all Eastern Asia. Syue Mountain is one of "Taiwan Quintuple Mountains." Dabajian Mountain, 3,492 meters, is considered one of Taiwan's natural wonders because of its astonishing, awe-inspiring shape. An old legend of the local aborigines, the Atayal, tells how the whole human race originated from a couple who came out of a rock at the base of the mountain. The Atayal venerated Dabajian Mountain and would not ascend it without special reason; it was not until 1927 that mountain climbers from other places began to go up it.

Shei-Pa National Park's complex terrain is home to a wide range of plant species. Surveys have shown that 1,135 species of vascular plant grow within the park, including broad-leaved, mixed broad-leaved and coniferous, coniferous forests, and tundra. Moreover, 61 of them are rare or very rare; some of which are severely endangered and in need of further protection and study, like Taiwan Sassafras (Sassafras randaiense), Devol's Balsamine (Impatiens devolii), Dumasia miaoliensis, and Epilobium nankotaizanens.

Because of the diversity of vegetation within Shei-Pa National Park and the different climates and forest types produced by the range of elevations, from under 1,000 to over 3,000 meters above sea level, and because most of the park's area has not suffered from much human disturbance or destruction, the park provides animals with an abundant food supply, protection and suitable habitats. Thus, the area is rich in animal life and is home to many different species. Surveys have shown that there are at least: Moreover, Taiwan has been separated from the Eurasian Plat for so long that many of the species and subspecies inhabiting the island are endemic, unique to Taiwan. 26 of these endemic species live in Shei-Pa National Park, some of them very rare, for instance Formosan Black Bear (Selenarctos tibetanus formosanus), Formosan Macaque (Macaca cyclopsis Swinhoe), Formosan Land-locked Salmon (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus), Mikado Pheasant (Syrmaticus mikado),and Swinhoe's Blue Pheasant (Lophura swinhoii).