Taiwan NGO leading wildlife conservation efforts

2020/03/20

The Society for Wildlife and Nature International is one of Taiwan’s leading nongovernmental organizations working to conserve animal life and raise public awareness regarding environmental protection issues, while highlighting the country’s ecological achievements on the world stage.
 
 Founded in Taipei City in 1983, the NGO’s work includes conducting research; organizing ecological tours, public hearings, seminars and workshops; and pushing for legislative action.

 
 SWAN International has also participated in numerous conservation activities and studies commissioned by the central and local governments relating to animals such as fireflies and the Formosan sika deer, as well as conducting resource inventories and risk assessments for invasive species. One of its latest initiatives involves promoting biodiversity through a series of forums and training courses under commission from the Council of Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau.
 
“What we’re doing reflects the evolution of the movement in Taiwan,” SWAN International Chairman Jeng Ming-shiou said. “Our recent efforts have focused on raising awareness regarding how biodiversity affects human life and mobilizing the general public to practice animal conservation,” he added.

Beginning with a strict focus on local issues, the society has gradually widened its scope to international activities. It now has chapters in Australia, Israel, Japan and Thailand. “One of our organization’s features is its global networks,” Jeng said, adding the NGO is working hard to foster exchanges with groups abroad and participate in conventions and treaties to make a greater contribution to wildlife conservation around the world.
 
 Members of SWAN International have also served as Taiwan’s representatives to the Convention on Biological Diversity and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, as well as conferences held by the World Wide Fund for Nature and International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to Jeng, such events keep the organization abreast of the latest information and policymaking trends while providing a platform to highlight the country’s conservation achievements on the world stage.
 
“As one of the pioneers of animal advocacy in Taiwan, we’re pleased that the government has taken wildlife conservation to heart and continuously improved legal protections,” Jeng said. “There are now more than 100 similar groups here who are working toward a common goal: ensuring we lose no more of the incredible species on this planet,” he added.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)