Toroko National Park, Taiwan Photograph by Yasuharu Esaki   Southeastern Asia: Taiwan Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   12,900 square miles (33,400 square kilometers) -- about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined Vulnerable

· Island of Big Wind
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Island of Big Wind

Taiwan doesn't just experience typhoons, it is defined by them. Meaning "big winds" in Chinese, Taiwan is frequently hit by the typhoons that occur regularly in the region around the South China Sea. This island, the largest off the coast of China, is largely made up of granite mountains--some as high as 13,000 feet (4,000 m). Its north-south orientation and significant height allow a wide range of habitats that give rise to a high diversity of species.

Special Features

Much of the Taiwan Subtropical Evergreen Forests ecoregion lies within Yushan, Shei-Pa, and Taroko National Parks and the Tsenwan Estuary Nature Preserve. These protected areas support large numbers of species. With 20 million people and an economy based on agriculture and industry, Taiwan’s natural environments have been adversely affected by development. Most intact habitat today occurs in mountain areas where nature reserves and national parks have been established. Forest cover is about 52 percent of the total land area in the country, but much of this forest has been degraded or is the result of replanting.

	Taiwan's forest cover, diverse landscapes, tropical climate, and position along coastal migratory routes make it a great place for birds. Black-faced spoonbills, which resemble herons, are among the most threatened migratory birds in the world. Numbering less than 600 worldwide, they stop off in southern Taiwan to feed in tidal areas.

Wild Side

Throughout the Taiwain Subtropical Evergreen Forests, different species of trees grow at different elevations. Chestnut, laurel, and pine (Pinus massoniana) grow at lower elevations. Forests at mid-range elevations consist mostly of oak-like trees named Cyclobalanopsis glauca and deciduous hardwoods such as alder, maple, and hemlock. The highest mountain areas can get quite cold and snowy in the winter, which are perfect conditions for hemlock, spruce, and fir. These mountains also provide habitat for mammals such as the Taiwan muntjac and Taiwan black bear, the protected Taiwan serow and Taiwan macaque, and the Mikado and Swinhoe's pheasant, all of which are endemic. The Taiwan Subtropical Evergreen Forests are also home to the endemic Taiwan salamander and the Formosan land-locked salmon. Migrating water birds such as the black-faced spoonbill, short-tailed albatross, Chinese egret, Nordmann’s greenshank, and Saunder’s gull spend the winter here, while the collared bush-robin, white-whiskered laughingthrush, flamecrest, and threatened fairy pitta call the ecoregion home all year round.

Cause for Concern

Taiwan's large human population keeps growing as people move to the island from mainland China. This trend, combined with intensive agricultural and industrial development, has severely affected natural environments. Most remaining trees grow on high mountain slopes and in nature preserves. Even these forests are not immune, however, as people gather economically important species, such as figs, laurels, bamboo, conifers, and camphor for human use.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.