See Taiwan’s Marine Marvel: Special Exhibition on Dongsha Atoll Opens at National Taiwan Museum

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Reported by Li Xinyi

 

The National Taiwan Museum is hosting the special exhibition "Taiwan’s Reef Spot – Dongsha Atoll (The Dongsha Atoll)" starting today until September 1, 102 (2013), featuring four main themes: "The Dragon King’s Ring," "Marine Treasures," "Guardians of the Dragon Palace," and an interactive learning area. These sections introduce the geographical location, marine environment, and the beautiful marine biodiversity of Dongsha Atoll. The exhibition also includes a dedicated parent-child interactive zone, displaying e-books such as "Blue Oasis – The Marine Chapter of Dongsha," "Treasured Dongsha – Intertidal Mollusks Chapter," "Shimmering Greens – Dongsha Seagrass Beds," and the picture book "Exploring Dongsha – The Adventure in the Rocky Coast." Additionally, films such as "Discovering Dongsha," "Mysteries of Dongsha," "Dongsha’s Seagrass," and "The Coral Castle" are being screened.

Yang Mulin, Director of the Marine National Park Headquarters, one of the co-organizers, stated that currently, Dongsha Atoll National Park is under the administration of the Marine National Park Headquarters. It is Taiwan’s first marine national park primarily aimed at conserving marine resources, fostering education, and conducting long-term ecological monitoring and research. Since its establishment, the park has continuously promoted ecological monitoring surveys, restoration experiments, marine resource conservation advocacy, and environmental education within the Dongsha Atoll area. This year (102/2013), in collaboration with the National Science Council, an international marine research station will be set up on Dongsha Island, with the hope of encouraging global conservation organizations and international researchers to participate in marine ecological research and educational activities, thereby internationalizing the sustainable management of Dongsha.

 

The National Taiwan Museum noted that Dongsha Atoll is located 240 nautical miles (approximately 450 kilometers) from Kaohsiung. The coral atoll ecosystem nurtures a rich diversity of marine life, often referred to as an “underwater tropical rainforest,” with extremely high biodiversity that is of great importance to the Earth and human survival. As of October 2012, there were 303 species of coral, 679 species of fish, 283 species of mollusks, echinoderms, and crustaceans, as well as 7 species of seagrass and 148 species of macroalgae. The terrestrial area of Dongsha hosts 211 plant species and 257 bird species, making it a proud and critically important treasure that urgently needs conservation.

As for how such a unique atoll is formed? Research suggests that during the early development of Dongsha Atoll, coral reefs may have attached themselves to carbonate rock foundations in shallow sea areas. Later, during the sea level drops of the Tertiary and Quaternary glacial periods, these carbonate rock foundations provided an ideal environment for the growth of shallow-water coral reefs. Subsequently, as the South China Sea floor stretched, sank, and sea levels rose, the Dongsha coral reefs continued to grow and eventually formed a structurally complete atoll. Dongsha Atoll has a diameter of about 25 kilometers, a reef flat stretching approximately 46 kilometers in length and 2 kilometers in width, covering an area of 500 square kilometers. It serves as a complete coral reef ecosystem and a hotspot for marine biodiversity.

 

 

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