Text/Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel Life Network – compiled and reported
The National Taiwan Museum has launched an exhibition titled “Taiwan’s ‘Reef’ Spot – The Dongsha Atoll (The Dongsha Atoll),” running until September 1, 2013. The exhibit features four main themes: “The Dragon King’s Ring,” “Marine Treasures,” “Guardians of the Dragon Palace,” and an interactive learning area, showcasing the geographical location, marine environment, and abundant marine life resources of the Dongsha Atoll. The exhibition space also includes a special interactive area for families, featuring digital books such as “Blue Oasis – The Dongsha Marine Chapter,” “Treasured Dongsha – Intertidal Mollusks Chapter,” “Shimmering Greens – Dongsha Seagrass Beds,” and the picture book “Exploring Dongsha – The Rocky Shore Adventure.” Additionally, videos such as “Discovering Dongsha,” “Mysteries of Dongsha,” “Dongsha’s Seagrass,” and “The Coral Castle” are being screened.
The Dongsha Atoll preserves precious coral reefs. (Photo courtesy / National Taiwan Museum)
Yang Mulin, Director of the Marine National Park Headquarters, one of the co-organizers, stated that the Dongsha Atoll National Park is currently under the administration of the Marine National Park Headquarters. It is Taiwan’s first marine national park with the primary goals of conserving marine resources, fostering education, and conducting long-term ecological monitoring and research. Since its establishment, the park has continuously promoted ecological monitoring and surveys, restoration experiments, as well as public awareness and environmental education related to marine conservation. This year (2013), in collaboration with the National Science Council, an international marine research station will be set up on Dongsha Island. It is hoped that this initiative will encourage global conservation organizations and international researchers to participate in marine ecological studies and educational activities, thus internationalizing the sustainable management of Dongsha.
The National Taiwan Museum noted that the Dongsha Atoll is located 240 nautical miles (approximately 450 kilometers) from Kaohsiung. Its coral reef ecosystem nurtures a diverse array of marine life, often referred to as a tropical rainforest beneath the sea, with extremely high biodiversity. This biodiversity is of great importance to the Earth and human survival. As of October 2012, the area is home to 303 species of coral, 679 species of fish, 283 species of invertebrates including mollusks, echinoderms, and crustaceans, as well as seven species of seagrass and 148 species of macroalgae. On land, Dongsha hosts 211 plant species and 257 bird species, making it a treasure worth our pride and in urgent need of protection.
Taiwan’s “Reef” Spot – The Dongsha Atoll Special Exhibition has opened at the National Taiwan Museum, taking visitors on a journey to discover one of Taiwan’s beautiful marine treasures. (Photo courtesy / National Taiwan Museum)
So how does such a unique atoll form? Research suggests that during its early development, the Dongsha Atoll’s coral reefs may have attached to carbonate rock foundations in shallow sea areas. Later, during the sea level drops of the Tertiary and Quaternary glacial periods, these carbonate foundations provided an ideal environment for the growth of shallow-water coral reefs. As the seafloor of the South China Sea expanded and sank while sea levels rose, the Dongsha coral reefs continued to develop, eventually forming a structurally complete atoll. The Dongsha Atoll has a diameter of about 25 kilometers, with a reef flat approximately 46 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide, covering an area of 500 square kilometers. It is a complete hotspot for coral reef ecosystems and diverse marine life.
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