International Participation

Because Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, it has not been able to participate in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Nevertheless, Taiwan supports international agreements to halt the trafficking of endangered species and has enacted legislation which,as closely as possible, complies with CITES requirements. The Council of Agriculture serves as the equivalent of the CITES Scientific Authority and, together with the Board of Foreign trade, serves as the equivalent of the Management Authority.

Important policies and actions include:

• Enactment of the Wildlife Conservation Act, which regulates both international and domestic trade in "protected species."  Protected species is fauna deemed by the Council of Agriculture to be a) endangered, b) rare and valuable, or c) requiring conservation measures. Except under extraordinary circumstances, protected species may not be disturbed, abused, hunted, captured, traded, or illegally owned.
• Establishment in Taipei of a branch office of TRAFFIC (Trade Record Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce), an agency dedicated solely to the monitoring and the controlling of wildlife trafficking.
• A series of individual actions which constitute an ongoing effort to halt illegal wildlife trade. These actions include a) a coordinated island-wide sweep of suspected traffickers, b) a wildlife identification training seminar for customs officers, c) the repatriation of orangutans to Indonesia, d) the registration of pre-Wildlife Conservation Act rhinoceros horn, and e) the publicizing of the incineration of confiscated wildlife parts and products.
• Efforts to address issues involving the use of rare species in traditional Chinese culture (i.e., ivory carving and the legitimate medicinal use of wildlife parts). 

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Taiwanese experts actively participate in CBD meetings such as Conference of Parties (COPs) and Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) meetings. Important biodiversity issues at above meetings were further discussed and consolidated as a reference for planning of biodiversity policy in Taiwan. During CBD COP12, Taiwanese delegation organized a side event titled “Connecting the islands to complete the biodiversity puzzles,” which is an echo of the island biodiversity theme of Biodiversity Day. Taiwanese speakers talked about “Biodiversity promotion in Taiwan” and “Cross-country projects on Pratas Islands and Chinese Crested Terns.” Several international organizations were invited as guest speakers at the event. Featured speakers include representatives from BirdLife International, CBD Secretariat and the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) with topics regarding island conservation and invasive alien species.
 

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)    

In order to prevent rare or endangered species to be threatened by international trade, although not a member of CITES, Taiwanese experts attended CITES COPs and other related meetings. Bureau of Foreign Trade was designated as relevant CITES Management Authority, while Council of Agriculture is relevant CITES Scientific Authority. Enacted pursuant to Article 13-1 Paragraph 4 of the Foreign Trade Act, “Regulations on Import and Export of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna, Flora and Related Products” was promulgated on August 16, 2010. The regulation controls the international trade of CITES listed species and incorporates enforcement task from customs, polices, and other related agencies.
 
If managed properly, wildlife can be renewable resources that allow sustainable use and generate biological, economical, and cultural benefit. The sustainable use of wildlife resources was stipulated by the Wildlife Conservation Act (WCA). According to the WCA, species face danger of extinction or hunting pressure is listed in the “Schedule of Protected Species” for strict control and protection measures. In accordance with CITES COP16 newly announced Appendices Species of 2013, above “Schedule of Protected Species” was amended on July 2, 2014. Currently, there are more than 3,000 protected species in Taiwan, among them 187 are endemic species.