TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan Ecotourism Association (TEA) President Yuri Guo (郭 育 任) recently spoke to Taiwan News to discuss a new collaboration.

The newspaper will work with the TEA on a series of outdoor features, covering many unique geological features of Taiwan and recommending nature trips to see them.

Guo said that in the past the TEA has focused on organizing forums and training guides, but in recent years it has partnered with other organizations to set up eco-tours that blend the amazing scenery and culture of Taiwan.

Taiwan’s unique geographic features

There are 268 peaks with an elevation of over 3,000 meters in Taiwan, the TEA chairman explained, while the country has an area of ​​only 36,000 square kilometers. Comparatively speaking, Japan is 10 times the physical size of Taiwan, but it only has about 20 peaks over 3,000 meters.

Taiwan is fortunate to have another geographic treasure, he said, which are cloud forests, a designation that can only be given to 1% of the world’s forests. Surprisingly, there are a lot of cloud forests in Taiwan.

The country has a wide variety of tall trees, especially cypresses. Although there are only six species of cypress in the world, Taiwan has two: Taiwan red cypress and Taiwanese cypress, both of which are species of tall giant trees, he continued. .

Some of the giant trees in the cloud forests of Taiwan have been felled, including in Alishan, Basianshan and Taipingshan, but luckily many huge trees are left untouched in the cloud forests, including at Lala Mountain in Taoyuan and Beichatian Mountain, Smangus and Yilan from Hsinchu County. County Qilan.

Currently, the TEA is organizing an eco-tour to visit the giant trees around Lala Mountain.

Recent focus on the TEA

Lately, Guo said, TEA has been helping government agencies plan eco-tours, including organizing hiking routes, board and lodging, activities, transportation, training local guides and staff, and providing training. serving as a liaison with partner travel agencies. Basically, he explained, the TEA does all the organization, training and other work to bring the design of eco-tours to life for government agencies.

The association organized visits to the villages of the Tsou tribe in the Alishan area, Smangus, the Nenggao trail, the villages of the Bunun tribe along the Zhuoshui river in Nantou county, Fushan in the township of Wulai in New Taipei, Kenting in Pingtung County, along with an animal watching Alishan visit to see white-faced flying squirrels at night.

To illustrate what such tours look like, Guo mentioned a one-day tour that the association is working on with the Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters that takes participants to see the volcanic landforms and distinct types of plants in the area. Mount Xiangtian of the national park. This is followed by a walk on a trail to a community called Xingfuliao to visit century-old houses, have a meal with home-made tea, then go to see ancient irrigation ditches and terraced fields.

Collaboration with Taiwan News

Finally, Guo spoke about the reports that TEA will be working on with the newspaper.

“The main collaboration with Taiwan News will be on presenting itineraries for one to four day outings for foreigners as well as for compatriots,” he said. “We will explore more accessible and well-known hiking trails, including the Xiakelo National Trail, the Nenggao Trail, and trails leading to some of Taiwan’s 100 peaks, such as Dabajian Mountain, Jiaming Lake, and Beidawu Mountain.

He added that information about local flora and fauna as well as Taiwan’s culture and history will be covered whenever possible, while original aerial photographs will be shown.

“In light of Taiwan’s increased international visibility in recent years,” Guo explained, “I think Taiwan News is a good channel with a high readership to present the best of Taiwan to international friends. “

Yuri Guo, president of the Taiwan Ecotourism Association (photo TEA)