National Parks of Taiwan

Japan has many years of experience in community development and therefore the development of community-based ecotourism in Japan has come to a certain level of maturity. Governed under strict legislation and effective enforcement of environmental protection, ecotourism in Japan promotes community involvement and the administrators helped the community residents to benefit from the activities. These are some of the significant factors that have made ecotourism in Japan highly successful. With a proud heritage, Ryukoku University has been one of the top schools in Japan throughout history. Several scholars from Ryukoku University, including experts in local autonomy Law, environmental sociology, decentralization, and ecology, are planning to visit several ecotourism destinations in Taiwan.

Since 2005, Kenting National Park Headquarters has become actively involved in the development of ecotourism in the Sheding Tribe area. Ecotourism in this area is themed on the uniqueness of the ecology and environment and leads the visitors deep into the communities. Among the ecotourism projects developed by the Kenting National Park Headquarters at the current stage, Sheding Tribe ecotourism has won acclaim from visitors nationwide and its development model has also been implemented to successfully develop other communities. The staff of Kenting National Park Headquarters continued the heated discussions with the professors even after the seminar and exchanged name cards for future contacts. Several of the scholars will stay in Taiwan for a few days to observe the communities under ecotourism development. Their journey to Kenting is a good beginning because it brings valuable opportunities for exchange of experiences and new ideas for further improvement of ecotourism in Kenting communities.