At similar latitudes and with similarly mountainouslandscapes and diverse species and habitats, Taiwan and Bhutan can benefit fromsharing their experiences about ecological conservation and management.The Shei-Pa National Park Administration Office(“the Office”) has established a model site integrating environmentaleducation, natural conservation, and ecotourism through years of work in the theoryand practice of habitat creation. This site has become a significant hub forinternational research on conservation and instruction on the naturalenvironment. Taiwan and Bhutan have remained in a good relationship since the Officesigned a cooperation agreement with Thrumshingla National Park and SektengWildlife Sanctuary in the Kingdom of Bhutan in 2009.

In 2013, officers from the environmental conservation andnational parks departments under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry ServicesDivision of Bhutan were invited for a return trip to Taiwan by the Office. Mr.Phento Tshering, Director of the Thimphu Province Forest Division of the BhutanNational Forest and Parks Department, Mr. Ugyen Namgyel, Forestry Director of ThrumshinglaNational Park, Mr. Sonam Wangdi, Senior Officer of the Forest Service of theWildlife Department, and Mr. Tshering Phuntsho, Senior Officer of the NationalRecreation and Eco-tourism Department arrived in Taiwan on October 20. Overtwelve days of events, they shared their experiences and visited with stafffrom the national parks of Taiwan. The delegation from Bhutan said that theywould bring back to Bhutan the experiences and strengths they saw in management,ecological conservation, and education at national parks in Taiwan.

The “Shei-Pa and BhutanTravel Together in Happiness—2013 International Forum on Taiwan-Bhutan NationalPark Exchange and Cooperation” was held at the NTUH International ConventionCenter as the officers finished their trip in Taiwan. Through discussions andexchanges held in this forum, it is hoped that Taiwan and Bhutan will have moreexchange in the experience of national parks management and ecotourismdevelopment; also, the parties hope to create more opportunities and models forlong-term cooperation and development.

Theinternational forum was wrapped up by a general session of Q&A and exchangeand interaction between the participants. The parties indicated possibledirections for future cooperation, such as continuous interaction, establishmentof international interaction, creation of a biological hall, support of instructionalresearch, promotion of cultural interaction, assistance for agriculture and fisherydevelopment, and other related avenues of development. Although Taiwan is not currentlyinvolved in any diplomatic relations with Bhutan, it is hoped that long-termcooperation will continue through ecological conservation and culturalinteraction.