National Parks of Taiwan

Yushan National Park has a mysterious group of residents that dwell in the mountains and forests, not only distributed in Yushan National Park, but also Taroko National Park and Shei-pa National Park. They are Taiwan’s endemic sub-species – the Formosan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus).

Seeing the urgency of endangered species conservation, Yushan National Park Headquarters has long been working with Huang Mei-Hsiu in studying the necessity of habitat management to wildlife conservation. The “National Park Formosan Black Bear Cross-District Integrated Research Project” was recently formulated to expand the scope of research beyond Yushan National Park reaching Taroko National Park and Shei-pa National Park. The project learns the current status of Formosan black bear populations and potential threats through investigations of their traces, and aims to provide conservation suggestions and help citizens understand the Formosan black bear.

The Dafen area of Yushan National Park is an important base for research on Formosan black bear. Research data from before 2013 show that the Formosan black bear population is decreasing. Through close cooperation with researchers (Wang Ying, Huang Mei-Hsiu, and Wu Yu-Hui) in the past, Yushan National Park Headquarters discovered the food of Formosan black bear – fagaceae plant – ring-cupped oak grew in abundance, and the season and quantity of fruit resulted in changes in accessibility and abundance of food resources, which further affected Formosan black bear populations.

In the genetic research on wild Formosan black bear populations, DNA samples have been successfully acquired from the purified samples of 2009 to 2012 for analysis. Results indicate that Formosan black bear in Yushan Dafen still possess genetic diversity, only that a more accurate estimation of the population still requires the accumulation of genetic, behavioral, distribution and migration, and life history research data.

Using the existing platform as a foundation, expanding the area and seasons of sampling, and clarifying the genetic structure and spatial distribution of Formosan black bear throughout the island will benefit island-wide conservation and the formulation of conservation strategies. The researcher will continue to collect data on Formosan black bear to unveil its secrets.