TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- The Dongsha Atoll National Park is Taiwan’s seventh national park, and the first marine national park. It features unique atoll landscapes, colorful corals, a seagrass bed ecosystem, and coral sand islands.
The national park, centered on Dongsha Atoll, has an area of 353,668 acres, including the 12-nautical mile territorial sea. The marine park is surrounded by the sea, with Pratas Island, also known as Dongsha Island, sitting on the west side of the atoll, and a lagoon in the center surrounded by the atoll.
Although the area of Pratas Island is not big, the island is located on the migration route of many species of birds in East Asia, and has become the birds’ “stepping stone” during their flights across the oceans. Under the national park’s continuous efforts of restoration and planting seedlings of the original plant species, Pratas Island has become an important base in the South China Sea for migratory birds to stop over, eat, rest, and refuel.
To date, there are 291 recorded bird species on the island, indicating that Pratas Island is like an oasis on the sea to migratory birds.
A large amount of corals and shell sands brought by ocean currents and waves has accumulated around Pratas Island, making the waters off the coast shallow, with most of them not deeper than three meters. As most ocean currents and waves are blocked by Dongsha Atoll, a flat environment with clear water extremely suitable for seagrasses has been created.
Seagrass beds are like a protective net. They not only slow down the impact and erosion of ocean currents, but also retain organic detritus, providing marine life with an excellent environment for shelter, rest, and growth.
The babies of marine life that enjoy the protection and nourishment of seagrass beds include shrimps, crabs, spiral shells, shellfish, and different kinds of fish. They grow under the protection of seagrass beds and then gradually venture into shallow waters along the seashore.
(All Construction and Planning Agency photos)
