Taiwan, an island country rich in biodiversity, located between Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate, the geological structure is quite young. The frequent orogeny in Taiwan form many towering mountains, so even though Taiwan is in the tropical and subtropical zone, the temperate climate can still be found at high altitudes. In addition, the creatures, adapted to different climates, are able to survive in Taiwan.
Taiwan is also known from high percentage of endemic species. This is because in the Ice Age, Taiwan was connected to Eurasia. After the Ice Age, Taiwan was isolated by the ocean, and many lives gradually evolved into endemic species on the island. Nowadays, the proportion of endemic species in Taiwan is about 71% in mammals, 17% in birds, 22% in reptiles, 31% in amphibian, 19% in freshwater fish, 25% in plants, and 60% in insects.
Although the land area of Taiwan is only 0.027% of the total of the world, the number of species is as high as 3.8%, which is 150 times the global average. Furthermore, the marine species around Taiwan are about 10% of the world, which is 361 times the average. Taiwan is not a country with large territory, while its rich biological resources are such amazing. Base on that, we invite guest speakers in different fields to talk about the geography, wildlife, ecosystem and culture of Taiwan. They will help students to learn more about the beautiful nature of Taiwan. Besides the lectures, students could also learn deeply through the 3 various field trips (2 assigned trips and 1 self-planned trip).