VZCZCXRO2681
RR RUEHCD
DE RUEHIN #2462/01 3130755
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 090755Z NOV 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7347
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVER
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVER
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AIT TAIPEI 002462 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVES 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS OES/ENV; INTERIOR FOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE OIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TBIO ECON TW
SUBJECT: INVASIVE SPECIES FLOOD TAIWAN RIVERS AND LAKES 
 
 
TAIPEI 00002462  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  This is an action cable see paragraph 9. 
Taiwan, an island 160 kilometers off the coast of China, has 
been home to unique flora and fauna.  Distance from the 
mainland has managed to preserve many of its endemic species 
from foreign invasion, although that situation is under 
threat as humans illegally introduce more foreign species. 
Recent studies show, for example, that out of 51 streams 
surveyed in Taiwan, 49 harbor invasive species from Southeast 
Asia, Africa and Latin America.  These foreign species are 
polluting Taiwan's environment and endangering its native 
species.  Public education and enforcement measures both need 
strengthening to help protect native species.  Religious 
practices are also a major contributor to the demise of 
endemic species, as the faithful release fish into the 
environment to garner favor.  If uncontrolled, these invasive 
species could seriously deplete the fragile endemic 
biodiversity on the island. END SUMMARY 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS IN TAIWAN 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Taiwan is a mountainous island, with no large 
rivers and mostly seasonal streams.  According to experts, 
this habitat cannot sustain large fish due to the lack of 
nutrients in its freshwater bodies.  As a result, the fish 
fauna of about 140 species is restricted to small species 
which can eke out a living in this limited habitat.  An 
example is the Goby population on the East coast which 
migrate from the ocean to small mountain streams to mature. 
Carp, a relatively large fish, was introduced from the 
mainland, and now is common in lowland ponds and streams. 
Experts have pointed out that, unlike the mainland, Taiwan 
does not have well-established habitats for its native 
species, a situation that invites foreign species to come in 
and take over.  Of 51 streams surveyed in a recent study 
commissioned by the Council for Agriculture, only two streams 
in Taiwan were found not to have invasive species, and both 
were located in mountainous areas.  The study also found that 
higher-altitude streams harbored fewer invasive species due 
to lower temperatures and the scarcity of food. 
 
SNAKEHEADS AND PIRANHA IN THE LAKES 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The diversity of foreign species in Taiwan 
freshwater is truly astonishing, ranging from Pirarucu and 
Piranha native to the Amazon river in Brazil to Sweetfish 
(Plecoglossus altivelis) from Japan.  Although there is no 
proof that the large Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) is breeding in 
Taiwan's water bodies, the warm water habitats provided by 
dams and lakes have already bred numbers of piranha and 
snakeheads.  Of these species the snakehead (Channa striata) 
from Southeast Asia is the most aggressive and voracious.  It 
has no natural enemies, and feeds at night, often crawling on 
land from one water body to another.  It has also spread from 
dams to lakes to ponds, has been feeding on ducks and other 
waterfowl, and will not hesitate to bite when threatened. 
There have been suggestions from the authorities to 
encourage public consumption of the snakehead as a means of 
controlling it.  However, this has the potential of 
encouraging the breeding of this fish if it becomes a popular 
food.  The other so-called pest fish is the ubiquitous Pipa 
Mousefish (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus), named because its 
body resembles the pipa, a musical instrument.  It is a 
bottom feeder that routinely is kept in aquariums to clean 
the algae from the tank.  Since its introduction from Brazil 
before 1978, it has found its way into multiple lakes, ponds 
and streams.  Because it can survive in polluted environments 
and does not have natural enemies, it has thrived unmolested. 
 
 
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES DETRIMENTAL TO NATIVE SPECIES 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) ESTH officer spoke with professor Chen I-shiung, a 
recognized expert on freshwater fish at the National Ocean 
University in Keelung, about the root causes of foreign 
invasive species.  Chen said that as a subtropical island, 
Taiwan can easily accommodate these interlopers (who are 
mostly from tropical areas)--but at the expense of native 
species.  Because foreign species have not developed 
predators yet, they can multiply with impunity and deplete 
the native species rapidly.  Chen said the public has a poor 
understanding of the effect of releasing aquarium fish into 
the environment.  This is compounded by the Buddhist 
religious practice of releasing animals into the wild.  Many 
religious groups believe that by releasing animals, they are 
gathering goodwill in the heavens.  To bridge that religious 
 
TAIPEI 00002462  002 OF 003 
 
 
gap is going to take a strong public education effort which 
the authorities are not prepared to fund. 
 
TILAPIA: THE MOST COMMON TAIWAN FISH? 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The most common, if not the earliest, fish 
introduced into Taiwan was the Tilapia, native to Mozambique. 
 It was introduced in 1946 and today can be found today in 
virtually every body of water on the island.  Tilapia 
reproduce quickly, can live in lakes up to 700 meters above 
sea level and have a long dorsal fin which makes them 
difficult to swallow by other fish.  They have become so 
ingrained in the local cuisine that Tilapia fillets are 
routinely served as fish fillets in restaurants, and locals 
even think it is a native fish.  One example of the 
adaptability of foreign species is Tsuifeng Lake at 1,840 
meters altitude.  Whereas the lake did not traditionally have 
any fish, it now brims with ornamental carp, released mostly 
by religious groups.  The worst-hit is Lake Cheng-ching in 
Kaohsiung where Pirarucu, Piranha coexist with snakeheads and 
Wuchang bream (Megalobrama amblycephala), driving native 
species to the verge of extinction. 
 
WILL THE ICE-AGE RELIC SURVIVE? 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The endangered Cherry Blossom Salmon (Onchorhynchus 
Masou Formosanum), a relic of the Ice Age brought back from 
the brink of extinction through the efforts of concerned 
officials, is struggling to survive in its final remaining 
habitat: 5 km of stream in central Taiwan.  Professor Chen 
said that species is being bred to the point of extinction, 
since scientists release thousands of fish fry every season 
into the only stream where it is found.  Since its natural 
habitat can only sustain a small population of a few hundred, 
the massive release of fish fry could potentially weaken the 
gene pool.  Despite media reports heralding the successful 
breeding of this species, it is confined to only one stream, 
and without an alternative habitat it could easily become 
extinct if environmental stresses are brought to bear. 
 
TAIWAN'S BIODIVERSITY AT RISK 
----------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Only two streams in Taiwan are free of invasive 
species, the Hoping River near Ilan and the Fengkang River in 
Pingtung.  They are the exception, because they are 
fast-flowing and the surrounding area is not suitable for 
long-term human habitation.  Besides a strengthened public 
education campaign, tougher enforcement is needed to 
forestall a complete takeover by invasive species.    Most 
critical for the long-term however, is finding new habitats 
to accommodate Taiwan's threatened endemic species.  That is 
a tall order on this island of 23 million where industrial 
development has priority over protection of endemic species. 
At current rates of invasion, it is likely that endemic 
species will become marginalized from most of their habitats 
in a few years. 
 
ENFORCEMENT WEAK 
---------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  In terms of managing its biodiversity, Taiwan 
faces two issues, one has to do with public education, the 
other with enforcement.   While changing people's religious 
beliefs will be difficult,  enforcing the law is a good way 
to begin controlling invasive species.  Taiwan's national 
parks are administered by the Construction and Planning 
Agency (CPA), which is part of the Ministry of Interior.  CPA 
staff admitted that Taiwan needed something equivalent to the 
U.S. National Park Service but since the bureaucracy moved 
slowly no concrete plans were in the works.  CPA staff at 
three different National Parks said they had not been aware 
of people fined for dumping fish in the streams although 
there were regulations prohibiting such behavior.  They claim 
that policing is adequate within the park but admit that 
outside park boundaries enforcement may be lax.  What is 
needed are clear procedures on how to enforce the existing 
regulations and the equivalent of park rangers who can 
enforce the law and issue fines to violators.  On that score, 
Taiwan's park administrators and county officials could learn 
a point or two from their U.S. counterparts. 
 
ACTION FOR OES/ENV 
------------------l 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  AIT ESTHOFF learned that Taiwan National Park 
 
TAIPEI 00002462  003 OF 003 
 
 
officials would very much like to have an exchange with their 
U.S. counterparts.  CPA is sponsoring a conference on 
National Parks, Wetlands and Seashore from December 19-20 in 
Taipei and wished to invite U.S. participants from the 
National Park system to share experiences in wetlands and 
park planning and management.  AIT will provide conference 
information including registration, agenda, time and venue 
when available to OES. 
YOUNG