Taiwan Marine Conservation: Why a System Built Over 30 Years Could Not Save a Coral Bleaching Event?

30-Second Overview: In the summer of 2020, Taiwan experienced the largest coral bleaching event in history, and even protected areas like Xiaoliuqiu and Dongsha Atoll were not spared. This 'marine heatwave' exposed a cruel fact: a conservation system built over 30 years appeared powerless in the face of climate change. Taiwan's marine debris density reaches 102 kilograms per square kilometer, higher than Japan, South Korea, and China, yet the successful restoration of green sea turtles offers a glimpse of hope.

In July 2020, Kuo Chao-yang, a postdoctoral researcher at the Academia Sinica Biodiversity Research Center, dove into the waters off Xiaoliuqiu and saw vast stretches of coral that had lost their color, turning into ghostly white skeletons.¹ This was not an isolated case. Coral reefs around Taiwan, from Kenting to Green Island, from Penghu to Dongsha, were all experiencing an unprecedented survival crisis.

That year, for the first time in 56 years, no typhoon made landfall in Taiwan.¹ Without typhoons to stir and cool the waters, the sea became like a pot of soup simmering on low heat, and corals 'died from the heat.' Even more surprising, even Dongsha Atoll, which became a marine national park in 2007, was not spared: the Marine National Park Headquarters began monitoring in early July and found that pore corals and mushroom corals in the atoll's lagoon were bleaching.²

📝 Curator's Note
Taiwan's marine conservation story is actually a story about a race against time: can the speed at which humans establish protective systems catch up to the speed at which climate change destroys?

2020 Out of Control: The Largest Coral Bleaching Event in History

How severe was the 2020 coral bleaching? Chen Chao-lun of the Academia Sinica Biodiversity Research Center described it as 'unprecedented.' The scope of this bleaching was not limited to the traditional southern Taiwan hotspots; even the Penghu Southern Four Islands and the Northeast Coast, where large-scale coral bleaching had never been recorded before, all 'fell.'¹

What is Coral Bleaching? Corals host symbiotic algae that provide nutrients and color. When water temperatures rise or the environment deteriorates, corals expel these algae, losing their color and turning white. If high temperatures persist too long, the corals die.

The research team recorded 28,250 coral colonies at 62 monitoring sites across Taiwan and found that 52% suffered varying degrees of heat stress, of which 31% would die even if water temperatures dropped.¹ What do these numbers mean? When more than 30% of corals die, overall biodiversity plummets; fish lose their nurseries, and the marine food chain collapses.

⚠️ Climate Emergency Warning
The heat stress endured by Taiwan's waters in 2020 exceeded 15, more severe than the 1998 mass bleaching event (heat stress ~10).¹

The irony is that Xiaoliuqiu was originally Taiwan's marine conservation 'model student'; the Ocean Conservation Administration's monthly drone surveys could count hundreds of sea turtles along the coast in a single pass.³ But in the face of the 'marine heatwaves' brought by climate change, even the most perfect local conservation efforts appear pale.

An Island Surrounded by Trash: The Data Speaks

Taiwan is surrounded by sea on four sides, but this ocean is under immense pressure. According to a 2019 seabed survey by Cheng Yang Environmental Consultants from Bali to Donggang, the seabed debris density on Taiwan's west coast reaches 102 kilograms per square kilometer, higher than existing surveys of the coasts of Japan, South Korea, and China.⁴

The dirtiest sampling site was off the Tamsui River estuary, where the trash hauled up (over 200 pieces) actually outnumbered the organisms (70-odd snails and shellfish).⁴

The shorelines are no better. Starting in July 2018, Greenpeace and the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association spent a year visiting 121 monitoring stations along the main island's coastline for a 'marine debris rapid screening,' estimating about 150,000 bags of trash on Taiwan's coastlines, averaging 13 bags per 100 meters; about half the trash is concentrated on just 10% of the coast, and 65% piles up on north-facing shores—the direction the northeast monsoon pushes trash ashore. Globally, about 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans each year, and among the top ten marine debris items, single-use plastic products account for eight.⁵

💡 Did You Know
According to the World Wildlife Fund's 2022 report, over 2,100 species globally encounter plastic pollution in their habitats, with an estimated 90% of seabirds and 52% of sea turtles having ingested plastic.⁶

Even more worrying is the microplastics problem. In 2022, Greenpeace tested the habitats of six protected species in Taiwan and found microplastics detected at extremely high rates in both animal feces and habitat waters. Even land-based protected animals cannot escape the impact of marine pollution.

The Establishment and Limits of a 30-Year Conservation System

Facing the marine crisis, Taiwan did not sit idle. On April 28, 2018, Taiwan established the Ocean Affairs Council, integrating marine affairs previously scattered across various ministries.⁷ This was Taiwan's first central ministry-level agency based in southern Taiwan, symbolizing the nation's emphasis on marine affairs.

Ocean Affairs Council Organizational Structure: The Ocean Affairs Council is responsible for coordinating marine policy; the Ocean Conservation Administration specializes in environmental protection; the Coast Guard Administration handles maritime law enforcement and rescue; and the National Academy of Marine Research provides scientific research support.

Taiwan's current marine protected area network includes:

1. Dongsha Atoll National Park (2007): Area 353,000 hectares, Taiwan's first marine national park
2. South Penghu Marine National Park (2014): Area 35,000 hectares, protecting basalt geology and marine ecology
3. Xiaoliuqiu Fishery Resource Conservation Area: A successful model combining government, academia, and civil society

But the 2020 coral bleaching disaster exposed a core problem: the concept of protected areas is based on 'controlling human disturbance,' but climate change is a global problem that cannot be solved simply by drawing boundaries.

The Xiaoliuqiu Miracle: Lessons from a Conservation Success Story

Despite facing climate challenges, Xiaoliuqiu's conservation achievements are still worth examining. How did this coral reef island of only 6.8 square kilometers become a star of Taiwan's marine conservation?

Xiaoliuqiu Conservation Achievements:

• Sea Turtle Density: The Ocean Conservation Administration's 2024 monthly drone surveys found an average of 637 turtle sightings along the coast, peaking at 981 in November³
• Corals: Before the 2020 mass bleaching, it was a star dive site for coral reefs in all of Taiwan; after bleaching, a projected 55% coral loss¹

The key to success lies in the 'tripartite cooperation model':

1. Government Policy: Establishment of fishery resource conservation areas, restricting harmful fishing methods
2. Scientific Support: Long-term monitoring by academic institutions such as National Sun Yat-sen University
3. Local Guardianship: NGOs like Haiyong Studio and the Kugu Yu Association promoting marine citizen science

📝 Curator's Observation
Xiaoliuqiu's success demonstrates the power of social mobilization. Local diving instructors became 'marine citizen scientists,' B&B operators promoted 'ocean-friendly dining,' and conservation became a whole-island movement.

But even this model case suffered a devastating 55% coral mortality in 2020. This reminds us: local conservation efforts are necessary, but not sufficient.

Technology vs. Nature: Taiwan's Innovative Attempts

Facing the limits of traditional conservation methods, Taiwan began attempting technological solutions:

Monitoring Technology:

• Satellite remote sensing to monitor sea temperature changes
• AI image recognition to identify marine debris types
• Real-time water quality monitoring systems

Restoration Technology:

• Coral artificial propagation and transplantation
• Seaweed farming carbon sink experiments
• Marine debris collection robots

But those who study corals know clearly that these technologies can only buy time for corals; the root cause of coral bleaching is rising sea temperatures, and the real solution remains reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Ocean's Future Under Climate Change

Taiwan's oceans face a triple threat:

1. Ocean Acidification: Atmospheric CO₂ dissolves into seawater, making it more acidic year by year
2. Sea Level Rise: Submerging intertidal zones and coastal wetlands
3. Extreme Climate: Typhoon intensity increasing, high-temperature periods lengthening

These are all global problems that cannot be solved by a single country. Taiwan's experience—from the complete protection of Dongsha Atoll to the community mobilization of Xiaoliuqiu, to the painful lesson of the 2020 coral bleaching—all provide valuable lessons.

What Can Individuals Do? A Practical Action Guide

Facing such enormous challenges, individual actions may seem insignificant, but collective power should not be underestimated:

The first step in daily plastic reduction is refusing single-use plastics, choosing plastic-free packaging, and supporting circular economy businesses. On the consumption side, choosing MSC-certified sustainable seafood, using coral-friendly sunscreen products, and personally participating in beach cleanups and seabed cleaning activities can all make a tangible impact. On the policy level, one can follow marine conservation bills, support carbon reduction legislation, and monitor corporate environmental performance.

Conclusion: Time Is Counting Down

Taiwan's marine conservation story is a story about a race against time. We spent 30 years building protective systems and nurturing success stories like Xiaoliuqiu, but the speed of climate change's destruction may be faster.

The 2020 coral bleaching disaster is a warning. It illustrates that: designating protected areas and clearing marine debris are necessary, but climate change is the fundamental threat, requiring global-level action.

Taiwan is surrounded by sea on four sides; the ocean's fate is the island's fate. As we protect this blue homeland for the next generation, time is counting down. Every degree of warming, every piece of plastic entering the ocean, every missed carbon reduction opportunity decides the future of Taiwan's oceans.

The good news is that the restoration of Xiaoliuqiu's green sea turtles proves that correct conservation strategies are indeed effective. The bad news is that such achievements remain fragile in the face of climate change. We need to find a balance between conservation and carbon reduction, and build connections between local action and global thinking.

Only then can Taiwan's oceans move toward renewed prosperity in the next 30 years, rather than merely surviving.

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