National parks of Taiwan

Taiwan has 9 national parks and 1 national natural park, which are administered by the Ministry of the Interior.

National parks of Taiwan are protected spaces for the nature, wildlife, and history under their current jurisdiction. The national parks cover 7,489.49 square kilometres (2,891.71 sq mi).^[1] The 3,103.76-square-kilometre (1,198.37 sq mi) total land area constitutes around 8.6% of the entire land area of the country. After World War II, calls for protecting the natural environment were met with opposition due to the prioritization of economic development.^[2] The National Park Law was passed in 1972, and the first national park was established in 1984.^[3]

National parks should not be confused with national scenic areas. The national scenic areas are administered by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.^[4] There are also different philosophies that govern the development of the two types of areas. For a national park, the emphasis is on the preservation of natural and cultural resources, with development for human utilization being a secondary priority.^[4]