The special exhibition “Taiwan’s Reef Focus: Dongsha Atoll” (The Dongsha Atoll), organized by the National Taiwan Museum (NTM) under the Ministry of Culture, co-organized by the Marine National Park Headquarters (hereinafter referred to as the Headquarters), and co-sponsored by Academia Sinica’s Biodiversity Research Center and the Taiwan Coral Reef Society, is on display at the National Taiwan Museum from December 28, 2012 to September 1, 2013. The exhibition is structured around four main themes: “Dragon King’s Ring,” “Ocean Treasures,” “Guarding the Sea Dragon Palace,” and an interactive learning zone. It introduces the geographical location of Dongsha Atoll, its marine environment, its beautiful and diverse marine life, as well as the threats, damage, and pollution it currently faces. The exhibition also proposes feasible strategies for sustainable conservation, allowing visitors to appreciate the atoll’s splendor while raising awareness of reef and marine ecosystem protection.
A special parent-child interactive area features e-books such as “Blue Ocean Oasis – Dongsha Marine Edition,” “Treasure Dongsha – Intertidal Mollusks,” “Shimmering Green – Dongsha Seagrass Beds,” and “Traveling Around Dongsha – An Adventure at the Stone Weirs.” Films including “Exploring Dongsha,” “Secrets of Dongsha,” “Dongsha’s Seagrass,” and “Castle of Corals” are also screened in the exhibition space.
Director Yang Mo-lin of the Headquarters stated that Dongsha Atoll National Park, currently administered by the Marine National Park Headquarters, is Taiwan’s first marine-type national park established primarily for marine resource conservation, restoration, and long-term ecological monitoring and research. Since its establishment, the Headquarters has continued ecological monitoring, restoration experiments, marine resource conservation advocacy, and environmental education initiatives within the park. In 2013, in collaboration with the National Science Council, an International Marine Research Station will be established on Dongsha Island, with the goal of promoting participation by international conservation organizations and researchers in marine ecological research and education, thereby advancing Dongsha’s sustainable management onto the global stage.
Deputy Director-General Cheng Chang-hsiung of the Coast Guard Administration remarked that joint efforts by various government agencies to protect Dongsha’s pristine and beautiful territory demonstrate Taiwan’s soft power, noting that since the Headquarters’ establishment, Dongsha has transformed “from an old woman into a young, vibrant, and energetic girl.” Liu Pei-tung, Director of the National Park Division under the Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior, emphasized that Dongsha was Taiwan’s first national park founded with marine conservation as its primary objective, covering over 350,000 hectares. He expressed hope that the exhibition would help reconnect Dongsha with the international community, particularly as conservation and economic development can be in tension, underscoring the need for effective outreach and promotion.
The National Taiwan Museum noted that Dongsha Atoll lies 240 nautical miles (approximately 450 kilometers) from Kaohsiung. Its coral atoll ecosystem nurtures extraordinarily rich marine biodiversity, often described as the “tropical rainforest of the sea.” As of October 2012, surveys recorded 303 coral species, 679 fish species, 283 species of mollusks, echinoderms, and crustaceans combined, 7 species of seagrasses, and 148 species of macroalgae. On land, Dongsha Island supports 211 plant species and 258 bird species, making it an ecological treasure of great pride and urgent conservation importance.
How did such a unique atoll form? Research suggests that during the early stages of Dongsha’s development, coral reefs may have initially attached to a shallow marine carbonate platform. During sea-level drops in the Tertiary and Quaternary glacial periods, this carbonate base provided favorable conditions for reef growth. Later, as the South China Sea basin underwent rifting and subsidence and sea levels rose, coral growth continued, eventually forming a structurally complete atoll. Dongsha Atoll measures approximately 25 kilometers in diameter, with a reef flat about 46 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide, covering roughly 500 square kilometers. It is a hotspot of intact coral reef ecosystems and marine biodiversity. At low tide, parts of the reef flat become visible above the water surface. The lagoon reaches depths of up to 22 meters, with an average depth of 10–15 meters. Around Dongsha Island, average depths range from 2–5 meters, while the northern and southern channels average 5–8 meters. The lagoon hosts Taiwan’s largest seagrass bed, with seven recorded species, including Halodule uninervis, Halophila ovalis, Halophila decipiens, Isoetes, Cymodocea rotundata, Thalassia hemprichii, and Halophila beccarii.
Distinguished guests attending the opening ceremony included Chairman Chang Jung-kung of Radio Taiwan International, President Cheng Ming-hsiu of the Taiwan Coral Reef Society, former Director Hsiao Ching-fen of the National Park Division, Director Yu Teng-liang of Yushan National Park, Director Lin Yung-fa of Yangmingshan National Park, and Deputy Director Lu Shu-fei of Kinmen National Park, among others.
The National Taiwan Museum is located at No. 2 Xiangyang Road, within 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed on Lunar New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year). Admission fees are NT$20 for a full ticket and NT$10 for a concession ticket; a single ticket grants access to two museum buildings. For exhibition and event details, please visit the National Taiwan Museum website at http://www.ntm.gov.tw/ or call (02) 2382-2566.