Seagrass is a general term for marine submerged monocotyledonous flowering plants, which have roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Sea grass can use vascular bundles t o transport gases and nutrients, while conducting sexual reproduction. Thus, sea grasses differ from seaweeds.     According to the categorization framework of Tomlinson (1982), seagrass can be divided into 4 families: the Hydrocharitaceae, Posidoniaceae, Cymodoceaceae, and Zosteraceae, with a total of 13 genera and 66 species.     In Taiwan ’s marine territory, Taiwan Island, the Pratas Island, and neighboring islands (Penghu, Xiaoliuqiu, Green Island, and Kinmen) all have seagrass distribution. Currently, Taiwan has 12 types of seagrass recorded, which accounts for 1/6 of the world ’s total (Ko, 2004; Lin et al., 2005). Seagrass types recorded in Taiwan include: Halophila beccarii, Halophila depcipiens, Halophila ovalis, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea rotund ata, Cymodocea serrulate, Syringodium isoetifolium, Thalassiodendron ciliatum, Halodule pinifolia, Halodule uninervis, Zostera japonica,  Halophila major. Currently, many samples are being identified, waiting to be published.       Seagrass beds are important coastal ecosystems in shallow tropical and temperate marine areas across the globe. They have high productivity and biodiversity because they can prov ide food (Lanyon et al., 1989; Lee et al., 2001), habitats, sanctuary (Fong et al., 2000; Hindell et al., 2000), and incubation places (Bell & Pollard, 1989) for many fish and shrimps, large vertebrates (such as sea turtles and sharks), and benthic invertebrates. Seagrass beds can also protect the coast by settling silt , stabilizing the seabed, preventing coastal erosion, purifying water quality, and improving the visibility of the water. Because seagrass beds can resist waves and tides, they are great natural barriers for protecting the coast, while serving an important ecological function and having economic value.    

      Mangroves are small trees that grow in the muddy areas of tropical or subtropical coastal regions. These plants have developed unique morphological and physiological features to adapt to their habitat environment. Mangroves belong to the family Rhizophoraceae, feature mostly red trunks, are rich in tannic acids, and can be used to make red dye.      Taiwan possesses mangrove forests totaling approximately 680.7 Ha. The forests can be found from the Keelung Bay to the Dapeng Bay and contain 3 families, 6 genera, and 6 species of mangroves: Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lamk., Ceriops tagal C.B. Rob., Kandelia obovata Sheue, Liu & Young, Rhizophora stylosa, Avicennia marina and Lumnitzera racemosa Willd.       Mangroves grow in tropical or subtropical regions and are important coastal ecosystems serving important ecological functions. Together with seagrass beds and coral reefs, they a re listed as the three typical marine coastal ecosystems. In addition, mangroves are a critical part of wetland ecosystems, providing the environment needed by marine organisms to grow and develop. Moreover, their leaves are crucial sources of energy. Furthermore, mangroves provide a place for birds to rest and stay during migrations. To humans, mangroves of fer many ecosystem-related functions, such as stabilizing coasts, preventing erosion, purifying water, providing shelter from wind, and reducing the impact of storms and waves. Man groves are the coasts ’ natural protectors, offer important ecological functions, and possess economic value.

Algal reefs are biological and algae-formed reefs. They are formed when coralline algae accumulate calcium carbonate and attract other organisms, after which they slowly evolve int o a unique terrain structure. Coralline algae grow remarkably slowly, increasing approximately 1 cm in thickness every ten years. Coralline algae resemble coral reefs, are highly “productive ” with high biodiversity, and possess a 3D space and porous environment that enable organisms to grow, hide, and forage.      Large-scale algal reefs are distributed across the coasts of Taoyuan City and are mainly found in the intertidal zone between south of the Xiahai River (in Dayuan District) and th e Yongan Fishing Harbor (in Xinwu District). In this intertidal zone, an algae area measuring approximately 7 km long and containing baiyu algal reefs, datan algal reefs, and guanx in algal reefs can be found. Said area is a relatively healthy algal reef area rich in crustose coralline algae (aka. hermatypic coral red algae). Other areas containing crustose c oralline algae (albeit considerably less in number) include Shimen and Sanzhi Districts in New Taipei City, Kenting in Pingtung County, and Sanxiantai and Shanyuan in Taitung Count y.      Animals found around algal reefs include various small fish, crustaceans, shellfish, and polychaeta. Algal reefs also provide shelter for birds and are a place for them to forage and breed. For migratory birds such as anatidae, Chinese egrets, and terns, algal reefs are their main food supply stations and resting places. Most importantly, because living cru stose coralline algae attach themselves to aging calcified algal reefs, they ultimately protect the algae reefs from wave-led erosion, serving the role of protectors in marine ecos ystems.  

    Corals are marine invertebrates classified under the phylum Cnidaria. Their bodies consist of mesoglea sandwiched between two layers of epithelium (i.e., an ectoderm and endoderm ). The ectoderm is where cnidocytes are found. Polyps are the living parts of corals and are the contributors of colonial corals in most corals (e.g., Acropora austere); said colon ial corals are formed by polyps undergoing asexual reproduction. However, solitary corals (e.g., mushroom corals) also exist. When polyps grow, they accumulate calcium carbonate, f orming calcareous bones that in turn become coral reefs.       Corals are found in all parts of Taiwan, including the Northeast Corner, Kenting, Green Island, Orchid Island, Hsiao Liouciou Island, Penghu Islands, Pratas Islands, and Taiping Island. Coral reefs in Taiwan can be divided into two types: non-reefal coral communities and tropical coral reefs. The distribution of corals is determined by climate and ocean cu rrents. Because non-reefal coral communities are exposed to water temperatures lower than those required for reef-building corals to grow, they grow on hard matrix and do not form coral reefs. Non-reefal coral communities are primarily found on rocky shores in Northern Taiwan, the inner seas of Penghu Islands, and the northern seas of Penghu Islands. In cont rast, tropical coral reefs are mainly found in Southern Taiwan, Green Island, Orchid Island, Hsiao Liouciou Island, Penghu Islands, Pratas Islands, and Taiping Island, where temper atures are suitable for corals to grow.       Coral reef ecosystems are the most “productive ” and biologically rich ecosystems in the oceans. Their complex structure and environment provide not only marine life with habitat and food sources, but also coastal residents wit h means of livelihood and for developing marine tourism. Coral reef ecosystems support people ’s livelihood, prevent coastal erosion, reduce the magnitude of severe weather-led waves, and ensure coastal stability.

Pictures of the Zoo Weekends and Summer Nights: Let ’s Get “High ” event Zoo Weekends and Summer Nights: Let ’s Get “High ” At the invitation of the Taipei Zoo, the OCA participated in the “Animal Summer Scream ” night event on July 18, 2020. The event not only had scenario puzzle solving games, but the organizing unit also added wildlife conservation stalls and marketplace to make this e vent more enriching, educational, and fun.   Promotional materials at OCA ’s stall were loved by people of all ages. The sea turtle board games and puzzles were carefully designed. Friendly whale watching knowledge was promoted at the event and real live videos of sea turtle releases were shown. Endless crowds visited the stall from the time they were set up in the afternoon to the end of the event at night. With the help of the m agnets and stickers, the OCA became well-known and the event was completed successfully.  。

Marine conservation keynote speech “Hoping to Meet Free on the Ocean: Discussing Captured Cetaceans ” On June 24, 2020. On June 24, 2020, the OCA invited Director Hui-Chun Chang of the Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation to use “Hoping to Meet Free on the Ocean: Discussing Captured Cetaceans ” as the topic to discuss the current cetacean performance industry and how captivity affects cetaceans. During her speech, parts of the movie Blackfish were used to show the cruel inside story behind fun cetacean performances. Director Chang stated that currently, the world ’s main cetacean performance market is concentrated in mainland China. Cetacean captivity is not only an environmental issue, but also an issue on how people look at life. Thus, ef forts are put into amending animal protection laws. Phase objectives were completed in 2018. Currently, surveys are being conducted on actual cetacean performance situations in var ious locations. Taiwan only has a few remaining marine parks that provide cetacean performances.   Furthermore, the movie The Cove shows cetacean hunting from a traditional culture perspective. Although cetacean conservation has become an international trend, Japan ’s Taiji still has a traditional culture of hunting cetaceans. How to reach a balance between culture and conservation is a direction that requires more hard work in the future. Fi nally, Director Chang stated that they will continue to bring attention to cetacean captivity and work towards the objective of zero captivity. She expects to use advocacy educatio n to teach sustainable ocean concepts to all the people. Various local governments ’ marine conservation educational websites 1. New Taipei City Fisheries and Fishing Port Affairs Management Office 2. Taoyuan City Office of Coast Administration Construction 3. Hsinchu City Ocean Education Promotion Center 4. Hsinchu County Ocean Education Resource Center 5. Taichung City Coastal Resource Fishery Development Center 6. Yunlin County Marine Education Resource Center 7. Chiayi County Marine Education Resource Center 8. Tainan City Agriculture Bureau 9. Penghu County Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau 10. Kinmen County Ocean Education Resource Center

June 8, 2019, was the first national Oceans Day and the Ocean Affairs Council organized a grand celebratory event at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center. Vice Premier Chi-Mai Chen of t he Executive Yuan visited the event for a tutorial. Guests related to marine conservation from industry, government, and academia, people awarded for their work in promoting marine conservation, NGOs, civilian organizations, and representatives of diplomatic envoys shared in the celebration together.   In addition to the announcement of Taiwan ’s maritime policy white paper at the peak of the celebration, another highlight was congratulatory videos from different fields. Next, awards were given for the environmental prot ection fleet that carried out the OCA ’s recent important policies, marine pollution assessment, diving warriors, and marine wildlife rescue meritorious persons (units). The families of the people being awarded were al so invited onto the stage to receive the awards. Attendees showed enthusiasm at the event and the people awarded were also congratulated.   The OCA not only set up stalls to display the results of the last few years, but also invited the Marine Debris to join the exhibition. Minister Lee of the Ocean Affairs Council-l ed the guests in visiting OCA ’s stalls. Ambassadors of Palau, Belize, and Nauru expressed strong interests in Marine Debris products and also engaged in in-depth interactions with operators. In addition, the O CA staff in shark baby costume partied with everyone at the venue.   During the afternoon, nearly 500 junior and senior high school students, teachers, and the public played board games about marine conservation and enjoyed the fun and learning. Th e event was enriching and diverse, and was concluded successfully.   We look forward to next year ’s National Oceans Day. See you next year.   Big group picture white paper Commentary on salute to the sea Achievements presentation Maritime conservation board game stall Marine Debris Hosted by Vice Premier Chen Awards Awards group photo

To integrate, plan, coordinate, and manage marine protected areas, we endeavor in Taiwan marine protected area-related counts, reviews, and integrations. On December 17, 2018, we c onvened a preparatory meeting to create an integrated platform for Taiwan ’s marine protected areas, inviting central government agencies to attend the meeting and help establish a cross-domain integrated platform for marine protected areas. The meeting ’s most important participants are relevant ministries, experts, and scholars; related local government agencies and NGOs are invited according to the topics discussed. The meeting is held once every quarter, and special project meetings are hosted whenever necessary. In the first meeting held in 2019, we discussed the calculation basis for Taiwan ’s marine protected area assessment indicators, marine protected area directories, and enforcing marine protected area-related laws. Additionally, we requested that relevant author ities and marine protected area management units under their jurisdictions to continue to understand their law enforcement situations and notify us about relevant law enforcement d emands that they may have. They may inform the Coast Guard Administration to provide assistance whenever necessary to enhance law enforcement in marine protected areas.

Integrating the international marine conservation trend with domestic ocean research and technological development, the OCA selects Annual reports, special journal issues, monograp hs, brochures, and multimedia as marine environment education materials on global climate change, ocean acidification, excessive use of marine resources, and marine waste. These ma jor issues will be promoted using different channels. Innovative activities on marine technology will be organized using diverse fun and creative ways to promote environmental educ ation. A citizen scientist model will be used to promote civil participation and R &D. Different channels will be used to promote education and the results of related implementation.  

On April 22, 2019, , the OCA signed an MOU with the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, National Museum of Natural Science, and National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. After the signing ceremony was completed, researchers from different museums gave speeches on different issues. Acting Director I-Shiung Chen of the National Museum of Ma rine Science and Technology shared “from rivers to the ocean: current status of Taiwan ’s fish diversity restoration and ecology and resource conservation, ” associate research fellow Shih-Wei Wang of the National Museum of Natural Science shared “other than shape and color: looking at algal reef from a geology perspective, ” and research fellow Tung-Yung Fan of the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium shared “coral research and conservation in the digital age.

To teach the public how to correctly identify marine life, the OCA commissioned artist Congralatefin to use over 50 types of marine life found near Taiwan as illustrations, which w ere used in the 2019 marine conservation calendar. The marine life is matched with their correct scientific names and the calendar has added marine waste imagery to advocate marine environment conservation. The calendar became very popular; not only was it distributed to various government agencies and private organizations, but was also available to the pub lic. Thus, the calendar had a significant marine conservation education and advocacy effect.   At the end of 2018, the OCA worked with the Brain Ocean Studio to produce the marine conservation advocacy notebook. Marine life drawn by artists is used with simple and easy to u nderstand words to introduce marine life commonly seen around Taiwan so that the public can learn to identify them. The OCA also promoted the marine wildlife rescue hotline and mar ine pollution contact information.  

In line with the policy to include marine education in the Curriculum Guidelines for Basic Education, the OCA produced the national maritime ethical governance picture book: The Co unterattack of the Little Sea Turtle. The picture book story was created by chief Wan-I Yang of OCA ’s Civil Service Ethics office and Ting-Yu Kuo of the Marine Wildlife Conservation Division. The story involves marine wildlife conservation, transparent administration, and ethics and integrity topics. The picture book was commissioned to the artistic creator of A Turtle ’s Life, Shou-Yi Tai; the story was told in a humorous and cute manner. Children can learn how to identify the five types of sea turtles in Taiwan through the picture book, as well as the living habits of the green sea turtle. They can also learn how to reduce ocean waste starting with themselves, while helping to cultivate a fair and honest character. The p ress conference for the new book was held at pier 22 of Monte Fino Yachts on February 25, 2019. The book is advertised and sold in Government Books and Wunan Books sales system (in cluding Kingstone, Taaze, Books.com, Eslite, and other Internet bookstores).

The OCA invites experts and scholars to share marine life or marine pollution issues on an irregular basis. On December 10, 11, and 26, 2018, Professors Chin-Chang Hung, Lee-Shing Fang, and Shen-Horn Yen of National Sun Yat-sen University gave speeches on “successfully winning the marine conservation battle, ” “unveiling the Taiwan marine ecology: big data tell a different story, ” and “how responsible new agencies should face ‘live alien aquatic animal review work, ’ ” respectively. The event was open to participation by the general public.   On January 7, 2019, the EPA ’s Senior Specialist/Deputy Executive Secretary Hsin-Chen Sung shared the “overview of the Marine Pollution Control Act and case exploration. ” From January 23 to January 25, Professor Yuh-Kae Huang of Fu Jen Catholic University ’s School of Law delivered three speeches on the Marine Pollution Control Act, Maritime Act, international maritime laws, and international seas and maritime organization laws.  

To enhance exchanges among marine conservation personnel in different fields, the “2018 Marine Conservation Forum ” was held from November 22 to November 23, 2018, at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center. Over 500 people registered for this conference. Participants included personnel from the centr al government, local governments, universities and colleges, environmental and conservation groups, and civilian scientists. During the conference the OCA conducted discussions wit h experts and scholars, officials, industry representatives, private organizations, and civilian scientists on the following four major topics: marine pollution and research, marin e waste governance, ocean ecosystem conservation and management, and marine wildlife conservation.   On January 15, 2019, the OCA held the “Marine Wildlife Conservation and Research conference. ” Eighty people participated in this conference, where experts and scholars from different fields gave speeches on Chinese crested terns, sea turtle rescue and conservation, cetace an stranding rescue, and Chinese white dolphins. This conference was also open to the public. With the consent of the speakers, the conference video was placed on OCA ’s YouTube site for public viewing, in order to expand the public ’s participation. In the future, professionals and groups will be invited to discuss possible proposals for major issues such as Taoyuan ’s algal reef. This can promote dialogue among experts and scholars, NGOs and other environmental groups, and local government agencies so that opinions can be exchanged. The goal is to actively promote exchanges of marine conservation knowledge and help draft and promote policy.  

Marine conservation courses have been planned for different areas, hoping to use marine conservation education activities to teach the symbiotic relationships among people, marine life, and the marine environment. The goal is to convey the importance of marine conservation. In 2018, a total of 13 tiers of camps were held, and a total of 280 people participat ed. In 2019, the OCA continued to cooperate with the Coast Guard Administration in organizing the camps. Examples are the northern region sea turtle conservation course, the centra l region Chinese white dolphin conservation course, the southern region Liuqiu intertidal zone experience and marine currency course, the Dongsha marine life course, and the marine waste witnessing and reporting course. Overall, 13 tiers of camps are expected to be held.   Cooperating with the Coast Guard Administration in organizing Ocean Experience Camps