Editing Geography of Taiwan (section)

== Flora and fauna ==
{{See also|List of endemic species of Taiwan|National parks of Taiwan}}

Before extensive human settlement, the vegetation on Taiwan ranged from [[tropical rainforest]] in the lowlands through [[temperate forest]]s, [[boreal forest]] and [[alpine plant]]s with increasing altitude.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Late Pleistocene vegetation and climate of Taiwan (Formosa) |last=Tsukada |first=Matsuo |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]] |year=1966 |volume=55 |issue=3 |pages=543–548 |pmc=224184 |pmid=16591341 |doi=10.1073/pnas.55.3.543 |bibcode=1966PNAS...55..543T |doi-access=free|issn = 0027-8424}}</ref>
Most of the plains and low-lying hills of the west and north of the island have been cleared for agricultural use since the arrival of the [[Chinese people|Chinese]] immigrants during the 17th and 18th century. However the mountain forests are very diverse, with several [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] species such as [[Chamaecyparis formosensis|Formosan cypress]] (''Chamaecyparis formosensis'') and [[Taiwan fir]] (''Abies kawakamii''), while the camphor laurel (''[[Cinnamomum camphora]]'') was once also widespread at lower altitudes.

[[File:長鬃山羊.jpg|thumb|left|[[Formosan serow]]]]
Taiwan is a centre of bird [[endemism]] (see [[List of endemic birds of Taiwan]]).

Before the country's [[industrialization]], the mountainous areas held several endemic animal species and subspecies, such as the [[Swinhoe's pheasant]] (''Lophura swinhoii''), [[Taiwan blue magpie]] (''Urocissa caerulea''), the [[Formosan sika deer]] (''Cervus nippon taiwanensis'' or ''Cervus nippon taiouanus'') and the [[Formosan landlocked salmon]] (''Oncorhynchus masou formosanus''). A few of these are now [[extinction|extinct]], and many others have been designated [[endangered species]].

Taiwan has 65 species of fireflies, the third highest density after Jamaica and Costa Rica. Fireflies are protected and their numbers are increasing, but they are threatened by climate change in the long term.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davidson |first1=Helen |title='An ecological miracle': Taiwan's fireflies are flirting in the dark again |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/22/ecological-miracle-fireflies-taiwan-flirting-dark |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=22 April 2022 |access-date=22 April 2022 |archive-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422124917/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/22/ecological-miracle-fireflies-taiwan-flirting-dark |url-status=live }}</ref>

Taiwan had relatively few [[Carnivora|carnivores]], 11 species in total, of which the [[Formosan clouded leopard]] is likely extinct and the [[Eurasian otter|otter]] is restricted to [[Kinmen|Kinmen island]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kinmen.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=9A3902C9F2F1C945&sms=4BCC795D7C63BD97&s=2D15C6E537276E0C |title=Otter Conservation in Kinmen |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Kinmen County Government |date=2 January 2019 |access-date=14 August 2020 |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921194439/https://www.kinmen.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=9A3902C9F2F1C945&sms=4BCC795D7C63BD97&s=2D15C6E537276E0C |url-status=live }}</ref> The largest carnivore is the [[Formosan black bear]] (''Selanarctos thibetanus formosanus''), a rare and endangered species.<ref>{{Cite journal |volume=51 |pages=500–511 |last1=Chiang |first1=Po-Jen |author2=Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei |author3=Michael R. Vaughan |author4=Ching-Feng Li |title=Niche relationships of carnivores in a subtropical primary forest in southern Taiwan |journal=Zoological Studies |year=2012 |url=http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/51.4/500.pdf |access-date=24 August 2012 |archive-date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512023326/http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/51.4/500.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nine national parks in Taiwan showcase the archipelago's diverse terrain, flora and fauna. [[Kenting National Park]] on the southern tip of Taiwan contains [[Tectonic uplift|uplifted]] [[coral reef]]s, [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|moist tropical forest]] and marine ecosystems. [[Yushan National Park]] has alpine terrain, mountain ecology, forest types that vary with altitude, and remains of ancient roads. [[Yangmingshan National Park]] has volcanic geology, hot springs, waterfalls, and forest. [[Taroko National Park]] has a marble canyon, cliff, and fold mountains. [[Shei-Pa National Park]] has alpine ecosystems, geological terrain, and valley streams. [[Kinmen National Park]] has lakes, wetlands, coastal topography, flora and fauna-shaped island. [[Dongsha Atoll National Park]] has the Pratas reef atolls for integrity, a unique marine ecology, and biodiversity, and is a key habitat for the marine resources of the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.<ref>[http://np.cpami.gov.tw/english/ National Parks of Taiwan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216034501/http://np.cpami.gov.tw/english/|date=16 December 2017 }}, Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior, ROC (Taiwan).</ref>