Hi everyone! My name is Lisa Zaretskaya. I would like to draw your attention to my report related to Biodiversity in Taiwan.

     While biodiversity is generally taken to mean the number of different species, the term also refers to genetic variety within a species, as well as ecological diversity, which looks at the network of different species present in local ecosystems and the dynamic interactions among them. Taiwan and its surrounding waters are blessed with a large amount of biodiversity. The island’s location in the subtropical Western Pacific is one reason, as tropical areas have much higher biodiversity than temperate regions. Many of these species go extinct naturally every year, but due to human-induced habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, and overhunting and fishing, current extinction rates are 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than natural rates. The loss of biodiversity could have significant impact on agriculture, fishing, medicine, and economies.

     Biodiversity is not limited to species that are visible, of course, and Taiwan’s humid, subtropical climate supports huge numbers of microorganisms, including hundreds of viruses, thousands of bacteria, and even six species of archaea, an ancient group of microorganisms.

 Thank you for your attention.