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Special Reports - Environmental Protection
Basing our approach upon global environmental
protection strategies, we use advanced equipment
already well established in Taiwan, together with Taiwan’s
development experience and educational resources, to
assist partner countries to improve energy efficiency
and promote sustainable, environmentally friendly
development.
Improving Natural Disaster Response and
Management Mechanisms:
Based on Taiwan’s experience of using GIS
applications, the technical assistance that we provide
to our partner countries assists them to estimate the
extent of disaster areas and minimize injury and damage
by drawing up the appropriate emergency response. For
example, we have cooperated with Nicaragua since 2009
to implement the Application of Geographic Information
Systems to Improve Environmental Sustainability in
Nicaragua project. A number of severe disasters,
including forest fires, landslides and water spouts,
have occurred during the project period, and we have
provided real-time monitoring images to assist Nicaraguan
authorities to assess such disasters. The second phase
of satellite image analysis was conducted during 2012,
while the project’s annual education and training program
was conducted in May.
Based on this successful cooperation with Nicaragua,
we went on to cooperate with Honduras to implement
a similar project, 2012 Satellite Monitoring of Forest,
Natural Resources and Mitigation of Natural Disasters
in Honduras using GIS and RS. Satellite images and
analysis data relating to land changes were provided
to the Honduran government so that authorities could
understand, at any time, how land resources were
changing at specific sites within protected areas, and
then take appropriate measures to minimize damage to
life or public property.
Using Financing to Assist Partner Countries to
Develop Green Energy:
On the issue of energy sustainability, we use
financial instruments to provide partner countries with
the funding required to develop green energy in pursuit of
the seventh MDG, “Ensure environmental sustainability.”
For example, we have invested in the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) Green Energy
Special Fund, to assist the organization’s countries of
operation to replace old, energy-inefficient infrastructure
with efficient, energy-saving technology or equipment. The
project effectively lowers the threshold for manufacturers
of low-carbon technologies to enter the market and
demonstrates an acceptance of energy-saving efficiency
and low-carbon technology programs.
Environmental Protection
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