Yushan National Park


Yushan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park. The park covers a total of 103,121 hectares including large sections of the Central Mountain Range. The park contains over thirty peaks more than in elevation, and two-thirds of the area within the park is above. The elevation difference in the park is, and there are many canyons, cliffs, and valleys.
Because of its remote location and entry control, Yushan National Park is not among the most visited national parks in Taiwan. Even so, the park still attracted 1,044,994 visitors in 2015.

Geology

, which owes its existence to the power of plate tectonics, remains a place of regular seismic activity. Examples of geological features such as fault lines, joints, and folding can be seen throughout Yushan National Park:
The southern Cross Island Highway and Yushan Scenic Highway both offer countless opportunities to witness the area’s special geological features.

Hydrology

Yushan area is an important watershed of main river systems in central, southern, and eastern Taiwan. It is the water sources of Zhuoshui River, Kaoping River, and Siouguluan River. The Chenyoulan, Jyunda, Nanzaisian, Laonong, and Lekuleku rivers are all :simple:River#The beginning of a river|young rivers from Yushan with V-shaped river bed. Jinmentong cliffs is a unique landmark along the Chenyoulan River. It was formed when Chenyoulan River cuts through land traversed by a fault line, it showcases one of the best examples of headway erosion. Jinmentong cliffs, Yunlong Waterfall and Yinyu Waterfall are some popular scenic points in the park.
Alpine lakes such as Dashueiku, Tafen Pond, Jiaming Lake, and Tienchih are formed from rain and melting snows in the shadows of surrounding mountain peaks. These lakes provide animals including visitors precious water from the mountains. However, the ecosystem around them is fragile and need further protection.

Flora

Yushan National Park is well known for its diverse climate zones and rich biodiversity. The plants found in the park spans from subtropical at its foothills to alpine at its summits.
Differences in altitudes, precipitous cliffs, and plunging valleys in the Yushan National Park lend to the park highly unstable weather conditions. Temperatures can vary from warm to cold at the same time at places relatively close. While accounting for merely 3% of Taiwan’s total land area, the park has half of Taiwan’s native plant species growing within its boundaries. In surveys, there are 2,522 different kinds of plants found in the park.
With increasing elevation, there are the following six vegetation zonations in the park:
AltitudeCharacteristics
Broadleaf Forest ZoneBelow The broadleaved forest is mainly dominated by trees of the Lauraceae and Fagaceae and forms the mixed forest zone. The second tree layer is composed of members of the Fagaceae, such as , and . The ground layer plants are also plentiful and include ferns and bracken.
Chamaecyparis Zone — In this zone, it grows some precious Chamaecyparis pure forests.
Tsuga Chinensis Zone — In this zone, the coniferous trees are represented by Chamaecyparis formosensis,, Taiwan cryptomerioides Hayata, Chunninghamia konishii Hayata and Pseudotsuga wilsoniana Hayata;and the deciduous tree by Acer morrisonensis Hayata and Acer serriulatum Hayata. Chamaecyparis formosensis and Chamaecypairs obtusa var. formosana are commonly called cypress.
Abies Kawakamii ZoneAbout Groups of Abies kawakamii grow on the western slope of Yushan.
Subalpine Shrub Zone — Dwarf plants, which grow prostrate and leeward, are the dominant vegetation types of this area.
Alpine Herbaceous ZoneAbove When summer comes, herbaceous plants, such as ,, Sedum morrisonensis and Gentiana arisanensis Hayata, give rise to colorful flowers in this area,

Fauna

The park is home to a large variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies. Between the months of March and May, visitors have the chance to see processions of butterflies fluttering through mountain valleys. In the following table, it shows total different kinds of animals found in the park:
In the past, many of these species became endangered due to over-hunting; but with the establishment of the Yushan National Park, they are gradually making a comeback. Larger mammals such as the black bear, sambar deer, Taiwan macaque, and serows can sometimes be seen, and their call is often heard.

Cultural heritage

Prehistoric relics, such as stone tools and pottery, found in the Wangshiang and Dongpu areas, provide evidence of early human occupation. The Bunun, an aboriginal tribe, presently inhabits the villages of Dongpu and Meishan. They emigrated from the coastal plains to the mountains some 300 years ago. Another tribal people, Tsou, who live in the west of the park, have been largely assimilated by the Bunun. Displacement of aboriginals by settlers occurred during the Qing Dynasty with the construction of the 100-km Patung-kuan Historical Trail in 1874 for defense purposes. Some stone steps, walls and guard-posts are the remains from that past.

Eco-tourism

To promote eco-tourism, the park has established protection laws and raised public awareness of the importance of nature conservation on one hand and provided public facilities for easy access on the other hand. Public facilities provided in the park include:
For public safety, a lot of bridges and wooden pathways have been installed on difficult terrain.
There are three visitor centers in the park: