President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 1 with persons attending the 2009 International Workshop on East Asia Geoparks. At the Presidential Office, President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a warm welcome and deep appreciation to the scholars and experts from throughout the world who have come to Taiwan to take part in the event.
President Ma first thanked Professor Lin Jiun-chuan from National Taiwan University's Department of Geography for organizing the conference and inviting scholars from Europe, the United States, Korea, and Japan to come to Taiwan to attend the event. The president said Taiwan boasts distinctive geography and has many world-class scenic spots. In addition to their research value, these areas have potential from a tourism perspective as well. Therefore, he said he strongly supports the suggestion made by Professor Densy Brunsden of King's College at the University of London that Taiwan should consider establishing geoparks.
The president commented that his academic background is in law. While he is not a geologist, he said that he has a keen interest in geography and geology. He said that when he was a student he studied Law of the Sea and many issues touched on marine geography, adding that he has a high regard for geologists. The president also said he hopes that this conference will arouse interest among everyone in geoparks and that it will spark positive developments in terms of research and tourism. Lastly, President Ma commented that this is the first trip to Taiwan for many of the participants in the conference and he hopes that everyone will have an enjoyable stay in Taiwan.
Professor Brunsden represented the group in thanking President Ma for taking time out of his schedule to meet with them. He said that Taiwan boasts a superior geographic environment, specifically citing the impressive geology of the Penghu Islands and Yeliou, located near Keelung, which he noted have potential to be world-class geoparks. Professor Brunsden said this visit to Taiwan has been an extremely meaningful learning trip for him.
President Ma responded by saying that environmental protection is a foremost policy objective of the government. There is still room, however, for further improvements to be made in this respect. The president said that in the future the government hopes to continue to pursue sustainable development while bearing in mind environmental preservation and tourism development.