President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of October 16 with Professor Yossi Leshem of the Department of Zoology at Israel's Tel Aviv University, along with his wife, Mrs. Leshem. In addition to extending a cordial welcome, the president also expressed hope that Professor Leshem will share his learning and experience in the prevention of bird strikes that endanger airplanes and integrated pest management, thus helping to promote the sustainable development of Taiwan's agricultural industry.
In remarks, the president stated that he is extremely pleased to meet again with Professor Leshem. They first met through international ornithological activities, and the president recalled his visit to the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration (ICSBM) at Latrun, Israel, which Professor Leshem founded. The president went on to say that Professor Leshem's achievements in zoology and bird conservation have made a deep impression on him. In addition, methods that Professor Leshem developed to prevent airplanes from being struck by birds have won the attention and acclaim of the international community, he said.
President Ma mentioned that Professor Leshem has also made outstanding contributions in the field of education, having promoted activities at over 350 schools in Israel that teach students about migratory birds, producing a website called Migrating Birds Know No Boundaries, and promoting an environmental protection cooperation project involving Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian farmers. Professor Leshem has also assembled 2,000 nest boxes to attract barn owls and other birds of prey, using them to control field rodents on farmland. This not only reduces the costs to farmers of agricultural pesticides, but also benefits the environment, he said. In 2013 Professor Leshem came to Taiwan to attend the International Seminar Promoting Environmental Friendly Agricultural Pest Management, where he exchanged experiences with experts, scholars, and government officials from the ROC, and discussed the possibility of Taiwan using raptors to help prevent damage by rodents, as well as biological control methods appropriate for Taiwan's ecosystem. Professor Leshem also shared his experiences from previous projects.
President Ma stated that Professor Leshem in recent years has been actively promoting greater awareness in the international community of the ROC's protection of ecosystems and the environment. In December of 2010 the ROC's representative office to Israel presented the first commemorative visa sticker using the Formosan blue magpie design, marking the ROC's centenary, to Professor Leshem. He then published an image of the sticker in a publication of Israel's ICSBM. Over 10,000 copies were published, thus sharing this joy and honor with the Israeli public. In 2011 Professor Leshem held an ornithology forum entitled "Three Islands, Three Amazing Birds Protection Stories in Japan, Taiwan and Cyprus" and specially invited Dr. Lucia Liu Severinghaus (劉小如), a retired research fellow at the ROC's Academia Sinica, to share Taiwan's success in protecting the black-faced spoonbill. And in 2013 Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) led a delegation to Israel, as did Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong (翁啟惠) in June of this year, and both groups were warmly received by Professor Leshem, the president said.
The president also noted that Professor Leshem previously sent a letter to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) executive secretary calling for Taiwan to be allowed to join the UNFCCC as an observer, which would help Taiwan make its voice heard in the international community. President Ma said that the government and people of the ROC will always remember Professor Leshem's gesture, not only with respect to ornithological research and pest prevention, but also in speaking up on behalf of the ROC in the international community.
The president stated that Professor Leshem is currently visiting Taiwan to continue related cooperation with the Council of Agriculture, share Israel's experience in using raptors to control field rodents, as well as introduce an integrated pest management concept. This method dovetails with the government's agricultural objectives, namely "health, efficiency, and sustainability," he said. The president added that the government has already compiled cooperative research results from Taiwan and Israel over the past three years and will present them in a report to be made at the 9th Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network Conference that will be held in Thailand from October 21 to October 25.
In closing, the president said he hopes that Taiwan can cooperate with the international community in the fields of agriculture and ecological conservation so that Taiwan's agricultural sector can have sustainable development, and see the benefits of achieving ecological balance.