系所簡介  About the IMEC 

台灣四面環海，因特殊的地理環境使成為世界少有的海洋生物多樣性的熱點。然因地狹人稠，致許多的海洋生物在未被詳細描述研究前即慘遭破壞，甚至滅種，因此有必要加強人才培育，深化基礎調查及建立海洋生態資料庫，成為以科學研究為理論基石的施政，復育海域生態環境，保全我們全民賴以生存的各式海洋資源。

      台灣面積3萬6千平方公里的陸域面積只佔全球的0.025%，卻因地處歐亞大陸板塊與菲律賓海洋板塊的交接處，同時具有陸棚、深海及熱泉的海洋環境，地理位置又位於東海、南海及菲律賓海三個不同大洋生態系的交會區，再加上終年持續北流的黑潮過境與冬季南下的大陸沿岸流及夏季北上的南海表層流，使得台灣的周邊海洋環境成為海洋生物多樣性的熱點，具有單位面積海洋生物的物種數較相同緯度的地區/國家高出400倍之多。

這些珍貴的海洋生物多樣性資產，在過去數十年來，雖然已有許多海洋生物學者的投入研究，但仍因物種豐富度太高，研究人力仍大大不足，無法完全記錄的窘境。同時，伴隨著台灣地狹人稠，陸域面積狹小，不敷各種高度工商業發展所需，因而許多大型的工業開發案皆選擇在濱海地區進行，以致於許多海洋生物在未能詳實記錄前就遭受破壞。

為因應我國在民國107年4月28日海洋委員會正式掛牌，其下包含有海洋保育署及國家海洋研究院(海洋生態及保育研究中心)，對海洋生態及保育人才需求甚廣，因此本校擬盤點集結海科院中已有學有專精的師資，成立海洋生態與保育研究所，積極培育我國產官學界所需海洋生態與保育的專業人才，以為實踐我國「海洋立國」之第一線尖兵。

          Surrounded by the seas, Taiwan has a unique geographical environment which makes one of the world's rare hotspots of marine biodiversity. However, the limited space and the crowed population, many marine organisms are endangered, or, even driven to extinction before animals can be thoroughly studied and described. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen talent professions, to deepen basic investigations, and to establish marine ecological databases. By these ways, we can conserve the various marine resources essentially for surviving through making theoretical cornerstone of governance, and restoring marine ecological environments.

           Taiwan's land area covers only 0.025% of the global total, at 36,000 square kilometers. However, due to its location at the meeting point of the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates, Taiwan possesses marine environments ranging from continental shelves to deep seas and hydrothermal vents. Geographically positioned at the convergence of the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Philippine Sea, along with the continuous northward flow of the Kuroshio Current and the seasonal southward movement of the continental coastal currents in winter and northward movement of the surface currents in summer, Taiwan's surrounding marine environment has become a hotspot of marine biodiversity. The species diversity of marine organisms per unit area in Taiwan is over 400 times higher than that of regions/countries at similar latitudes.

          Despite the efforts of many marine biologists over the past few decades, these valuable marine biodiversity assets still face challenges due to the overwhelming richness of species and insufficient research manpower to fully document them. Furthermore, with Taiwan's limited land area unable to meet the demands of various highly industrial and commercial developments, many large-scale industrial development projects have been carried out in coastal areas, leading to the destruction of many marine organisms before they can be adequately recorded.

In response to the establishment of the Ocean Affairs Council on April 28, 2018, which includes the Marine Conservation Administration and the National Institute of Marine Research (Marine Ecology and Conservation Research Center), there is a significant demand for talents in marine ecology and conservation. Therefore, our university plans to inventory and consolidate the faculty expertise within the Institute of Oceanography to establish a Marine Ecology and Conservation Research Institute, actively cultivating professional talents needed by the production, government, and academic sectors in the field of marine ecology and conservation, thereby serving as the vanguard in realizing Taiwan's vision of becoming a "Maritime Nation."

本所發展方向與重點 Goals and Future

一、本所之教育目標為培育我國海洋生態與保育所需之研究、教學及行政決策人才。

二、本所設立、發展和目標期程：本研究所設立的目標是為研究瞭解國內外各式海洋生態環境與其中棲息蘊藏的海洋生物，以堅實的科學的歷史資料回顧與整理論證海洋生態環境的變遷，並針對因人為高度工商發展，無可避免的生態衝擊提供最佳的保育措施及策略。發展的期程分短、中及長程來進行，以達成目標。

       A：短期目標（1-10年）

本所建立之初的十年間，將以瞭解並提供解決台灣目前周邊海域各式工商發展所衍生之海洋生態遭受衝擊的議題為主。其中首要投入努力的議題為配合國家非核家園，尋求綠色替代能源開發的離岸風電建置。目前規劃在2025年前要建置的千架風機場址位於濁水溪口北岸的雲彰隆起海域。此開發區域為水深不超過50公尺深的淺海沙泥底地形，為傳統底拖網及蝦拖網作業海域，當風機建置後，在沙泥底質中增加了立體的結構物雖不利於傳統的拖網作業，但因增加棲所的多樣性，也會增加礁岩性的海洋生物。漁民雖無法進行拖網作業，但因風機基座的魚礁效應使大型高價礁岩性魚類的聚集，成為可開創運動休閒漁業的商機。這種大型海事工程建設，同時創造多樣性的海洋生態環境的研究，在過去只有在溫帶地區的北海有過經驗，在熱帶及亞熱帶地區仍屬首例。因此本研究所的成立將集中全部研究能量，為台灣此重大國家建設提供離岸風機海域海洋生物資源演替的科學證據，以利研擬海洋資源培育管理及漁業商機發展的策略。此外，發展出的研究方法及成果，亦可為其他同緯度國家開發的參考依據。

       B：中期目標（11-20年）

       本所將建立由前期研發成果的研究推展平台，提供跨國海域生態監測服務中心，建立國際研究品牌，期許成為未來其他國家因應風場開發所需回應的海域生態與保育課題之諮詢提供協助的中心。

       此外，本所亦將積極推展中山大學海洋科學系南海雙島研究中心（包括東沙和太平島）多年來的研究成果，針對珊瑚礁生態系保育關鍵物種進行復育，如硨磲貝、綠蠵龜及檸檬鯊等，並與南海島鏈國家積極合作，形成南海海洋生物及其生態系保全的網絡，成為南海海洋生態與生物保育研究的關鍵研究中心。

        C：長期目標（21-30年）

       地球上人類的未來在屬於內太空的海洋，本所成立之初是以科學研究協助解決台灣周邊重大的海洋生態與保育課題為主，中期則自我期許成為南海島鏈國家不可或缺的海洋生態與保育研究中心，長期則更擴展，結合中山大學水下科技研究屢創佳績的深海無人載具的深海海域調查，加強這些海域的海洋生物多樣性的研究，包括深海生物的分類、生理生態及生物汙染指標等，建立全球性的海洋生態與保育的研究聲望。

1. The educational objectives of the IMEC are to cultivate research, teaching, and administrative decision-making talents needed for marine ecology and conservation in our country.

2.Establishment, development, and target timeline of the IMEC: The objective of this research institute is to study and understand various marine ecological environments domestically and internationally, along with the marine organisms inhabiting them. We aim to provide solid scientific historical data to review and demonstrate changes in marine ecological environments, and to offer optimal conservation measures and strategies in response to the inevitable ecological impacts of high industrial and commercial development. The development timeline is divided into short, medium, and long terms to achieve these goals.

     A. Short-term objectives (1-10 years): 

    In the initial ten years of our institute's establishment, our focus will be on understanding and addressing the impacts of various industrial and commercial developments in the surrounding waters of Taiwan on marine ecology. A primary focus will be to support the national initiative for a non-nuclear homeland by seeking the development of offshore wind energy as a green alternative. Currently planned for completion by 2025, the offshore wind farm site with a thousand turbines is located in the Yun-Chia Rise offshore of the north bank of the Zhuo-Shui River estuary. This development area features shallow marine sandy bottoms with a depth not exceeding 50 meters, traditionally used for bottom trawling and shrimp trawling operations. While the installation of wind turbines disrupts traditional trawling operations by introducing vertical structures into the sandy substrate, it also enhances habitat diversity, attracting reef-associated marine organisms. Although fishermen may not engage in trawling operations, the fish aggregation around the turbine bases creates opportunities for sports and recreational fishing. This large-scale maritime construction project, simultaneously creating diverse marine ecological environments, has only been experienced in temperate regions such as the North Sea in the past, making it a pioneering endeavor in tropical and subtropical regions. Therefore, the establishment of our research institute will concentrate all research efforts to provide scientific evidence of marine biological resource succession in offshore wind turbine areas, facilitating the formulation of strategies for marine resource cultivation management and fisheries development opportunities. Additionally, the developed research methods and findings can serve as reference for other countries at similar latitudes.

    B. Medium-term objectives (11-20 years): 

During this phase, our institute will establish a research promotion platform based on the achievements of previous research and development. We aim to provide a transnational marine ecological monitoring service center, establish an international research brand, and aspire to become a center providing consultation and assistance for addressing marine ecological and conservation issues arising from wind farm developments for other countries in the future.

Furthermore, our institute will actively promote the research achievements of the Sun Yat-sen University's South China Sea Islands Research Center (including the Dongsha and Taiping Islands) accumulated over many years. We will focus on the conservation of key species in coral reef ecosystems, such as giant clams, green sea turtles, and lemon sharks, and actively collaborate with countries in the South China Sea island chain to form a network for the conservation of marine organisms and ecosystems, becoming a key research center for marine ecological and biological conservation in the South China Sea.

   C. Long-term objectives (21-30 years): 

   The future of humanity on Earth lies in the ocean, belonging to the internal space. Initially, our institute was established to assist in solving significant marine ecological and conservation issues surrounding Taiwan through scientific research. In the medium term, we aim to become an indispensable research center for marine ecology and conservation in countries in the South China Sea island chain. In the long term, we will expand further, integrating the achievements of Sun Yat-sen University's underwater technology research in the investigation of deep-sea areas using unmanned submersibles. We will strengthen research on the biodiversity of these marine areas, including the classification, physiological ecology, and biological pollution indicators of deep-sea organisms, establishing a global reputation in marine ecological and conservation research.