The year before last, the United Nations nominated over 20 ecologically important areas worldwide as biosphere reserves, to be the subject of major conservation efforts with the support of the international community. But although East Asia was recognized as one of the regions of greatest biodiversity, a lack of detailed species lists and ecological background data prevented many areas being listed.
前年，聯合國選擇地球上二十幾個生態重要地區，計畫以國際力量全力投入保育，東亞地區雖被列為生態歧異度最高的區域之一，卻因為缺乏詳細物種名錄、生態背景資料而被排除名單之外。