As a result of the increasing level of urbanization, there is a rising demand for nature in urban areas. More than tens of millions of visitors go to Yangmingshan National Park annually to hike, jog, enjoy breathtaking views, soak in hot springs, or just to pass through. This shows the significance of the park to the urban areas in Taipei. Protected areas can maintain a well-developed ecological system, thus enhancing the health and welfare of people. Society depends on a well-developed ecological system to achieve a sustainable future. The geological landscape of the Datun Volcano Group is one of the key features at Yangmingshan National Park. Its landforms and location create the radial drainage in Taiwan's northern region, resulting in diverse types of vegetation. This provides habitats for many different organisms. In the early days, residents in the area mined sulfur, and harvested tea, citrus and Strobilanthes cusia （Ness） Kuntze. These activities have made Yangmingshan National Park into a historic site with a distinctive local flavor. The question of managing and protecting the landscape, ecology and historic sites from the perspective of conservation therefore becomes more important. This year is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Yangmingshan National Park, so National Taiwan University was commissioned to organize the "International Conference of Conservation and Management on Urban Protected Areas," to help the public to understand another aspect of the park. The conference will discuss how to maintain and demonstrate the diverse values of urban protected areas, how to minimize the damage of human activity to natural environments, how to improve the public's understanding towards natural environments, and the importance of understanding the relationship between urban and natural environments. 

The themes of this conference are listed as below: the vision of urban conservation, the management of protected areas, the monitoring and promotion of volcanoes, and landscape conservation, ecology conservation and cultural conservation at volcano national parks. Experts and scholars in urban conservation and volcano studies from the U.S.A., Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and other regions will be invited to conduct discussions with researchers who have been conducting long-term studies on Yangmingshan National Park. We invite you to join this inspiring event, which is the perfect opportunity for us to better understand protected areas near Taipei City. Attached please find the registration form, or register on the website of the National Park Association in Taiwan http://www.cnps.org.tw/actnews/actnews.php?Sn=2. Interested parties are kindly reminded to register as soon as possible, as places are limited. Contact person: Mr. Chen （Conservation and Research Section） Telephone: +886-2-2861-3601 ext.701.