As the Executive Yuan launched the “Salute to the Seas” policy in 2020 to encourage people in Taiwan to learn about the sea, get close to the ocean, enter the ocean, and clean the sea. Plus, international travel has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, the number of people engaging in domestic water activities (such as whale watching, surfing, snorkeling, canoeing, etc.) has increased rapidly. However, this has resulted in streams of visitors coming to attractions at certain time periods, leading to negative leisure experiences and low-quality leisure. Moreover, damages may be caused to the natural environment, special geographical locations and environmental resources.
    To protect the natural environment and cultural resources while providing high-quality experiences for visitors, the project drafts the “Sustainable Management Guidelines for Marine Recreation in Taiwan” for management strategies developed for coastal or marine recreational sites. It holds local conferences to seek the opinions of maritime agencies and consider different views. The Guidelines contain the "procedures for the management of and decision-making about sustainable tourism development", “recommended carrying capacity and assessment indicators”, “basic principles for ecotourism”, “recommended management measures”, etc. Maritime agencies can develop management measures or assessment indicators based on the Guidelines according to the local environment, traffic condition, waste and sewage treatment facilities, and the number of visitors. By conducting long-term monitoring and adjusting the management measures when necessary, sustainable ecological development can be ensured.
    The project selects 6 different types of domestic coastal or marine recreational sites (including coral reef, wetland, cays, beaches) for case analysis with the type of recreational activities (including snorkeling, diving, intertidal zone activities, surfing, canoeing, paddle boarding, kayaking, whale watching, etc.) taken into account. Visitor management strategies, optimal carrying capacities (ecological carrying capacity, social-psychological carrying capacity, facility carrying capacity, etc.), monitoring mechanisms, and management measure adjustments are also provided as references for maritime agencies to develop management strategies for recreational sites.