In May, 2012 Dr Yossi Leshem was invited by the Government of Taiwan as a personal guest of the President, Professor Ma Ying-Jeou, to participate in the inauguration ceremony for his second presidential term of office.
Dr. Leshem is Founder and Director of the International Center For the Study of Bird Migration at Latrun, Israel and has worked at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), the leading NGO in Israel, for 25years. Leshem has been involved in many aspects of nature conservation, with the emphasis on bird research for 38years.
“My unique bond with Ma was built in ,1998when I was invited, together with 80other representatives of Bird Life International to Taiwan, to participate in a conference whose aim was the strengthening of the activities of the Government of Taiwan in the promotion of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and the preservation of biological diversity,” explains Leshem.
“About 15representatives were chosen to meet with the president of Taiwan and the mayor of Taipei. I brought to the meeting a framed poster of storks above Jerusalem that was “hot off the printing press”, and mayor Ma, was full of enthusiasm from the meeting, invited me for a second visit during which I met with the Chief of the Taiwanese Air Force who wanted to learn about our achievements on the topic of bird strikes.
“A year later Ma came on a reciprocal visit to Israel, and was my guest at Latrun, and the bond between us tightened,” Leshem added.
About two years ago, the Representative of Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Tel Aviv, Liang-Jen Chang, came to Israel and was asked by the now president Ma, to increase collaboration and hosted a Taiwanese delegation, headed by Lt. General Liao Jung-Hsin, Chairman of the National Security Council of Taiwan.
Leshem commented at the time that the Lt. General was not only a Mirage pilot but also a ‘sworn birdwatcher’. The arrangements were also handled by Israel’s Economic Representative office in Taiwan.
“As a result of the visit we decided to promote the idea of collaboration in the fields of flight safety, environmentally friendly agriculture, study of raptor migration with satellite transmitters, and schoolchildren via the Internet to learn about migration, and promote birding tourism between Taiwan and Israel,” said Leshem.
While in Taiwan for the inauguration, Leshem met with Ma for a whole hour. A personal meeting with the Chief of the Taiwanese Air Force, General Yen-Ming was also arranged with lectures for the senior staff of the Taiwanese Air Force and senior representatives from flight safety. More than 50officers were present.
In addition a half-day conference on the topic of bird migration in Israel and Taiwan with five lecturers and discussions during which Leshem delivered the key note lecture, attended by about 80academics and birding organization members.
“I was awarded the honour of being present in the hall with the heads of the delegations even ambassadors weren’t in the hall! Participation in the official inauguration ceremony, attended by 50delegations from around the world, and a festive dinner at a hotel together with 450guests,” Lashem commented.
While in Taiwan, Leshem also visited the Endemic Species Research Institute in Nantou County, and met with researchers, and lectured to 60 researchers and conservationists.
“In Chinese we speak of “building a nest to attract the Phoenix” –in other words “build it and they will come”.
We really hope to “take off” to a new horizon, both Taiwan and Israel, President Ma was quoted in saying during the inauguration ceremony.
Jewish Times Asia - July / August 2012