Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) is to set up an international biodiversity research center in 2012 to help preserve Taiwan's native animals and plants, university officials said Thursday. NCKU decided to set up the center following a biodiversity forum that took place in mid-November, said Chiang Tzen-yuh, chairman of NCKU's Department of Life Sciences. Taiwan has rich biodiversity and a unique ecosystem, but the impact of global warming has affected the survival of native organisms, said Ho Chih-chen, NCKU vice president. Government and research institutes should take action to protect native species and prevent loss of biodiversity from the effects of extreme weather and natural disasters by setting up a Taiwan biodiversity organization to ensure sustainable growth of biodiversity, Ho recommended. For instance, the government should evaluate the economic value of biodiversity and cooperate with international organizations to establish a national seed bank to preserve the genes of native species of plants, animals and fungi, Ho added. The NCKU biodiversity research center will cooperate with domestic and international research centers such as the University of Washington and the Missouri Botanical Gardens, as well as with Taiwan's Council of Agriculture, the Endemic Species Research Institute, and National Tainan University, said Chiang. (By Chang Jung-hsiang and C.J. Lin)