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202504/16
Since mountain access was opened to the public, the resulting increase in incidents and persistent garbage problems have drawn widespread attention. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) launched the “Everything You Need to Know in the Mountains” project today, which aims to jointly establish a hiking consultation network covering the entire country by connecting the private outdoor industry, forest recreation sites, and digital platforms. Through public-private collaboration, digital knowledge transfer, and the connection of diverse sites, the project promotes hiking safety and the Leave No Trace concept. The project aims to serve as a guide to the public, helping people approach the mountains in a responsible manner, and establish risk awareness and environmental-friendly conservation concepts.
Mountains in Taiwan are magnificent and mesmerizing. In the post-pandemic era, people have put more emphasis on spiritual exploration and holistic therapies. Mountains have thus become an important place for people seeking peace. However, the rapid rise of mountain activities has also led to frequent incidents and environmental overload due to insufficient preparation and a lack of hiking literacy. The FANCA has been proactively implementing improvement measures for trails under its jurisdiction, including enhancing the communication quality on trails, setting up direction signs on popular mountain trails, updating topographical maps, drawing up safety guides for high-risk routes, and promoting a hiking safety coordinator platform to enhance safety. The FANCA further launched the “Everything You Need to Know in the Mountains,” a project integrating existing sites and software services, which enables the public to strengthen their pre-hike preparation education and has become an interactive knowledge dissemination network.
Moreover, the FANCA has partnered with outdoor gear stores and forest recreational sites to set up consultation stations. These stations will not only be the first stop for people to buy equipment before entering the mountains, but will also be located in low-altitude outdoor areas frequently visited by hiking and nature enthusiasts, making them important hubs for making contact with novice hikers. Through these hubs, the three major themes of “entering the mountains,” “respecting the mountains,” and “cleaning the mountains” will be linked together, allowing hiking knowledge to be naturally integrated into people’s daily life and enhancing the foundation of mountain culture.
From now until October 31, through the “Everything You Need to Know in the Mountains” project, a total of 21 physical stations will be set up across Taiwan. People can go to the stations to consult on equipment and itinerary suggestions before starting their hike, and get free hiking safety leaflets created by the famous illustrator Shen En-Min, including “On Preparation” and “Entering the Mountain.” There will also be essential guides for popular hiking routes such as “Jiali Mountain,” “Ba-Tang Traverse Hike,” and “Shuiyang Forest.” The contents cover the planning and preparation before entering the mountain and the precautions to note along the way. Checklists are also provided for users to check off each item and be fully prepared before setting off.
To further expand the project's influence, an official LINE account for the “Everything You Need to Know in the Mountains” project was simultaneously launched. This account provides google maps features and introductions of 21 physical sites. In addition, on the 15th of every even-numbered month, the LINE account features a quiz with prizes on the three major themes of “entering the mountains,” “respecting the mountains,” and “cleaning the mountains” (if all the answers are correct, users can go to any of the stations to redeem a mountain gift). The LINE account also provides the registration information for 16 sessions of “Forest Lectures” and “outdoor activities” led by professionals and outdoor education teams. Furthermore, it integrates the digital version of the "Mountain Encyclopedia" and the FANCA’s “Taiwan Forest Recreation” official website to allow the public to have easy access to the latest hiking and nature information.
The FANCA expects that this project will enhance hikers’ self-discipline and attitude towards the environment, strengthen risk management and awareness, reduce the number of mountain incidents, and jointly create a mountain-friendly culture in Taiwan.