[Edited by Summer Sun (孫夏天), National Dong
Hwa University]
SATOYAMA NEWS FROM OUR REGIONAL TPSI PARTNERS
Conservation by Production: Xinnan Tiandong Rice Agricultural Enterprise
[The Satoyama News shared by TPSI-North: Dr.
Hsin-Hsun Huang and Qi-Xuan Xu]
The East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is one of eight major migratory bird
flight routes in the world. Located on the EAAF route, Taiwan plays an important
role as a "transit area" and a "supply station". However, negative anthropogenic
impacts such as construction development and pollution have led to the
deterioration of environmental conditions in the area – fragmentation,
degradation and even disappearance of the wetland habitat. As a result, several
waterbird populations have decreased over the years.
The Lanyang Plain (Yilan County) is an important stopover point for the
migratory birds in eastern Taiwan. Although the Lanyang River
Mouth
Waterbird Refuge has been designated, its geographic scope is relatively
small, while human activities in the area (land reclamation, pesticide and
fertilizer use, sewage discharge, and garbage brought from the upper reaches of
the river) pose significant threats to the protected area. Xinnan Tiandong
Rice is an
agricultural enterprise that was founded by bird lovers in 2014. Its founders
perceive farmlands as a unique ecosystem and waterbirds habitat as a place,
which needs to be protected and restored by the power of local action.
The areas surrounding the Lanyang River Mouth Waterbird Refuge are mainly
agricultural lands and fish farms. In the past, many birds such as
sandpiper-plover and large geese used to pass through these production lands to
the embankment in search of food and shelter. Over the years, however, synthetic
farming, operations of fishponds and conventional field management practices
during the fallow periods have led to the habitat loss and fragmentation. As a
result, waterbirds could no longer use the Lanyang Plain as a "transit area" and
a "supply station".
Xinnan Tiandong Rice agricultural enterprise came to the rescue by cooperating
with farmers in Xinnan area, located on the north bank of the Lanyang River
estuary. Their main areas of work have included promotion of eco-friendly
farming (no pesticides and chemical fertilizers), protection of large and
well-connected areas of paddy fields, and sustainable field management with the
support from the guaranteed purchase system. New farmland management practices,
such as control of water level, vegetation cover and fertilizer application
(e.g., rice bran), have effectively improved the quantity and quality of food
and shelter and thus restored habitats for the waterbirds transiting in autumn
and winter.
During eight years of continued efforts, the area managed by Xinnan Tiandong
Rice agricultural enterprise has impressively grown from 2.3 hectares in 2014 to
9 hectares in 2022. In the future, farmers will be encouraged to integrate more
land to expand the conservation and production benefits of the project.
Moreover, starting from 2020, in conjunction with implementation of the
“Payments for Ecosystem Services” policy, Xinnan Tiandong Rice agricultural
enterprise has been expanding the scope of habitat restoration to Jixin and
Jinzhong villages located on the south bank of the Lanyang River estuary. By
cooperating with local breeders on adjusting the time and methods of the
fishponds drying phase in springtime and by controlling water levels, they have
managed to create a mudflat habitat much needed for the spring migratory birds.
After two years of hard work, about 7.3 hectares of fish farms have joined this
waterbird-friendly cooperation project.
Overall, by adjusting their production patterns with the waterbird benefits in
heart and mind, Xinnan Tiandong Rice agricultural enterprise has managed to not
only expand the waterbirds habitat but also restore the temporal and spatial
connectivity in the landscape. No doubt, these tireless "conservation by
production" efforts may be seen as a tangible example of other effective
area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in Taiwan.
Preserving the Habitat of Leopard Cats with Farmers
[The Satoyama News shared by TPSI-West:
Yu-Hsiu Lin and Shu-Hsiang Zhuang]
The Leopard cat is currently classified as endangered species in Taiwan. It is
mainly found in Taichung City, Miaoli and Nantou Counties. Most of their
habitats are in satoyama areas, which are private lands, predominantly inhabited
and cultivated by humans. Therefore, land-use change and agricultural production
practices highly affect the habitats of Leopard cats in Taiwan.
Cultivated land in satoyama areas provides thickets, woods, abandoned
grasslands, streams, and other landforms, which are suitable for their needs of
Leopard cats. Camera trapping, for example, has demonstrated numerous instances
of Leopard cats roaming around satoyama farmlands in search of food and
shelter.
In recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has been actively promoting
environmentally friendly farming by cooperating with a number of local
organisations and NGOs on conservation of protected animal species. Since 2014,
Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute (TERI), MOA, and the Forestry and
Nature Conservation Agency, MOA, have been jointly working on Leopard
cat-friendly farming and eco-labelling scheme. Jhongliao Township, being a
hotspot of Leopard cats on the island, was chosen as a pioneer site for this
project. We expect that these awareness raising efforts and relevant economic
incentives will not only help to improve the habitats of Leopard cats but will
also contribute to farmers’ livelihoods. This way, it will be a win-win satoyama
solution linking sustainable production, Leopard cat conservation and community
well-being.
OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS JOIN AS IPSI MEMBERS: GO! GO!
GO!
New Taipei City Government: Agriculture Department
[The Satoyama News shared by New Taipei City
Government]
In recent years, the Agriculture Department of New Taipei City
Government
has been
actively promoting the Satoyama Initiative in the shallow mountain areas located
between the Datun Mountain and the northern coastline of New Taipei City.
Zhongliao, Zhongshan and Shuxing communities of Tamsui District, Songshan
community of Shimen District and Letian community of Sanzhi District have been
selected as the pilot areas for such rejuvenation efforts. In 2021, New Taipei
City Government officially became a member of the International Partnership for
the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) with the goal of promoting sustainable rural
livelihoods in shallow mountain areas.
Conservation of the Datun Mountain system landscape, improvement of local
quality of life and development of local industries have been the key activities
in recent years. Shuxing community in Tamsui District, for example, has
converted from traditional tea farming to less labour-intensive tea seed oil
industry, combined with experience tours and development of local brands.
Zhongliao community sustainably manages local wetlands to purify water quality
and maintain dragonfly restoration sites, while leasing abandoned farmlands to
urban residents. Zhongshan community is rich in local history and vast
landscapes. It cooperates with local schools in conducting on-site farming
experience tours and promoting local agri-food curriculum. Songshan community in
Shimen District is committed to revival of the century-old terraced fields by
the means of traditional stone masonry method. The pride of Letian Community of
Sanzhi District is its century-old Sanban Bridge connecting past and present –
an important ancient road in early days and a popular tourist site today.
Support to environmentally friendly farming, revitalisation of SEPLS, and
introduction of modern technologies, green energy and low-carbon lifestyles are
key to promoting the Satoyama Initiative in semi-urban areas of New Taipei City.
Wetlands restoration and maintenance as well as development of circular
agriculture will play an important role in this revitalisation process. By
becoming an IPSI member, the Agriculture Department of New Taipei City
Government is determined to not only share the City's ideas and experiences in
promoting the Satoyama Initiative, but also learn from successful lessons of
other IPSI members and strive for sustainability at a local scale.
Taoyuan City Government:
[The Satoyama News shared by Taoyuan City
Government]
Taoyuan City is proud of its diverse landscapes and ecosystems stretching
across natural, urban and rural areas and supporting the satoyama-satoumi
connectivity of its people and nature. In recent years, the City’s efforts
towards nature conservation and rural-urban connectivity have included
restoration of 22 hectares of national wetlands, promotion of organic farming
(457 hectares), mentoring of more than 800 young farmers, designating 10
recreational agricultural areas, greening and afforestation plans (11 hectares),
and introduction of nutritious and safe school lunches.
Taoyuan City Government officially
became a member of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative
(IPSI) in July 2022 with the goal of promoting sustainable urban and rural
livelihoods in line with the spirit of the Satoyama Initiative. By joining IPSI,
Taoyuan City looks forward to future exchanges with other IPSI members in Taiwan
and abroad – through learning from successful case studies and sharing Taoyuan’s
best practices with like-minded partners.
In 2020, Taoyuan City produced its first Voluntary Local Review
(VLR)
1.0 report by comprehensively reviewing its municipal policies against 17
sustainable development goals (SDGs). In 2021, Taoyuan City Government
Sustainable Development Committee was established in order to ensure continuous
revision of relevant policies and evaluation indicators through meetings with
various working groups. An updated Taoyuan City VLR 2.0 report was published in
2022 for the City-wide promotion of sustainable development. In the years to
come, the VLR policy lessons and recommendations will continue to be an
important part of promoting the Satoyama Initiative in Taoyuan City and sharing
these experiences with other IPSI partners.
SDM 2022: TSE-XIN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION
>Satoyama farming project in Nan’An Tribe was selected for the Satoyama
Development Mechanism (SDM) 2022 financial support
[The Satoyama News shared by Tse-Xin Organic
Agriculture Foundation: Alice JJ Hsu and Yu-Chun Chan]
It’s our honour to share with you that the project proposal of Tse-Xin Organic
Agriculture Foundation was selected for the
Satoyama Development Mechanism (SDM) 2022 financial
support. The SDM is one of collaborative activities of the International
Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI). Since 2013, it has served as a
financing mechanism to facilitate the implementation of IPSI activities.
Committed to restoring the environment based on the principles of organic
agriculture, Tse-Xin has been working with farmers across Taiwan for over 25
years. The SDM 2022 project site is based in Nan’An Tribe, Zhuoxi
Township,
Hualien County – home to an indigenous Bunun tribe living on the outskirts
of Yushan National Park near Nan’An Visitor Centre. Within the natural
environment surrounded by forests and rivers, local residents grow paddy rice
along the river and fruit trees on hill slopes.
In the past, due to the impacts of colonisation and modernisation, Bunun
locals were forced to migrate from the mountain areas to the foothills. It was
not only Bunun’s farming practices and lifestyle that changed over the years,
but also their relationship with nature – all to better suit modern ways of life
and to meet external market demands. However, the satoyama wisdom of Bunun
locals is still being practiced by the elderly and kept live in their home
gardens. More than 20 varieties of landrace legumes can be found in Bunun home
gardens, none of them available in the market. They help to protect the
diversity of crops, the richness of food culture and biodiversity. In addition
to traditional farming knowledge, it is also various legends, taboos, rituals,
and beliefs of the indigenous Bunun people that help them maintain a friendly
relationship with nature. Sadly, most young people today no longer know this
traditional knowledge and wisdom.
By collaboration between local elders and youth, integrating traditional
knowledge into school curriculum and re-introducing ecological wisdom into
Nan’An SEPLS, our SDM 2022 project will aim to restore a harmonious relationship
between people and nature.
OUR INTERNATIONAL SATOYAMA FAMILY
Remember to visit IPSI Newsletter webpage to learn about the latest updates
from our international Satoyama family:
IPSI Newsletter
Webpage
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