• Capturing Giant Trees Through Lens: Australian Photographer Steven Pearce's Tree-Climbing Journey

    Capturing Giant Trees Through Lens: Australian Photographer Steven Pearce's Tree-Climbing Journey

    Australian giant-tree photographer Steven Pearce speaks in the documentary "The island and the trees".While traversing the rolling, layered mountains and wading across a rushing stream, the mountain path was enveloped in a cold, damp mist. After a two-day trek, Taiwan's tallest giant tree, the "Heaven Sword of the Da'an River," finally came into view for the filming team. Pearce set up the suspens

  • Was it Worth Being Detained for Nearly Six Months for the Sake of the Ocean? An Exclusive Interview with Anti-Whaling Crusader Paul Watson

    Was it Worth Being Detained for Nearly Six Months for the Sake of the Ocean? An Exclusive Interview with Anti-Whaling Crusader Paul Watson

    On June 8, 2025, prominent anti-whaling activist Paul Watson appeared at a side event of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France; his brief two-and-a-half-minute address was met with thunderous applause.Watson is a pioneer in marine conservation education who has never been intimidated by the forces that wantonly plunder ocean resources. He repeatedly confronted illegal whaling, shark fish

  • World's first discovery! Taiwan masked palm civet mother accompanied by "neighbor auntie" to help raise cubs

    World's first discovery! Taiwan masked palm civet mother accompanied by "neighbor auntie" to help raise cubs

    Although masked palm civets (白鼻心, scientific name: Paguma larvata) are commonly seen in Taiwan's urban and suburban hills, their movements remain elusive. To understand how they live in highly urbanized environments, a research team from National Taiwan University (NTU, 國立台灣大學) collaborated with public departments, academic institutions, and wildlife conservation groups. Utilizing 426 reports from

  • Waste incinerator development threatens bubble tea legacy

    Waste incinerator development threatens bubble tea legacy

    Anyone familiar with Taiwan’s bubble tea culture is no stranger to the Four Seasons Spring (四季春) tea. Nantou's Mingjian Township (南投名間鄉) which produces the vast majority of Taiwan's Four Seasons Spring tea, boasts over 2,000 hectares of tea plantations. The annual output value of Mingjian's tea industry is estimated to reach tens of billions of TWD. However, the Nantou County Government's recent p

  • "Way more than 14 Days." Taiwan’s energy reserves could over 200 days  under a war blockade, experts say.

    "Way more than 14 Days." Taiwan’s energy reserves could over 200 days under a war blockade, experts say.

    Due to the global energy crisis triggered by the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, many are thinking about how a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger another energy crisis. Foreign media and think tanks generally believe that, in a war blockade, Taiwan's energy reserves would last a maximum of 14 days However, some scholars argue that Taiwan's energy reserves exceed 14 days' worth, an

  • Rules Written in Blood - How the Events of Typhoon Megi (梅姬風災) Shaped Disaster Awareness in Subei Village

    Rules Written in Blood - How the Events of Typhoon Megi (梅姬風災) Shaped Disaster Awareness in Subei Village

    Everyone in Taiwan has firsthand knowledge of the devastation of typhoons, yet the question still arises whether or not Taiwan has taken sufficient disaster prevention measures? Fifteen years ago, Typhoon Megi (梅姬颱風) devastated Su'ao Township in ​​Yilan, with torrential rains causing extreme flooding and powerful mudslides, resulting in the deaths of 38 people. In Subei Village, where the famous

  • Trouble in the Nest? Shalun Ecological Science Park Plans to Use Vital Grass Owl Habitat

    Trouble in the Nest? Shalun Ecological Science Park Plans to Use Vital Grass Owl Habitat

    The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC, 國家科學及技術委員會) plans to establish a 531-hectare "Shalun Ecological Science Park" (沙崙生態科學園區) in Tainan. This park will complete a key part of Greater Southern Taiwan’s new Silicon Valley. However, the development area involves a portion of the Eastern Grass Owl’s (scientific name: Tyto longimembris) habitat. For the first time, NSTC announced its plan

  • Taiwan Internationally Recognized for Stellar Contributions to eBird Database— Has 10 years of Citizen Science to Thank

    Taiwan Internationally Recognized for Stellar Contributions to eBird Database— Has 10 years of Citizen Science to Thank

    Whether you’re hiking alone in the countryside or taking a casual walk with good friends, you can easily use an app to record every bird you see or hear along the way. Taiwan’s app portal for “eBird”, the world’s largest bird database, has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. It has surpassed over 10,000 users, and accumulated millions of birds’ data through public birdwatching. At the recent

  • The Puyuma train derailment and the Kaohsiung gas explosions are connected: Scholars call for the re-examination of systemic hazards.

    The Puyuma train derailment and the Kaohsiung gas explosions are connected: Scholars call for the re-examination of systemic hazards.

    “Rather than devising ways to maintain current bureaucratic practices, why not innovate the administrative process?” Along with the Puyuma derailment accident, there have been several shocking incidents in recent years concerning disaster, transportation and food safety. In the eyes of some scholars, these are not random isolated incidents but a result of systemic risk issues.Taiwan’s singular pur

  • Sprouting Food-Saving Zeitgeist in Taiwan

    Sprouting Food-Saving Zeitgeist in Taiwan

    “Food Waste” has become one of international concerned environmental hurdles in recent years. Taiwan, has a severe food waste challenge, too. According to Taiwan’s United Daily News, the then daily kitchen waste production in 2011 reached to 3 million ton based on an estimate from APEC Information Platform on Post Harvest Loss and Waste System (APIP-PHLOWS). To pile up these food wastes, the heigh

  • Lack of Green Energy Policies! Only 17 of the Governor Candidates Have Concrete Green Energy Policies

    Lack of Green Energy Policies! Only 17 of the Governor Candidates Have Concrete Green Energy Policies

    The midterm election for Taiwan will take place on 24th of November, but how will the future governors development green energy at the local government level?  Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance(TRENA) recently asked all the candidates to elaborate their renewable energy policies; of the 92 candidates running for governor, 21 were not available, 54 did not answer, and in the end only 17 did give a r

  • Smart Energy Management Community in New Taipei City Saves Electricity by 14%

    Smart Energy Management Community in New Taipei City Saves Electricity by 14%

    New Taipei City’s Smart Energy Management Community began operation today (August 30th, 2018) at Fengjing Cuifeng (峰景翠峰) Community in Sanchong and Taipei Bo-er (台北菠爾) Community in Yonghe, both are private-owned apartment complex. With supports from New Taipei City Government and suppliers, micro smart grids incorporating solar panels and wind turbines, energy storage, and energy saving were instal