The Ocean Conservation Local Stewardship Program provides resources and a platform through the Ocean Conservation Administration, empowering local groups to protect the ocean in creative ways.
On October 24, 2021, at Huashan in Taipei, 38 local ocean conservation groups representing 19 coastal and outlying island counties and cities across Taiwan gathered to present the results of the Ocean Conservation Local Stewardship Program. This year, the participating groups collectively organized 48 beach cleanup and ocean cleanup events, removing 7,339 kg of waste; monitored and restored 94 habitats covering a total of 34.5 hectares; and conducted 1,392 citizen marine science surveys, among other achievements (for full details, please refer to the Ocean Conservation Administration website). Each local group presented its own conservation strategies and future goals from a unique perspective, and the showcase highlighted the fruits of collaboration between government agencies and grassroots organizations.
Who Says Ocean Conservation Has to Be Boring!
"Dad Says Story Theater" uses props of sea turtles crafted from recycled materials for environmental education outreach across Taiwan.
From the moment you stepped inside the venue, the adorable marine creatures on display drew you in from across the room. "Dad Says Story Theater" promotes marine conservation through musical theater, using storytelling to help children understand the issue of marine debris. The stage props — sperm whales, Whale Sharks, sea turtles, Stingrays, and other marine life — are all crafted from recycled materials. Through his professional expertise, the company's founder hopes to merge marine conservation with the arts, breaking free from dry, textbook-style presentations and injecting a sense of fun into serious environmental topics, so that children will care more deeply about the ocean and marine debris.
"Isle Travel" designed a miniature stone weir board game that is both educational and entertaining.
Turning toward the center stage, it was Penghu's turn — the Honglo Community Development Association was sharing their story. As it turns out, Penghu's stone weir (shíhù) clusters are the densest, best-preserved, and still-functioning cultural heritage of their kind in the world. Among the 700 stone weirs, the oldest date back over 300 years, and the largest of them is located in Honglo Village, Huxi Township. Adapted to the intertidal terrain, a traditional fishing technique called móhù àn — a hybrid of two methods known as zhànpíng and shíhù — evolved naturally from these conditions. Due to the depletion of fishery resources, the mechanization of fishing, and a break in generational transmission, the craft of building and repairing stone weirs has gradually fallen by the wayside, and these traditional fishing methods now face the risk of being lost forever.
To that end, the Honglo Community Development Association partnered with "Isle Travel" to develop a series of promotional initiatives aimed at preserving the móhù àn tradition — applying for government grants to fund the effort and adopting a commercial model to support stone weir restoration. Isle Travel's miniature stone weir model board game instantly closes the gap between the public and this ancient tradition. Players must build a functional stone weir by learning about its structure, ocean currents, tidal patterns, fishing grounds, and the marine life commonly found within — all wrapped up in a beautifully designed, engaging game that's perfect for children.
The Stone Weirs of Xinwu, Taoyuan — A "Great Wall at Sea"
The Taoyuan Stone Weir Association uses scale-model stone weirs to teach the public about their historical significance and practical value.
Stone weirs aren't found only in Penghu — Xinwu, Taoyuan is also home to a century-old cluster of them, which from a distance resembles a "Great Wall at Sea" along the west coast. Unlike Penghu's weirs, which use coral limestone (gūlǎo stone), the Xinwu weirs are built from finer-textured cobblestones that stack more tightly without gaps. As a result, the Taoyuan weirs are specifically designed with drainage holes to improve water drainage efficiency. Currently, there are 11 stone weirs along the northern shore of Shenzhen in Xinwu, stretching to the area around Ejiān; the better-preserved ones are still used for fishing. However, these weir clusters also face the threat of encroaching marine debris.
The Taoyuan Stone Weir Association actively promotes tours of the Ejiān stone weirs, offering visitors hands-on fishing experiences such as spear-net fishing, haul-net fishing, and weir-wall fish watching. In addition, the Taoyuan City Government has renovated an old police dormitory and transformed it into Taiwan's first stone weir history museum, giving the public a place to learn about traditional fishing culture. Through this public-private collaboration, the century-old heritage of the Ejiān stone weirs is being preserved and passed on to future generations.
A Light Wetland Journey — Bringing Environmental Education Through Travel
Taoyuan's coastline features four key ecological highlights. Traveling from north to south, visitors can explore Xǔcuògǎng Wetland, Cǎotè Sand Dunes, the Guānxīn Algal Reef, and the Xinwu Stone Weirs. A cycling path bridging the Lǎojiē River and Shuāngxīkǒu River — connecting Xǔcuògǎng Wetland with the Cǎotè Sand Dunes — is expected to be completed in 2022. The Guānyīn Dàtán algal reef in Taoyuan has once again drawn public attention following a campaign launched by environmental groups to "Save the Algal Reef." In fact, the algal reef in Taoyuan stretches approximately 27 km, from Zhúwéi Fishing Harbor in Dayuan District all the way south to Yǒng'ān Fishing Harbor in Xinwu District.
The Taoyuan City Dayuan District Environmental Protection Association regularly organizes guided tours of Xǔcuògǎng Wetland.
The Xǔcuògǎng algal reef, stretching from Xīnxīkǒu to Lǎojiēxīkǒu, is a nationally important wetland. Every year, thousands of migratory birds stop here to rest and forage, and the diverse habitats — intertidal zones, marshes, sandbars, and windbreak forests — attract a wide variety of bird species. The Taoyuan City Dayuan District Environmental Protection Association promotes light wetland tours, introducing visitors to intertidal plants, migratory birds, local history and culture, and regional specialty products. From November to February, when temperatures drop, eel larvae gather at river mouths, drawing out eel-catcher platforms that have become a distinctive local attraction.
Have You Ever Seen a Horseshoe Crab?
A living fossil that has survived for 400 million years on Earth, the horseshoe crab now faces a crisis as its habitat is destroyed. Port construction and the resulting jetty effects cause sandbars to gradually shrink, affecting wetlands and reducing the horseshoe crab's habitat. The Chiayi County Ecological Conservation Association has partnered with Xīncén Elementary School to set up a "Horseshoe Crab Palace" holding tank on school grounds, providing a temporary refuge for accidentally caught horseshoe crabs. Volunteers regularly monitor water quality, provide food, observe and record behavior, hatch horseshoe crab eggs, and even attempt to artificially breed juvenile horseshoe crabs.
The Chiayi County Ecological Conservation Association is also working with the Chiayi County Government to plan and build the nation's first horseshoe crab ecology conservation center, set to be located in Budai, Chiayi. Once complete, visitors will be able to come and meet this remarkable creature that once shared the earth with trilobites.
Local Care + Creative Solutions = The Winning Formula for the Ocean Conservation Local Stewardship Program
Ocean Conservation Administration Director General Huang Shiang-wen encouraged everyone to protect their local ocean issues in creative ways.
This results showcase went far beyond the conventional approach of limiting marine conservation to beach cleanup and ocean cleanup events. Instead, it highlighted the many teams taking different angles to examine the relationship between the ocean and human living environments — from fishing harbors and intertidal zones to stone weirs, waterbirds, and the question of what to do with marine debris. The hope is to awaken the attention of a broader range of stakeholders across different sectors, making this the first step toward stepping outside the echo chamber.
The Ocean Conservation Administration has in recent years actively championed the spirit of citizen science, and the Ocean Conservation Local Stewardship Program is a concrete expression of that commitment. Even when central or local government agencies hold administrative authority, the reach of policy inevitably falls short in certain areas during the process of advancing marine conservation. The Ocean Conservation Local Stewardship Program is the Administration's way of providing resources and a platform, empowering local groups throughout Taiwan to uncover problems from their own unique perspectives and find the best solutions through creativity. For details on the 2022 Ocean Conservation Local Stewardship Program application guidelines, please visit the link.
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