202306/01
The Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture (COA), Executive Yuan and the Endemic Species Research Institute (ESRI) held a press conference today in joint promotion of leopard cat-friendly farming. In addition to thanking certain sales channels for their assistance, they also announced at the conference that they were expanding the Leopard Cat-friendly efforts from the Nantou area to the Miaoli and Taichung areas. Using public-private cooperation, environmentally friendly agricultural products are being promoted that address life, production, ecology, and living in harmony.
The Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) is an endangered protected species that is primarily distributed in Miaoli County, Taichung City, and Nantou County. Its habitat overlaps with low-elevation mountain areas, where humans tend to live, farm, and move about. Farmlands with large areas are often used by Leopard Cats, especially farmland surrounded by various habitats, such as thickets, grasslands, or streams, which are more suitable for habitat requirements of Leopard Cats. The automatic camera monitoring and individual tracking results derived by the ESRI also found that the range of Leopard Cat activity covers many farmland areas, which shows that farmland and Leopard Cat activity are closely related.
The COA has been promoting environmentally friendly farming in recent years, and the Forestry Bureau of the COA, along with the ESRI, have been promoting the Leopard Cat-Friendly Farming Label in Leopard Cat habitats since 2014. To obtain the label, Farmers only need to obtain certifications for the Organic Mark, Traceable Agricultural Products Label, or Green Conservation Label, keep the grass cover required for Leopard Cats, and take friendly actions such as not using rat poison (rodenticide), animal traps, and not keeping dogs and cats on their farmlands. Through the actions of farmers, the quality of Leopard Cat habitats can be improved, and Leopard Cats will be able to move and forage safely in farmlands; and farmers can also use the Leopard Cat Label as a brand to market their products. There are 27 leopard cat-friendly farmers who have already obtained Organic Certification and the Green Conservation Label, and 11 leopard cat-friendly farmers using safe pesticides who meet requirements for the Traceable Agricultural Products Label. Their farms are located in Zhongliao Township, Nantou City, Shuili Township, Caotun Township, Mingjian Township, Guoxing Township, among other places, covering a total area of about 55.1 hectares, and grow such diverse produce as bananas, rice, red dragon fruit, guava, citrus, and pineapple.
The promotion of the leopard cat-friendly farming label depends not just on the recognition and hard work of farmers, but also on the assistance of cooperating agencies and sales channels. Most of the leopard cat-friendly farmers have a large variety of crops, but not a large farming area. Thus they need to use marketing or find sales channels. Also, the sales process is full of hurdles, and farmers must also continuously improve the quality of crops and the value of their agricultural products. Through the guidance of Dr. Soil, the production technology used by farmers has been improved, allowing them to stably produce high-quality crops. Since 2019, Carrefour, Sun Rise Farms, Hotai Group, Buy Directly from Farmers, Muji Taiwan, Danong Net, Santacruz, Bo Bo Fruits and Vegetables, Cotton Field Health Stores, and other channels have helped farmers in the sale of bananas, lemons, tea and citrus and other crops. Moreover, Organic Marks, Traceable Agricultural Products Labels, and Green Conservation Labels continue to be promoted by the Agriculture and Food Agency and the Forestry Bureau of the COA as well as the Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation, ensuring that consumers can purchase high-quality agricultural products produced under rigorous controls. The Forestry Bureau and the ESRI also presented special trophies at today's press conference to thank major channels and cooperating partners for helping to stabilize the income of leopard cat-friendly farmers and giving Leopard Cats safer habitats.
According to the Forestry Bureau, the Nantou Forest District Office uses the Endangered Species-Leopard Cat Habitat Conservation Cross-Regional Linking Platform to connect various agencies and groups who are jointly invested in the conservation of Leopard Cats. Starting from this year (2023), they will work hand in hand with the Dongshih Forest District Office and Hsinchu Forest District Office to expand leopard cat-friendly farming from the Nantou area to the Miaoli and Taichung areas. The public is welcome to purchase leopard cat-friendly crops and protect Leopard Cat homes together. It is hoped that the Leopard Cat will someday be removed from the endangered species list and numbers of Leopard Cat will return to the low-elevation mountain areas of Taiwan.