Act Local - at the heart of TPSI activities: TPSI 2022 Regional Exchange Workshops

Taiwan Satoyama News

Act Local – at the heart of TPSI activities: 2022 TPSI Regional Exchange Workshops

　　Each year regional exchange workshops are the most anticipated and exciting flagship activity of Taiwan Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (TPSI). As two-day events conducted by each of TPSI regional exchange bases – TPSI-North (TPSI-N), TPSI-West (TPSI-W), TPSI-South (TPSI-S), and TPSI-East (TPSI-E), they provide an opportunity for TPSI partners to visit TPSI SEPLS, exchange on-the-ground experiences, share ideas, and search for partnership opportunities. The workshop participants include government agencies, research and academia, NGOs and NPOs, community organisations, green enterprises, farms, agro-parks, and other interested individuals. Over 2016-2021, the annual themes of exchange workshops have included a diverse range of SEPLS topics: revitalisation of SEPLS, regional and national networking, youth participation, intergenerational communication, knowledge transfer and role of women, SEPLS resilience and biodiversity, marketing and socio-economic development in SEPLS. By December 2022, almost 250 organisations and 1250 participants have taken part in TPSI regional exchange workshops.
　　2022 has been a special year that marked 20 years of Community Forestry in Taiwan (since 2002), 10+ years of the Satoyama Initiative in Taiwan (since 2011) and a start of the second phase of Taiwan Ecological Network (2022-2025). The intrinsic linkage between these three projects was announced by Professor Mei-Hui Chen – the leader of TPSI-S regional exchange base and the facilitator of TPSI network – as a “three in one” strategy of TPSI. Thus, the annual theme for 2022 TPSI regional exchange workshops has reflected the triple strategy and focused on enhancing community-based production activities, strengthening ecosystem connectivity and fostering SEPLS-to-SEPLS partnership networks. In adherence with the main annual theme, each regional workshop demonstrated its own unique focus and agenda, while all of them included on-site visits to TPSI SEPLS, sharing of case study experiences and group discussions. Cross-regional cooperation and experience sharing has been an important part of TPSI exchanges. Below we invite you to explore some of 2022 workshops highlights.
  　　On 4-5 August 2022, TPSI-N team led by Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA) with support from Hsinchu and Yilan branchs of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and co-partnership with Fuxing Nanhe Leisure Farm, Observer Ecological Consultant Co., Ltd and Guanshu Educational Foundation piloted this year’s series of TPSI regional exchange workshops in Miaoli County.
　　The workshop was focused on building on-the-ground capacity, strengthening SEPLS management and promotion of satoyama green network. To foster cross-regional cooperation and peer-to-peer learning, TPSI-N invited partners from TPSI-W regional exchange base to share their experiences. On-site visits on the first day of the workshop included eco-friendly rice cultivation and giant water-bug conservation site (Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County), Lishanshu Satoyama School environmental education farm (Yuanli Township, Miaoli County) and Fuxing Nanhe Leisure Farm (Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County).
　　The second day of the workshop started with a forest therapy activity and a nourishing breakfast prepared by the locals from Fuxing Nanhe Leisure Farm. Indoor activities of the day consisted of case studies and group discussions for both in-person and online audiences. They included presentations about farmers-led Leopard cat conservation by eco-friendly production (Nantou County), community-based restoration and sustainable management of Shunglianpi wetlands (Yilan County) and conservation of Chinese box turtle (New Taipei City). A total of 36 organisations and 61 participants took part in TPSI-N 2022 regional exchange workshop.
  　　TPSI-S regional exchange workshop took place in Chiayi County on 26-27 August 2022. It was organised by National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) and Community Forestry Centre with support from Chiayi and Pingtung branchs of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and in co-partnership with community development associations from Gongxing community (Fanlu Township, Chiayi County), Shanglin community (Dalin Township, Chiayi County), Chashan community (Alishan Township, Chiayi County), and community cooperative of Chashan Tribe (Chiayi County). Partners from all TPSI regions, all branchs of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency in particular, were invited to attend the workshop: a total of 28 organisations and 45 participants.
　　Visits to TPSI communities brought to the forefront eco-friendly production activities, agroforestry successes and challenges, eco-tourism and revitalisation of local culture, and resilient local livelihoods. The workshop participants explored cultivation, processing and marketing of Marbled jewel orchid and its products such as facial cream and probiotics, learned about conservation of Farmland green treefrog by eco-friendly bamboo cultivation, and took part in eco-cultural tour organised by Chashan Tribe. The case studies shared by Mingde community (Miaoli Couonty) and Baolai community (Kaohsiung City) provided insights on apiculture, local handicrafts and post-disaster community development. They were followed by a lively group discussion and experience sharing at Jiayama Cultural Centre of Chashan Tribe.
  　　On 22-23 September 2022, the Endemic Species Research Institute (ESRI) team with support from Nantou Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and in co-partnership with Taichung Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and National Taiwan University (NTU) Experimental Forest organised TPSI-W regional exchange workshop at Indigenous Seediq Songlin Tribe (Aixiang Township, Nantou County).
　　The workshop took participants (46 partners from 28 organisations) on exploration of local culture and Indigenous production practices, which included chicken farming, growing shiitake mushrooms on wood logs and traditional Seediq weaving. Presentation of cross-regional case studies was curiously built around “the chicken theme” – experiences with raising local chicken breeds by SEPLS communities from western and southern parts of Taiwan. Participants of the workshop enjoyed their stay at Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area, which included morning eco-tours and forest therapy programme. The workshop concluded with a much-anticipated group discussion and sharing of impressions at the community centre of Songlin tribe. 　　As the weather was getting cooler and the autumn coastal breeze was picking up in Hualien County, TPSI-E regional exchange base led by National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) was last to conduct its regional exchange workshop on 7-8 November. It was organised with support from Hualien and Taitung branchs of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Yushan National Park Management Office, Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation, Fuli Farmers Association, and local communities of Luoshan Village (Fuli Township, Hualien County), Indigenous Amis Gangkou and Jingpu villages (Fengbin Township, Hualien County), and Indigenous Bunun Nan’An Tribe (Zhuoxi Township, Hualien County).
　　TPSI-E SEPLS community visits were built around the watershed connectivity theme of the Xiuguluan River – from the river mouth at Gangkou and Jingpu villages with a focus on coastal protection, satoumi governance and resource use, to organic cultivation and circular charcoal bamboo production at Luoshan Village (middle reaches of the Xiuguluan River watershed), to restoration of traditional Bunun bean cultivation practices in Nan’An Tribe located near Yushan National Park. Together, both indoors and outdoors, coming from various walks of life, 51 workshop participants from 22 organisations took a deep dive into exploration of existing and potential opportunities for realising the “Three in One” TPSI strategy in eastern Taiwan.  

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