202411/06
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) has been promoting the co-management of natural resources with indigenous peoples. In particular, the implementation results alongside the Saisiyat Tribe in Penglai Village have been gradually attracting the attention of those in relevant fields at home and abroad. This year (2024), after an on-site visit by the Department of Land Economics and the Department of Ethnology, National Chengchi University (NCCU), it was found that the Penglai Tribal Community is very suitable to serve as a teaching center. It will allow students and researchers from Taiwan and abroad to learn about the Taiwanese public and private sectors' efforts to promote natural resource co-management with Indigenous peoples and the development of a diversified green forest industry, as well as to engage in intellectual exchanges on the traditions of Taiwan’s original inhabitants. This idea received support NCCU, and a consensus was reached with the FANCA and the Saisiyat Tribe in Penglai Village. The three parties signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) today (November 6). A teaching center in the traditional territory of the Saisiyat people in Nanzhuang Township, which is also a part of the national forest, will be established to strengthen the legacy of traditional ecological knowledge and foster talents. In addition, it is also hoped that the spirit and achievements of “PakaSan” will be expanded to the international arena, making Taiwan a bright spot on the global stage.
Lin Hwa-Ching, Director General of the FANCA, said that the protection of forests can definitely not just rely on pouring a large amount of money and guarding the forest land by closing it off. The Saisiyat Tribe in Penglai Village, Nanzhuang Township[MY1] , leverages the traditional wisdom of its people and combines it with a tribe-centric forest conservation policy. It was recently presented to the international community at the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity as a stunning example of how traditional wisdom can be harnessed to realize biodiversity. Today, the Saisiyat Tribe in Nanzhuang Township[MY2] has become an international teaching center that will further demonstrate Taiwan’s influence in realizing the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by connecting with the world, speaking out, and impacting the forestry policies of other developing countries.
According to Lin Hwa-Ching, the FANCA and the Saisiyat Tribe in Penglai Village, Nanzhuang Township, Miaoli County, signed a partnership agreement in 2018, kicking off their cooperation by organizing a reconciliation ceremony using the tribe’s traditional cultural customs. At that time, tribal elder Ken Chih You specifically stated: “We hope to have concrete cooperation with the government to revitalize the livelihood of our people, but we do not want to fall into the past mode of only receiving economic support from the government[MY1] .” As a result, the FANCA then developed and invested in a variety of emerging policy tools and guidance measures, while the tribal community went on to set up its own cooperatives to develop diversified green forest industries. These include eco-tourism, under-forest economy, forest therapy, and plantation [MY2] management, which have effectively improved the economic situation of their community. In the past, some locals were forced to become illegal loggersto make ends meet, but now they have become “forest guardians” who are determined to protect their homeland because they deeply understand that their improved livelihoods are entirely benefited by the service values yielded from the forests.
Minister Jay N. Shih of the Ministry of Civil Service, said, “I have been teaching at NCCU for a long time and have also visited the Saisiyat Tribe in Nanzhuang Township to experience the ecological significance of this wall-less classroom and the full impact of the Satoyama Initiative. It was only by actually visiting this Tribe[MY1] that I really understood the importance of the forestry policy and its impact on the residents of mountain villages. Director Lin used real-life examples to show me how to improve the lives of the tribal communities and restore their self-confidence through the reversal of the mountain forest management model. This is what touched me the most about the story of this Tribe. Today, it is very meaningful to witness the FANCA and NCCU organize a wall-less classroom at the Saisiyat Tribe in Nanzhuang Township, where students and researchers from Taiwan and abroad can learn about Taiwan’s natural resources co-management with indigenous peoples and diverse green forest industries. It will also allow them to further explore the value of the government’s public services in managing mountain and forest resources. The relevance of this cannot be overstated.” After the signing of the MOU, field surveys and study tours will be conducted in Nanzhuang Township in the future to document and systematize tribal history and knowledge of natural resources, as well as assist the tribal residents in strengthening their eco-tourism development and foreign language tour guide skills. The abundance of opportunities for international exchanges and cooperation in the future is highly anticipated.
The FANCA’s experience and achievements in natural resources co-management with Nanzhuang Township’s Saisiyat have continued to exert influence, winning the National Development Council’s Government Service Award, as well as earning membership of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) in 2022. In September this year, at the 2024 International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP 2024), we showcased the best examples of public-private partnerships to the world and were recently awarded the Civil Service Outstanding Contribution Award by the Ministry of Civil Service.
NCCU believes that the natural resources co-management of national forests and the development of the green forest industry promoted by the FANCA and the Saisiyat in Nanzhuang Township’s Indigenous Reserved Land and national forest areas can serve as a future model for the government to promote regional governance and the economic development of mountain villages. It can also serve as a model for reference for many developing countries with abundant forest resources. NCCU enrolls a large number of international students every year. Additionally, NCCU alumni have served as a major force in civil services. Through the cooperation of the FANCA and the Saisiyat Tribe in Nanzhuang Township, faculty members have led students to visit the tribal community and gain in-person experience of tribal culture and the spirit of eco-sustainability. This initiated the project of building the first forest classroom without walls in Taiwan. Based on the content of the MOU, as well as NCCU’s academic assets and international exchange resources, NCCU set up the PaKaSan International Education Center in the Penglai Tribal Community, offering fieldwork and outdoor courses to document and systematize knowledge of indigenous history and natural resources. They also organize village overall planning workshops and collaborate with the community to develop spatial planning based on the land and culture of indigenous peoples. Not only will this help the tribal community to strengthen their tour guide and foreign language expressive skills, it can also enhance international cooperation and experience exchanges.
According to the FANCA, the signing of the tripartite MOU this time around is a reflection on the past and a look into the future. The FANCA expects that through this wall-less forest classroom, more students and people from all walks of life will be attracted to participate in the management of indigenous natural resources and the transmission of ecological wisdom, working together to realize the vision of sustainable forests and mountains. The FANCA will also continue to devote itself to the promotion of new forestry and biodiversity policies, and deepen its partnership with indigenous groups throughout Taiwan, so that the world can see Taiwan joining hands with indigenous peoples to demonstrate their creativity and strength in the management of natural resources.