Biodiversity Stakeholder Engagement

Taiwan Blue Carbon Mangrove Restoration Project

TWM partnered with National Chung Hsing University and Taijiang National Park to promote the Taiwan Blue Carbon Mangrove Restoration Project through industry-government-academia collaboration. Through a world-first technology combining mangrove restoration, integrated aquaculture, and nanotechnology, aquaculture wastewater is converted into nutrients for mangroves, enhancing carbon sequestration capacity. Key highlights achieved in 2025 are as follows:

• Carbon sink increase exceeded expectations: In 2025, TWM completed the planting of 3,200 Lumnitzera racemosa and Rhizophora stylosa trees. After five months of monitoring and observation, the net increase in carbon sequestration reached 82.6 metric tons of CO2 per hectare, higher than the original target of 77 metric tons per hectare per year.

• Water quality improvement: Through the biological filtration mechanism of mangroves, nutrient concentrations in the original fish ponds were effectively reduced, transforming the site from an idle state with high pollution and high carbon emissions potential into a healthy ecological demonstration site with long-term carbon storage potential.

• Biodiversity enhancement: As the habitat environment improved, an increase in fish catches was recorded. At the same time, 27 Northern Pintails and other birds were observed returning to rest in the area.

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Blue Carbon Education Initiative

TWM recognizes that responding to climate change requires building public awareness of nature-based solutions. While investing in blue carbon sink research, we are also committed to transforming scientific results into social impact. Through collaboration with the Biodiversity Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, TWM promotes the Blue Carbon Education Advocacy Action, translating professional blue carbon research into accessible science education knowledge.

• Training blue carbon seed teachers: Through systematic seed teacher training, TWM strengthens frontline teachers’ teaching capacity in the field of biodiversity, guiding students to observe mangrove ecosystems and participate in basic carbon sink surveys and teaching practices.

• Implementing campus education outreach: TWM is committed to building knowledge from the ground up. Through diversified courses, TWM guides students in coastal areas of Tainan to understand blue carbon issues and the important ecosystem service functions of mangroves.

• Empowering local community citizens: TWM invites local residents and students to visit the mangrove science education base, observe ecological organisms, and participate in mangrove growth surveys. Through field exploration and citizen science activities, participants take part in basic carbon sink survey work.

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TWM Hynobius Conservation Program

Protect the smiling alpine elves and preserve memories of the Ice Age

Carrying the memory of the Ice Age, Hynobius fights against the rising temperature on the high mountains of Taiwan, showing the toughness of life through the petite body. TWM hopes to give full play to the spirit of "open possible" to support the difficult and dangerous middle and high-altitude field research with actions, and at the same time respond to climate change and protect the smiling alpine elves.

Hynobius, also known as the smiling alpine elf, currently has five native species in Taiwan - Hynobius fucus, Hynobius formosanus, Hynobius glacialis, Hynobius sonani, and Hynobius arisanensis. They migrated to Taiwan during the Ice Age and are distributed at the source of streams with humidity and low temperature 8oC to below 16oC in the middle and high-altitude mountain areas from 1300 meters to 3800 meters above sea level. Hynobius, which is afraid of heat, is a species bearing the brunt of global warming facing the gradual rise of its habitat baseline in the process of climate change. Due to the discontinuous habitat, it evolves independently and is rare in number. The Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) listed Hynobius formosanus and Hynobius sonani as endangered species (EN). Hynobius glacialis and Hynobius fucus were unable to be presented in the list due to survey difficulties and insufficient data. The 2017 Red List of Amphibians of Taiwan listed Hynobius glacialis as critical endangered (CR); Hynobius formosanus, Hynobius fucus and Hynobius sonani were listed as endangered (EN); Hynobius arisanensis was listed as vulnerable (VU) species, it is obvious that Hynobius in Taiwan is in urgent need of conservation and research.

(Professor Ju, Yu-Ten from National Taiwan University has long been involved in the research on Hynobius conservation, image source: Barley Productions)

Taiwan Mobile sees the lack of research resources and the threat of climate change to Hynobius through the work of ecological documentary director Mai Chueh-Ming - "Good Morni MIT". The team of Professor Ju, Yu-Ten, Department of Animal Sciences and Technology, National Taiwan University, has been commissioned by Taroko, Shei-Pa and Yushan National Parks for a long time to conduct research on the cross-domain phylogenetic geography, habitat preference and life history of five species of Hynobius in Taiwan. TWM has also joined hands, hoping to promote the research and development of Hynobius in Taiwan through providing resources. The research commissioned by the national parks successfully observed the spawning, hatching and metamorphosis process of Hynobius in captivity in its natural habitat. In order to deepen the research results, TWM assisted in strengthening the experimental equipment for captive breeding in the habitat and conducted early life history research on two species of Hynobius, hoping to increase the hatching rate of Hynobius fucus in the captive tanks of Shei-Pa National Park to 95% and survival rate to 30% by 2025; maintain 100% hatching rate of Hynobius arisanensis in the captive tanks of Yushan National Park, and increase the survival rate to 60%.