Taiwan Today

Ecotourism nurtures environmental appreciation and awareness in local communities.

Each summer and fall, land crabs on Taiwan’s outlying Green Island migrate to the beach to lay eggs before returning to their forest burrows. To reach the shore, the crustaceans must cross the island’s ring road, exposing them to the dangers of passing vehicles. This challenge, along with rising tourism numbers, inspired the East Coast National Scenic Area Headquarters (ECNSAH) to launch ecotours to help guard the vital route, with members ensuring safe passage across the road. “Protected species are a major draw for visitors, making tourism and conservation an optimal pairing,” said Trust Lin (林信任), former ECNSAH director and now deputy director general of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Administration (TA).

Ecotourism in Taiwan has flourished with the conservation of natural resources. Last year Taiwan secured nine spots on the Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards bestowed by Netherlands-based Green Destination Foundation—more than any other country. Six of the winning sites are located in national scenic areas (NSAs), such as the Southwest Coast NSA, where former salt pans provide habitats for birdlife, and Penghu NSA, where green turtles find refuge on the offshore county’s Wang’an Island.
 

Wild Abundance
“With its diverse flora and fauna, Taiwan offers prime locations for ecotourism,” said Yuri Guo (郭育任), president of the Taiwan Ecotourism Association (TEA). “Visitors can see a remarkable range of species within a short time because of Taiwan’s compact size and varied terrain. In just a few hours, they can access landscapes from coastal plains to mountains over 1,000 meters above sea level, encountering unique plants and animals at each altitude zone.”

According to Guo, nature tourism began to flourish in Taiwan in the late 1990s with the introduction of the five-day workweek, which increased people’s leisure time. This shift, combined with a renewed focus on sustainable development after the 1999 Jiji earthquake in central Taiwan, encouraged local communities to embrace ecotourism as a way to rebuild and create economic opportunity. This movement became a model for other parts of the country, leading to the founding of the TEA in 2001, which is now the leading domestic ecotourism organization. “In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic gave people even more reason to connect with nature and focus on health,” Guo added.

Central government-operated venues with well-maintained infrastructure are essential to the growth of the country’s ecotourism sector. In addition to the 13 NSAs, there are 19 national forest recreation areas managed by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Administration (FANCA) and nine national parks overseen by the Ministry of the Interior. These agencies encourage the public to explore nature by organizing ecotours and offering support to local residents who develop activities that foster a deeper connection to Taiwan’s varied landscapes.

“Building closer ties with nature nurtures environmental awareness and encourages conservation,” said Pan Chen-chang (潘振彰), who is head of the recreation service section at Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters. The park organizes ecotours year-round, including a popular summer tree-climbing activity that takes participants 21 meters above the ground, offering a rare glimpse of life in the forest canopy. Meanwhile, the park’s Guanwu Service Station collaborates with members of a local Atayal Indigenous tribe to design tours that introduce the area’s cultural heritage and wildlife, as well as the community’s flourishing biodiversity-friendly beekeeping initiative.

Clean Commitment

As interest in nature-based experiences has grown, ecotour operators are cognizant of the importance of taking steps to minimize the impact of tourism. “We prioritize dining at certified restaurants that use locally sourced ingredients and reusable tableware whenever possible,” says James Huang (黃俊翰), deputy CEO of Ecotour Taiwan, a New Taipei City-based travel agency that integrates sustainable principles into its itineraries. “In addition to limiting group size and vehicle use, our tours also run on weekdays, avoiding peak weekend crowds, which reduces environmental stress and provides a better quality experience for travelers.”

The Ministry of Environment (MOENV) certifies restaurants, accommodation providers and travel agencies as eco-friendly, while the TA supports the industry by incorporating environmental protection and sustainable tourism concepts into tour guide training and helping businesses obtain the internationally recognized Green Travel Seal (GTS). Ecotour Taiwan, which already holds a MOENV gold-level certification, plans to apply for the GTS in the near future.

Building on its commitment to sustainability, the TA took a significant step last year to reduce emissions—a key measure in protecting biodiversity as extreme weather increasingly threatens habitats. Over the summer, it commissioned a study to calculate the carbon footprint of a two-day tour in central Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area. Preliminary findings, expected in December, will help tour operators design low-carbon trips, further aligning the industry with environmental goals.

Symbiotic Resilience

While ecotourism plays an important role in conservation, it also provides valuable economic benefits. “We hope not only for wildlife to thrive but also for local people to enjoy a higher quality of life,” Lin said. These goals are closely connected: a healthy environment rich in wildlife attracts visitors, which in turn creates job opportunities, stimulates the local economy and encourages residents to value and protect their natural surroundings.

“Communities and businesses are increasingly recognizing the benefits of environmental protection,” Huang said. The trend is evident in Taijiang National Park in southern Taiwan, where the park administration encourages local milkfish farmers to leave fishponds filled after harvesting fish, providing black-faced spoonbills and other migratory birds with a place to forage during the winter. “One of our most popular tours takes visitors to admire the spoonbills in the park, and we always choose local restaurants that source milkfish from aquaculture operators committed to bird conservation,” Huang added. “This three-way partnership among restaurants, fish farmers and travel agencies supports both the birds and local tourism, as bird-watching is the main attraction on most Taijiang itineraries.”

Training community members for green-collar jobs, such as ecotour guides, biodiversity surveyors and environmental managers, is an essential strategy for the TEA, and the association frequently collaborates with government agencies like the TA and FANCA to achieve this goal. One successful example is the human resource empowerment project in the southern county of Chiayi’s Alishan Township. Five years ago Guo initiated training programs in the mountainous region to cultivate local ecotour guides. After two years of training, more than 30 residents became certified to showcase the area’s ecological and cultural treasures. Over the past three years, nearly 10,000 visitors have joined tours led by such guides, according to Guo.
 

With decades of experience fostering a strong bond between people and nature, the TEA promotes Taiwan as an ideal ecotourism destination through coalitions such as the Bangkok-based Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN), a regional initiative of the Global Ecotourism Network. In 2019 Taiwan hosted the first annual AEN conference held outside Thailand. The event took place in Alishan, giving experts from 12 countries the chance to witness Taiwan’s rich biodiversity firsthand. “Taiwan’s splendid flora and fauna are invaluable assets,” Lin said, noting that the TA frequently spotlights Taiwan’s wildlife in promotional films and at international travel fairs. “Developing a robust ecotourism sector is an effective way to preserve natural treasures for future generations.”
 

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw