Taiwan Today

Taiwan botanist Hung Hsin-chieh has scaled 30-meter trees and braved wild animal attacks in his mission to collect and preserve rare flora species.

The turning point in the life and career of botanist Hung Hsin-chieh (洪信介) occurred in 2015 deep in the rainforests of the Solomon Islands. At that time ostensibly a hobbyist with little formal education in the field, he was recruited to assist with a bilateral flora conservation project in Taiwan’s Indo-Pacific ally. The initiative had been launched three years before, but the environment posed significant challenges, and progress was slower than expected. “Many samples were on the tops of towering trees, and were proving too difficult to reach,” project leader Li Chia-wei (李家維‬) said.

Hung was known to several team members from participating in the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Forestry Bureau resource inventories in Taiwan’s remote mountainous areas, and he had earned their respect for his botanical knowledge and physical endurance. Based on their recommendation, he was enlisted to help the project, and for the next two years proved a driving force in bringing the effort to a successful conclusion.

His dedication to the mission was highlighted when he summited a 30-meter-tall tree to collect the endangered Phlegmariurus dalhousieanus, also known as blue tassel fern. None of the local guides had dared attempt the feat. “I’ve climbed thousands of trees, but that one was the tallest,” Hung said.

Climbing High

The 46-year-old traces his passion for plants and the outdoors to his childhood in Nantou County, central Taiwan. Born in a small rural town, he spent much of his youth climbing trees and scrambling across rooftops looking for bird nests. At age 17, he met a group of orchid hobbyists and discovered the wonders of the plant world for the first time, learning from them the art of botanical illustrations and how to search the wilderness for rare species.

Following graduation from junior high school, Hung held various jobs, working as a construction worker, farmer and plumber. When time allowed, he traveled around Taiwan and its outlying islands collecting notable native species of flora, later building a greenhouse in his hometown that serves as a repository for his finds. His reputation in botanical circles grew thanks to the variety of fascinating specimens he amassed and through sharing his experiences on social networking sites.

After years of working as an amateur, Hung sought out an opportunity to apply his skills professionally, and from 2008 to 2013 took part in the resource inventories organized by the Forestry Bureau. “Forestry is a dangerous and physically demanding job. We had to carry loads of at least 40 kilograms up and down mountain trails in remote areas, often staying for more than 10 days at a time,” he said. “I was the only nonindigenous participant, but I never missed a field survey.”

When Hung was recruited to join the Solomon Islands mission, he found himself working alongside some of the best and brightest Taiwan scholars in the field. The five-year project to collect and document rare species, build greenhouses and preserve specimens was organized by Taipei City-based International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), the nation’s foremost foreign aid organization, in collaboration with the Solomon Islands Ministry of Forestry and Research. Team members came primarily from the Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic Conservation Center (KBCC) in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to flora preservation; the National Museum of Natural Science (NMNS) in the central city of Taichung; and the COA’s Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI), headquartered in Taipei.

Project leader Li, chief executive officer of KBCC and a professor in the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology at National Tsing Hua University in northern Taiwan, was so impressed with Hung that he offered him a position as a research assistant at the center after the initiative concluded. According to Li, although Hung did not formally train as a botanist, he is deeply knowledgeable about plants, their classifications and relevant terminology.

Established in 2007, KBCC works to reintroduce endangered species into the wild. To date, the center has gathered more than 33,000 species and cultivars, making it home to the world’s richest collection of tropical and subtropical plants. It is engaged in a race against time to gather as many living specimens as possible before they become extinct.

Hung did not have stable, full-time employment until the age of 44 when he was hired by KBCC. “This is my dream job,” he said. “It gives me a real sense of achievement, and I’m good at it. Hopefully I can maximize my potential and help the center with its mission.”

Botany Star

His exceptional performance on the Solomon Islands project not only won Hung a position at KBCC but also raised public awareness regarding the oftentimes arduous nature of botanical expeditions. Hung and the team starred in an episode of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Geographic Channel co-produced documentary series “Taiwan to the World.” Since premiering in February 2018, the episode has been broadcast in more than 30 countries and territories.

Hung also featured in a video produced by the popular China-based media channel Yitiao in November 2018. The clip has since been viewed over 142,000 times. “I was anxious when I started to receive interview requests and invitations to give talks,” Hung said. “But I’m thrilled that botanists are getting noticed and respected.”

In the course of his expeditions, Hung has fallen from trees, been attacked by wild boars, bitten by snakes and stung by hornets, but these incidents have never dampened his spirit. “It’s my duty to collect these plants, especially those on the brink of extinction,” he said.

Chung Shih-wen (鐘詩文), an associate researcher in the TFRI’s Botanical Garden Division, first met Hung 10 years ago through an online botany club. They have since worked together on projects in Taiwan and abroad. “Hung is great at collecting specimens thanks to his knowledge about ecological environments and plants, especially ferns and orchids,” he said.

Specializing in plant taxonomy and herbarium management, Chung is the lead author of the book series “Illustrated Flora of Taiwan” published by Taipei-based Owl Publishing House Co. The collection documents more than 4,700 native species with high-resolution images and illustrations. Hung is a co-author of the eighth and final volume.

Although Hung has read more than 100 botanical illustration books in English and Mandarin, he had never thought of producing his own prior to participating in the series. “It came as a big surprise to me when I was asked to contribute,” he said. “But I worked diligently, spending many hours studying historical documents and preserved specimens while drawing on my own experiences.”

Botanists from KBCC, NMNS and TFRI including Chung and Hung are currently working with counterparts from Bidoup Nui Ba National Park and Southern Institute of Ecology in Vietnam on a project similar to that in the Solomon Islands. Proposed by Li and funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology in line with the New Southbound Policy (NSP), the three-year initiative launched in 2018 is focused on promoting ex situ conservation and plant protection awareness around southeastern Vietnam’s Lang Biang Plateau. The region, famed for its biodiversity, has seen extensive deforestation and herbicide use, threatening the many unique species found there.

A key component of the government’s national development strategy, the NSP is deepening Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.

Botany aside, Hung has another passion: drawing. His detailed ballpoint sketches of plant species and portraits of famous images and faces such as Afghan Girl (Sharbat Gula), Albert Einstein and the Mona Lisa have garnered national recognition. He has even received an invitation to exhibit his drawings at National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei next April.

“When I’m too old to climb, I would like to paint plants for a living,” Hung said. “They’ve been part of all the best experiences in my life. I don’t have much money, but getting to appreciate rare flora is its own reward.” 

Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw