Taipei, the capital and largest city in the ROC, is cluttered with modern buildings and public transport infrastructure. It is also one of the world’s most densely populated metropolises, with more than 7 million people living in the greater Taipei region, which includes Taipei City, New Taipei City and Keelung.
Such a bustling and fast-paced concrete jungle ought not to have a vibrant ecosystem. And yet it does, especially in the beautiful mountains and rivers surrounding the city. This is the main reason why there are quite a few sites in the Taipei metropolitan area perfect for firefly watching.
The Mt. Tiger Hiking Trail, for example, is an ideal place for firefly-viewing in downtown Taipei. Located not far from the famous Taipei 101 skyscraper, the 2-kilometer-long trail, with its rich flora and fauna, attracts hundreds of visitors each weekend. At dusk in spring and summer, the place is often lit up by hundreds and thousands of fireflies flashing their luminescent hues as they go about their business of mating.
Another good spot for firefly watching in the heart of Taipei is the Fuyang Eco Park near Taipei metro’s Linguang Station. Originally a military ammunition depot, the 3.8-hectare site was closed down in 1988 and reopened in October 2006 as an eco-park by the Parks and Street Lights Office under the Taipei City government.
With a regenerated forest and wetlands habitat, the spot is an ideal breeding ground for fireflies. Many amateur photographers also gather here during summertime, to catch the beautiful scenery of these little bugs lighting the darkness. The park’s seclusion from the outside world makes it home to rhacophorus taipeianus, or Taipei green tree frog, a species endemic to Taiwan.
New Taipei City is one of the fastest growing cities in Taiwan, with modern housing and public infrastructure projects sprouting up continually over the past few years. The speed of urban growth has not, however, come at the expense of the city’s biodiversity and natural scenery, thanks to the eco-preservation efforts of the New Taipei City government.
To promote the city’s beautiful natural surroundings and help residents and visitors learn more about their eco value, the city government holds annual firefly-watching festivals across nature preserves scattered throughout the city.
One such place is Sanxia Carbon Neutral Park, a landfill-turned-eco-site located in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District. Between 1993 and 2000, the place was known as the Sanxia Shanyuan Tanzi Regional Landfill. It was filled to the brim with 1.35 million metric tons of waste, before it was finally closed down for restoration at the start of the new millennium.
Over the following 10 years, New Taipei City government’s Environmental Protection Department took a series of measures to transform the former garbage dump into an inviting eco-park. Environmental greening, landscaping, waste water treatment and landfill gas recycling were just some of the measures it took.
The park, which opened on Sept. 11, 2010, as Taiwan’s first low-carbon park, has a recreational as well as an educational purpose. Within it are 810 cherry blossom trees and a 1,488-square-meter greenhouse, where organic vegetables and 15,000 plants are grown. It also has a landfill gas collection system and small wind turbines that generate all the electricity needed to run the park.
“The place, with its rich biodiversity, is now a prime habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial fireflies,” Guo Hong-yuan, an eco-tour guide with the park, told Taiwan Today April 25.
Guo, who was giving a tour to some 100 visitors to the park as part of the New Taipei City government’s annual firefly-watching festival, said he has observed a growing number of the lightning bugs in Sanxia Carbon Neutral Park over the past decade, an indication of the government’s successful efforts at conservation.
According to Guo, Taiwan is home to 62 of the 2,000 firefly species in the world, with Luciola cerata E. Olivier, Luciola fifta E. Olivier, Luciola chinsis Linne., and Luciola sp. being the most commonly seen varieties. The high season for watching fireflies in Taiwan is from April to June, he added.
Jonathan Kao, 9, who was among the firefly chasers, said he was amazed to see thousands of the pixyish lightning bugs, and had an incredible number of questions to ask Guo, such as what do the fireflies eat and what their proclivities are.
Among many Taiwanese people, Kao’s mother said, the blinking bugs evoke sweet memories from their childhood. But beautiful intermittent lights given off by the little creatures have become a rare sight, especially in the cities, due to pollution and urban development, she added.
“The local government is doing a good job in firefly recovery and conservation,” she said. “This park is of educational significance and it is great to be able to show my child the same amazing scenery I saw when I was his age.”
Kao Su-e and her daughter Wu Yi-ying were also captivated by the little bugs glowing with their green and yellow hues. “I didn’t know this park used to be a landfill,” Kao said. “The number of fireflies here is so many that they glow like stars in a galaxy.”
Guo said the park is only open for 10 days each year for firefly viewing and that registration is required in advance, in order to preserve its environment and so that park volunteers can provide guided tours to better introduce stories of the place and the lightning bugs to visitors.
Besides firefly viewing, the park also has a carbon-neutral house where visitors can stay overnight free of charge to experience a low-carbon lifestyle, Guo said, adding that residents are required to learn to calculate and keep records of their carbon footprint, including the carbon emission levels resulting from their water and electricity use and the waste that they produce.
“This entire park is an epitome of what a future green city might be like,” Guo said. “Government advice has less of an effect on people than allowing them to experience conservation and environmental protection firsthand.”
According to Guo, many students from Hong Kong have visited the park for field trips as part of their environmental protection education. These students, along with the carbon-neutral house guests, will become seed teachers for a greener future, he said.
Another spot that attracts hordes of firefly chasers is Jingtong in New Taipei City’s Pingxi District. In recent years, the place has developed into a popular tourist spot where sky lanterns are released by the hundreds and thousands into the sky.
Pingxi District Executive Chien Hua-hsiang told Taiwan Today May 5 that with its pristine nature, the area is ideal for firefly watching. Tens of thousands of visitors come to Jingtong during the two-week firefly festival, which usually falls between late April and early May, to catch a glimpse of the flickering insects, he added.
On the second to last day of this year’s New Taipei City firefly festival, around 500 people took part in the Jingtong eco-tour. They were divided into 14 groups and led by volunteers knowledgeable and familiar with the history and ecosystem of the area.
Among the participants was a group of returned Taiwanese expatriates now working in Taipei. Andrew Yang, 31, said this was a last-minute trip since he saw a flyer for the firefly festival at a bookstore only two days earlier. He and his friends Albert Yang, Cameron Chow, Daphne Lai, Jane Wang and Sarah Su, who are all in their twenties, were surprised to see so many fireflies and enjoyed an evening away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Wang Ting-kuo, chief secretary of Pingxi District Office, said he has witnessed the many ups and downs in the development of Jingtong over the past few decades. The area has great ecotourism potential, he said, as it is located in a secluded mountainous area that is the source of the Keelung River.
“With continued efforts to preserve this beautiful land by both the public and private sectors, I believe we can have a sustainable tourism industry in Jingtong with the sky lantern, firefly and paulownia flower festivals offering visitors happiness year-round.”
Write to Rachel Chan at rachelchan@mail.gio.gov.tw