New Taipei's Shiding conservation efforts for turtles yield success, agency rewards farmers

Taiwan's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency is actively promoting the conservation of two critically endangered species, the Chinese box turtle (食蛇龜) and the yellow-margined box turtle (柴棺龜), in New Taipei City's Shiding District. The agency is inviting local farmers to collaborate in creating and maintaining protected habitats through an ecological service payment demonstration program.

This initiative, now in its third year in Shiding's Yongan Village, has seen 24 farmers participate, applying for 28 cases and dedicating over six hectares of land to conservation. The program aims to counteract threats such as extreme weather, human development, and illegal hunting that endanger these turtles, which inhabit low-altitude forests, farmlands, and mountainous water areas. Through friendly farming practices, habitat creation, and community patrols, participants help preserve the environment for these turtles and other wildlife.

The agency is organizing two explanatory meetings on June 21 and 23 at the Shiding District Citizen Activity Center. These sessions will detail the program's two main components: "Friendly Farming Payments" and "Patrol Monitoring Payments." The friendly farming incentives include rewards for adopting environmentally sound agricultural practices and for habitat creation, offering up to NT$20,000 per hectare annually for Chinese box turtles and NT$30,000 per hectare for yellow-margined box turtles. Habitat creation rewards can reach up to NT$30,000 per person annually.

The patrol monitoring component incentivizes local community development associations or private organizations to form turtle patrol teams. These teams conduct monthly patrols, earning up to NT$60,000 annually. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Yilan Branch encourages eligible landowners and farmers in Yongan Village to attend these meetings, which do not require pre-registration, to learn more about contributing to the turtles' survival.