Promotion program for ecological service payments enhances Yunlin County’s biodiversity

(中央社訊息服務20251027 11:45:11)The Yunlin County Endangered Species and Critical Habitat Ecological Service Payment Promotion Program (Land Fishponds) accepted applications until Sept. 30, 2025. Land fishpond farmers in Mailiao, Taixi, Sihu, and Kouhu Townships are invited to participate in creating eco-friendly fishponds to provide feeding and resting areas for migratory birds during winter. Participants will receive a bonus of up to NT$50,000. Eligible fishpond farmers are welcome to join the friendly community and build a complete ecological conservation corridor along the west coast.

According to bird records along the Yunlin County coast, 291 bird species, including 53 protected species, were observed. Five of these species, including the sandhill crane, Nordmann’s greenshank, Oriental stork, black-faced spoonbill, and eastern grass owl, are endangered. The Oriental stork has been recorded numerous times at the mouth of the Zhuoshui River in recent years, with more than 10 individuals reported at a single occasion. The black-faced spoonbill is also a frequent visitor to the Yunlin coast, with single recorded populations reaching up to 300 individuals. This demonstrates the high level of concern for Yunlin’s native bird biodiversity.

To this end, the county government has applied to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture to be include in the “Endangered Species and Critical Habitat Ecological Service Payment Promotion Program.” Upon approval by the central government, subsidies will be provided starting from 2025 (Year 114 of the Republic of China calendar) to support the county’s implementation of the ecological service payment program. Under this plan, owners holding a Land-based Fish Farm Aquaculture Registration Certificate are guided to, after harvest, maintain a water level below 30 centimeters for at least one consecutive month between October 2025 and April 2026 to provide habitat for designated bird species. During the entire period, no herbicides, rodenticides, poisoned bait, or non-eco-friendly netting may be used around the pond embankments. Each application must cover an area of no less than 0.1 hectares and no more than 5 hectares, and an incentive payment of NT$10,000 per hectare per year may be granted. An on-site inspection team will conduct field verification of the implementation.

County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (張麗善) stated that Yunlin is the nation’s most important agricultural county. Besides providing food crops, its land also serves as a habitat for numerous wild animals. To balance the integrated development of economic industries and ecological conservation, the county government is collaborating with the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency to promote a key habitat ecosystem service payment program for the county’s coastal land fish ponds. The program, subsidized by NT$3 million from the agency’s Rural Regeneration Fund, is expected to benefit over 200 hectares of land fish ponds in the county, generating benefits for fishery production and biodiversity conservation.

Four briefing sessions for this project were held in Mailiao, Taixi, Sihu, and Kouhu. They took place on Aug. 27, 2025, at 2:00 PM in the 2F auditorium of the Taixi Township Office; Sept 3, at 2:00 PM in the 3F auditorium of the Sihu Township Office; Sept 10, at 10:00 AM in the 3F auditorium of the Kouhu Township Office; and on the same day, at 2:00 PM in the 1F briefing room of the Mailiao Township Living Art Center. The project’s advisor, Professor Liu Jian-nan (劉建男) of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at National Chiayi University, provide detailed explanations.