In order to promote the implementation of “under-forest economies”, the MOA Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has established Under Forest Economic Development Centers in the Northern, Central, Southern and Eastern regions of Taiwan. The Southern District Under-Forest Economic Development Center, which is managed by the Department of Forestry at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), is collaborating with local communities and tribes to study economic crops suitable for growing in forest understories in tropical monsoon climates. The research teams need to ensure that the crops can grow well in forest environments without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They must also be able to perform well under low-light and low-management conditions, so that a stable production model can be established. Based on these criteria evaluations were conducted on Bletilla formosana and Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and this year they were officially added to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s list of under-forest economic products.
Bletilla formosana is a perennial herbaceous orchid plant possessing pseudobulbs that can be used as Chinese medicinal materials. Currently, researchers have already laid a solid foundation for the cultivation of this plant variety by establishing effective tissue culture propagation and cultivation technology. The other plant of focus, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, is a perennial vine plant. Its leaves are commonly used by Chinese people to make tea—and because of its appearance and efficacy, it has acquired the nickname “Southern Ginseng”. In 2024, the research team completed an evaluation these two varieties and confirmed their economic potential as under-forest products. The completed evaluation was submitted to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency for review, and on February 12, 2025 they were officially added as new under-forest economic crops. With their inclusion on the list, they will be promoted in various places in the future to drive the economic development of mountain villages and allow Taiwan’s forestry industry to move towards a more diversified and sustainable future.
With a forest coverage of over 61%, Taiwan has nurtured a rich ecological environment. However, since the government banned the logging of natural forests in 1991, forestry production has been affected, and forest farmers’ incomes have decreased. The management and renewal of artificial forests also faces a number of challenges, and so, in order to revitalize the forestry industry and promote sustainable forest development, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has been promoting the Under-Forest Economies since 2017, encouraging forest farmers to use the forest environment to develop suitable cash crops while taking ecological conservation into account. By developing under-forest economies appropriately, Taiwan will be able to take advantage of different climate and environmental conditions to develop diverse and high-quality economic products, thereby creating new sources of income for forest farmers while also maintaining forest ecosystems through the practice of sustainable management.
