On August 25, 2025, the NPUST Community Forestry Center collaborated with the Taiwan Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA) and the “Japan-Taiwan Satoyama Initiative” to hold the “Taiwan-Japan Symposium on Sustainable Societies Connected by Forests, Rivers, Villages, and Oceans”. The event was the culmination of the Taiwan-Japan Satoyama Practical Exchange Workshop, which ran from August 20 to 25.
A 13-person Japanese delegation, led by Nakamura Nobuyuki, President of the Japan-Taiwan Satoyama Initiative, included experts in satoyama management and university students. From August 20-24, the team engaged in a focused exchange in the Shenshan Village of Wutai Township before returning to NPUST for the symposium.
The event brought together a distinguished group of attendees to share experiences and case studies on satoyama development from both Taiwan and Japan. Attendees included:
- Vice President Wen-Ling Shih, NPUST
- Dean Yi-Hsien Lin, College of Agriculture, NPUST
- Deputy Division Chief Hsiu-Chuan Huang, Conservation Division, FNCA
- Section Chief Chi-Che Lin, FNCA
- Inspector Tzu-Yi Tsai, FNCA
- Assistant Professor Hsin-Hsun Huang, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts
- Division Chief Mei-Li Hsueh, Biodiversity Research Institute
- Professor Kuang-Chung Lee, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University
In his address, Dean Yi-Hsien Lin acknowledged Professor Chen Mei-Hui as a key NPUST scholar who has served as a role model by promoting community forestry for over 20 years.
Key Discussions and Community Stories
Speakers from Taiwan and Japan presented a variety of case studies. Section Chief Chi-Che Lin of the FNCA’s Community Conservation Section began by sharing the agency’s history and vision for promoting the Satoyama Initiative in Taiwan. He explained that since the start of community forestry in 2002 and the promotion of the Satoyama Initiative in 2010, the FNCA’s core goal has remained the same: restoring and maintaining healthy forests. He also emphasized that the Satoyama Initiative allows for the coexistence of both conservation and utilization of natural resources by gradually reweaving the fabric of nature and society through daily management and collaboration.
Next, Pei-Yu Chien, a young leader from the Gongliao Mipaliw Community Cooperative in New Taipei City, shared a story of sustainable satoyama practices and creative agriculture techniques used in the Gongliao terraced rice paddies. She highlighted the features of unique landscape and rich biodiversity of the area, noting that the community still maintains a close relationship with nature and chooses to continue cultivating with water buffalo.
Cheng-Ta Lai, a young professional who runs the Zouda Studio in Tainan’s Zuojhen District, shared his experience of returning home to help revitalize his community. Through collaborative art painting and bamboo weaving, he has worked with local elders to build a place defined by a strong sense of community, active local participation, and artistic exchange.
Deepening Cross-Cultural Collaboration
During their five-day exchange in Shenshan Village, the Japanese delegation participated in traditional farming and household garden work. They also learned from their Taiwanese partners, for example, how to build raptor perches and create solitary bee nests. The Japanese youth, in turn, used their carpentry skills to lead community members in designing and creating distinctive village signs.
The exchange included intergenerational activities with elders and children from a tribal health station, as well as village tours and interviews, all of which provided the participants with a deep understanding of the unique cultural characteristics and way of life in the Indigenous satoyama communities.
The Japanese delegation also shared new developments in satoyama management, including a presentation on “Agricultural-Welfare Collaboration” by Sasaki Yumiko of the NPO Sasakiyumiko. Additionally, Nishizawa Saiki of Biwa-ko Forest Kindergarten shared her extensive experience with Japan’s flourishing forest kindergartens, showcasing how professional knowledge can be integrated into cultural practices and actions.
Kawai Tsuguo of Atelier Kaze Landscape Design remarked on his return to Shenshan Village, expressing his amazement at discovering that the rigid stones he once perceived as inflexible were actually full of life, with countless small organisms thriving in the cracks. He called it “the best landscape design.”
A young villager, Tzu-Yi Hsu, noted that the exchange was not just about sharing traditional knowledge with their Japanese counterparts. It was also an opportunity for young people from both cultures to see their own heritage and values from a new perspective.
This event, which brought young experts into the heart of a village to participate in ecological conservation, cultural experiences, and community service, highlighted the mutual support and connection between people and the land. It reinforced the idea that the satoyama is not merely an environment but a way of life and a set of values. The experience will serve as a source of inspiration for these young people as they pursue community engagement and sustainable action, creating a new chapter of intergenerational continuity and cross-cultural friendship.
