With cute owls and hawks playing the starring roles, the “Guarding Every Owl” environmental and ecological restoration project was jointly launched by Farglory Life Insurance and the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST). To carry out the work, several ecological restoration bases have been established in Gaoshu Township (Pingtung). NPUST’s long-term local wildlife research will be combined with Farglory Life’s practical experience in caring for rural areas. The two parties have formed an interdisciplinary industry-academic alliance and are working to create sustainable ecological chains—with owls at the top. Sustainable ecology, non-toxic production, and healthy living are being linked to drive community industry and rural economic development. Also, in the future, the Farglory Life Volunteer Group will work with teachers and students at the NPUST Institute of Wildlife Conservation to hold multilateral practical exchanges on friendly farming and support disadvantaged rural areas.
NPUST’s Bird Ecology Lab has lots of experience in observing birds in Gaoshu Township. The perches standing in the fields are designed to attract birds of prey and owls to roost. In fields where pineapples, passion fruit, and dragon fruit are grown, friendly farming methods are being promoted, and farmers are doing away with rat poison. In the past, the Bird Ecology Lab conducted field experiments to see if they could use perches to attract raptors to the fields and use them to promote models of non-toxic farming. The Kaohsiung District Agricultural Improvement Station and the NPUST Smart Agriculture Team also individually provided friendly farming and agricultural counselling in the area. And now, Farglory Life and NPUST are joining forces in hopes of injecting new vitality into rural agriculture and ecological conservation.
Huishan Lin, a PhD student at the Bird Ecology Lab said that the project was able to launch because in 2020 the Lab won the “Model Award” in the Ecological Co-Benefit category of the University Social Responsibility Awards organized by Global Views Magazine. Farglory Life then invited the school to cooperate with them. Generally speaking, rural areas, agriculture, and ecological conservation are terms that feel very remote to many people. But this project is being launched through the cooperation of academics and industry. And actually, it also is an indication that more and more people are attaching importance to wildlife conservation.
Dr. Shiao-Yu Hong, of the same lab, said that they have been monitoring hawk perches at the Shan-Dao Academy of Classical Learning in Gaoshu Township for more than a year. The perches there are very special, because, being nearby to mountainous areas, they have attracted a variety of raptors. In addition to the black-winged kite, which is a regular patron, small collared scoop owls, and crested goshawks also turn up quite often. The owls are especially cute, which Dr. Shiao-Yu Hong, of the same lab, said that they have been monitoring hawk perches at the Shan-Dao Academy of Classical Learning in Gaoshu Township for more than a year. The perches there are very special, because, being nearby to mountainous areas, they have attracted a variety of raptors. In addition to the black-winged kite, which is a regular patron, small collared scoop owls, and crested goshawks also turn up quite often. The owls are especially cute, which why they became the mascots of friendly agriculture. This project is not just about ecological research, though. In the future, by joining forces with industry, rural environmental education will be used to further the promotion of friendly agricultural products in Gaoshu Township, and increase awareness.
Farglory Life stated that according to the World Economic Forum Global Risk Report, environmental crises have become very worrying issues for younger generations around the world. In response to this, and out of a respect for life and the local environment, Farglory is cooperating with NPUST’s Inter-Field Development Center to connect rural community schools, farm production, marketing chains, non-profit organizations, and teacher alliances to promote the “Guarding Every Owl” environmental and ecological restoration project. In this way they will work towards animal conservation, rural care, friendly farming, and habitat restoration—and combat the environmental damage and ecological crises which have been caused by previous poor practices.
