The National Science Council, in collaboration with Sun Yat-sen University, has established the only long-term social ecology core observation station in the country focused on the “Southwest Coast.” In the future, the station will conduct comprehensive on-site monitoring, data inventory, and analysis of the ecological system and fishing village development in the Qigu area. It will also assess the impact of human activities and climate change on the region to provide policy recommendations for sustainable development by the government.
The Principal Investigator of the Southwest Coast Long-Term Social Ecology Core Observation Station (LTSER), and a distinguished professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at Sun Yat-sen University, Chen Mengxian, pointed out that the Southwest Coast is a crucial area for aquaculture fisheries in Taiwan. Due to rapid changes in the times, the main livelihood of fishermen in the Qigu area for nearly half a century, aquaculture fisheries are facing significant changes and impacts. The living environment of fishermen is driven and influenced by three major forces: policies, capitalist industries, and climate change. The key core issues in the area must be addressed by linking social and natural scientific methods, conducting interdisciplinary long-term monitoring of the local socio-economic structure, as well as the health of fisheries resources and ecosystem services.
Chen Mengxian mentioned that the environmental ecology project this time includes investigations on the water quality, sediment, and fishing bio-products of the Qigu Lagoon, as well as remote sensing data on coastal changes. Interviews and questionnaires will also be conducted to understand the health of the ecological system in the Qigu area and the development of fishing village communities. The assessment will evaluate the impact of human activities on the ecosystem, as well as the effects of climate change on ecology and society. Effective solutions will be proposed for consideration by public authorities to promote the sustainable development of fishing village communities and the co-prosperity of fisheries resources and ecosystems.
The team will also establish a monitoring data sharing database and website, connecting with LTSER stations both domestically and internationally. This initiative aims to engage citizen groups, attract national entities, and academic research resources, to generate a collective consensus and identify policy directions for sustainable development.
The National Science Council has entered the fourth year of promoting Long-Term Social Ecology System Observation Stations. In the past, a total of six core observation stations have been established, including the Feicui Station, Changhua Station, Green Island Station, Hualien Station, Indigenous Peoples Station, and Southwest Coast Station.