Taiwan enacted the “Environmental Education Act” in 2011 and became the sixth country in the world to enact adedicated law for environmental education. Shoushan National Nature Parkestablished the “National Nature Park Satoyama Academy” under the goal todevelop into an urban venue for environmental education by combining its richnatural and cultural resources with environmental education.

 

Theideal of Shoushan National Nature Park Satoyama Academy coheres with the “Satoyama Initiative,” and hence the name Satoyama Academy. The Satoyama Initiative advocates activities based on the fundamental principle of biodiversity inhopes of achieving harmony and coexistence of nature and society, emphasizingthe relationship between people and nature, and maintaining biodiversity via the sustainable management of natural resources.

The purpose of Satoyama Academy is to create a high quality urban venue for environmental education. Theacademy utilizes its partnerships to provide the public with an opportunity toexperience the rich culture and ecology of Shoushan National Nature Park, establishing an example for learning about the environment to achieveenvironmental sustainability. In the future, the academy will combine demandson conservation, teaching and landscape, and build suitable environmentaleducation facilities to provide diverse forms of learning, which will affectthe public’s attitude towards the environment and values, and further transformthese attitude and values into actual actions.

After school opens,Satoyama Academy cooperated with Dah Yung Senior High School and Wun-FuElementary School in organizing an outdoor teaching activity at HuaguoMountain, which students were very excited to take part in. The academy alsoheld the Swinhoe Camp in July, which introduced students to the British diplomat Robert Swinhoe, who documented the beauty of Taiwan’s ecology, andallowed students to gain an in-depth understanding of Shoushan’s history andculture. Besides volunteers of Shoushan National Nature Park, staff of thisevent also included college students that were contacted to become volunteers after they participated in the Shoushan Youth Camp this year. Environmental education of Shoushan National Nature Park has gradually expanded and resultscan already be seen.