On the morning of October 21st, the Taijiang National Park Headquarters of the National Park Service of the Ministry of the Interior, hosted a significant event at the Visitor Center's first screening room. Titled “2023 Taijiang National Park Crab Conservation Achievements Presentation,” celebrated this year's substantial efforts in crab protection. The event brought together over 60 attendees, including volunteers involved in this year's crab conservation efforts, partners from the Land Crab Conservation Alliance who signed the crab protection declaration, officials from related government agencies, and members of the public, to celebrate the collective achievements in crab conservation.

The Dream Lake and surrounding coastal forests in Chengxi, Annan District, Tainan City, are the most significant hotspots for land crabs within Taijiang National Park, housing the largest population of Cardisoma carnifex crabs in Taiwan. To protect these precious crab resources and reduce the risks from human capture and roadkill, this year, the Taijiang National Park Headquarters (TJNP) commissioned the NGO Wetlands Taiwan to implement the “Taijiang National Park Land Crab Citizen Scientist Participation Program.” This program engages local citizens concerned about land crab ecology in various activities such as monitoring surveys, nighttime patrols, and traffic control, thanks to the recruitment and training of conservation volunteers. A total of 43 volunteers participated, mobilizing 311 individual efforts, and together, they recorded a significant count of 8,604 Cardisoma carnifex crabs.

In a proactive effort to protect land crabs, this year Taijiang National Park continued its traffic control measures initiated last year, with parts of the Qingcaolun dike flood control roads within the park were closed off. During this period, a total of 6,654 Cardisoma carnifex crabs were recorded, including 6,175 egg-carrying females, significantly exceeding the 3,945 egg-carrying females recorded during last year’s traffic control period. Under the diligent guardianship of the crab conservation volunteers and the Seventh Division of the Seventh Special Police Corps, the mother crabs were able to safely migrate to the sea to release their offspring, ensuring the ongoing cycle of life.

In addition to sharing the fruitful outcomes of the crab conservation efforts, the event featured a keynote discussion by Associate Professor Yu-Wen Chiu from National Chiayi University on the importance of collaboration between government, academia, and citizens in conservation efforts. The TJNP also took the opportunity to express gratitude to the Seventh Division of the Seventh Special Police Corps, ECOVE Environment Services Corporation, the Chengxi Community Development Association in Annan District, Tainan City, the Sixth River Management Branch of the Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, which has committed to crab-friendly ecological projects in recent years, and the Tainan City Community University Research and Development Association for their crab conservation work around the park area. Acknowledging the dedication of the conservation volunteers who worked tirelessly through the summer nights amidst the heat and pesky seaside mosquitoes, certificates of appreciation were presented at the event to recognize and encourage their efforts. The aim is to continue fostering public-private partnerships and citizen involvement to achieve a sustainable coexistence between humans and land crabs.

Moving forward, the TJNP will continue to promote the philosophy of land crab conservation through school outreach programs and will further strengthen environmental education at crab conservation sites, delivering hands-on lessons about the profound understanding and emotional impact of conservation work. Additionally, deepening community involvement in conservation efforts is another crucial direction. The TJNP plans to implement OECMs (Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures) governance models, progressing towards the international conservation goal of protecting 30% of our planet by 2030.