Overview

In view of the fact that Taiwan is surrounded by ocean, UMC organizes the UMC Eco Echo Award every year to take the initiative in protecting our environment and to support the sustainable development of environmental protection groups through sponsoring excellent ecological conservation projects proposed every year. UMC gathers outstanding environmentally friendly plans and ideas each year through open competition to stimulate more effective and direct investment in ecological conservation, generate continuous positive energy, and make a long-term commitment to protecting the ecological environment in Taiwan.

The Marine Citizens Foundation, founded based on the mission to protect the ocean, participated in the competition for the 3rd UMC Eco Echo Award and won. This year, the Foundation extends its achievements made in the 3rd UMC Eco Echo Award. By adopting the cutting propagation method, a variety of scleractinia (stony corals) have branched out in the sea-crossing bridge basin, bringing vitality into the waters of Penghu and making the "Coral Field Planting Project" the winner of the "UMC Eco Echo Award" for two consecutive years.

The Selected Team Hopes to Become the Giant Guarding the Ocean
The Marine Citizens Foundation is a group of ordinary people who love Penghu and care about the ocean. The Foundation was established through small donations, hoping to change society through marine policy initiatives, citizen participation, and environmental education and promotion. The Foundation also hopes to become the giant guarding the ocean, creating a sustainable future and a clean ocean for future generations.

Coral Field Planting Project for Children
The Marine Citizens Foundation began from the "Coral Cultivation Farm" nursery in 2017, and has significantly improved the survival rate of coral after 3 years. In 2019, the foundation continued to plant 600 pieces of coral in the basin of the sea-crossing bridge. The originally cultivated full-grown coral were propagated in the nearby waters by the efforts of 10 staff members working together. The staff on a boat cut the full-grown coral into branches and fixed them onto wooden chopsticks, which were then planted into the water by divers. Coral saplings are planted onto the seabed and nicely aligned like a rice field. During the planting of the coral saplings, sufficient space was reserved for the coral saplings to grow. This is the coral field promoted by the Marine Citizens Foundation. It is hoped that this coral field will gradually grow in the future, expanding its territories and restoring the vitality of nearby waters.

Staff cut the full-grown coral into branches, which were then planted into the water.

For the project of the 3rd UMC Eco Echo Award, 600 coral pieces were planted in the sea basin.

Ocean Guardian Training
The foundation is also committed to using canoes to operate, in order to minimize any impact on the environment and get closer to coral fields. The Foundation trained 20 volunteers who have been engaged in long-term water activities, strengthened water safety education, and trained volunteers to acquire marine conservation knowledge and participate in the coral restoration work. They established a canoe team to perform sea observation and investigation, and are cultivating more comprehensive marine citizen scientists. This year, the Foundation also invited a group of enthusiastic local diving instructors in Penghu to conduct ecological diving training courses and to perform examination on Penghu’s coral reefs. In the future, the coral reef examination activity will be carried out regularly every year, to contribute to ecological monitoring.

Promote Local Environmental Education for Environmental Conservation Continuity
The Foundation in Penghu also continued to promote fish education, raise the awareness of the sea garbage issue and conduct coral planting activities in schools. During the implementation of the project, 10 educational sessions were completed, and a total of 239 students participated in the events. Through the development of coral reef conservation lessons and the promotion activities conducted in school, all primary and secondary school students in Penghu can understand the importance of coral reefs to marine and fishery resources, leading them to support coral reef conservation activities, including reducing the use of plastics, not eating coral reef dependant fish, and not destroying coral reef ecology. In addition, the project also collaborated with the Department of Aquaculture, National Penghu University of Science and Technology and the Penghu County Government to build a coral farm for coral restoration, experiencing the actual coral restoration process and improving the effectiveness in coral conservation education.

Raise children’s attention to the ocean with star marine animal

Guide students to perform coral examination

Guide students to carry out observation and recording on intertidal zone biological species

Allow students to understand the impact of waste on marine ecology through implementing marine waste courses

The people of Penghu regarded the ocean as a farm which has supported their livelihood for generations. Through the UMC Eco Echo Award, more people have the chance to get closer to the ocean and pay attention to marine ecology. For some people, coral restoration may be a small thing; however, if we continue to put forth effort, making the ocean beautiful is not just a dream.

For details about the UMC Eco Echo Award, please visit： https://ecoechoaward.com/