Ecotourism Comes to Maolin

"The dwarf crow has spots on one side, the blue-branded king crow has spots on both sides, the double-branded crow has three spots, and the striped blue crow has randomly scattered spots," recites the instructor to the accompaniment of a film presentation at the visitor center of the Maolin National Scenic Area. Some 20 students are learning how to identify the four types of crow butterflies and the eight types of tiger butterflies which can be found in the purple butterfly valleys. They are also learning about what the butterflies eat and the places they frequent. The teachers, who come in from such places as Taipei and Tainan, make a real effort to teach the class. The students, diligent despite having no previous knowledge of the subject, soon learn the basics of identifying butterflies.

This is the first batch of volunteer nature guides to come and follow the butterflies as they flutter along the Maolin gorge. Future plans include bringing in volunteers from such organizations as the Butterfly Conservation Society of Taiwan and the Conservation Society of National Taiwan University, as well as schoolteachers, to carry out investigations or simply act as nature guides for the purple butterfly valleys.

"It's the same every year," says Shih Kuei-cheng (known locally as "Daddy Butterfly"), the director of the tourism department of the Maolin Township Office. "If not for all the volunteers--some of whom stay for 20 or 30 days at a time--I really don't know what we'd do."

"Our local youth know the importance of the purple butterflies, but due to the pressures of earning a living there's only so much they can do," says Chen Cheng, a member of the Rukai tribe who runs a bed and breakfast in Maolin Township's Te-en Valley. Having promoted the concept of ecotourism for several years now, he's found that the main problem is the lack of local nature guides, as it's not easy to get the local youth to volunteer.

Chen Cheng is the main promoter of ecotourism in Maolin Township. He has a one-hectare farm in the Chokou River Valley, which runs the entire length of Maolin Township. In this quiet and beautiful setting he has a large campground and grows a variety of indigenous trees and plants, including burny vine (Trophis scandens), Taiwan fig (Ficus formosana), and Japanese prickly-ash (Zanthoxylum ailanthoides). Early each morning, Taiwan blue magpies come to eat papaya. The butterflies flutter about to the chirps of birds and the cries of insects in the woods. When all is quiet late at night you can even catch a glimpse of a pangolin (scaly anteater) and hear a yellow croaker owl hooting off in the distance.

"It was Chan Chia-lung who got me interested in environmental work," says Chen, who is a member of the Rukai nobility and is educational director at the Maolin grade school. For some years he has been diligently collecting records of Rukai culture and compiling local educational materials. Chen was an early researcher of the butterflies of Maolin. After enlisting the assistance of local youths he established an association for the convenience of contacting governmental organizations. One of those youths was Chen Cheng, who thus happened to find a new direction in life.

Of the three main villages of Maolin, traditional Rukai culture is most intact in Tona, which has been in the same location for 400 years. Tona still has a few traditional stone houses, a major attraction of a visit to Maolin.

A night market for the animals

"It was only after contacting Chan Chia-lung and volunteers who came in from different places that I realized many of the plants I regularly saw in my youth were already extinct," says Chen Cheng. "I saw the county office dig up bishopwood trees and chop down Hayata fig trees to prepare the ground for a construction project. They even filled in a whole ravine to build a parking lot. We seem to have become accustomed to it, since we don't understand how precious our environment really is." While he laments the past wanton destruction, he also recognizes the need to integrate Aboriginal culture and environmental resources to bring meaningful development and new life to the tribal villages.

"I've begun to make some changes at my farm," says Chen. Previously he mainly grew commercial fruits such as litchis and mangos, but is now replacing these with various indigenous plants. He aims to create an environment which will attract animals and insects--a veritable year-round "night market for animals."

"If this kind of venture succeeds, it may have an influence on the whole tribe," muses Chen. The bed and breakfast business is currently doing well, due to a steady flow of ecotourism and educational groups. Maolin has a wealth of natural resources. In addition to the charming crow butterflies that pass the winter, other butterflies to be seen in Maolin include members of the families Papilionidae (swallowtails), Pieridae (whites), and Lycaenidae (blues and coppers). Also found here are over 20 rare or endangered bird species, as well as several species of rare mammals. Hovering above the Tona forest road can be seen birds of prey such as black kite and Asian crested goshawk. As the Chokou River winds its way through the shale mountains it creates unique landforms that are a scenic attraction all year round.

Chen Cheng's efforts are already bearing fruit. When receiving outside visitors, he invites fellow Rukai to prepare food and perform traditional songs and dances, and he shares his proceeds with them. But the fact is the average tourist still comes mostly just to catch a quick glimpse of the scenery and tribal people. Ecotourism and sustainable development are yet to be properly promoted and practiced, and the Aborigines still lack environmental awareness.

In the course of his conservation efforts "Daddy Butterfly" has found that the main difficulty lies in the issue of land use. Since the land is privately owned, the township can't prevent anyone from spraying herbicides or converting forest land into fields; they can only try to persuade. The younger and better educated residents are more able to accept such ideas, but the majority are still mainly concerned with the practicalities of making a living, and will only change their way of thinking if the government offers financial incentives.

Hunting for garbage

Maolin sculptor Ubakker is not opposed to the government's conservation policy in Maolin, but believes residents' welfare should not be sacrificed to conservation. Instead, he maintains, there should be a comprehensive approach, including assistance for local residents to adopt new forms of livelihood. For example, since the Wildlife Conservation Act took effect in 1989, banning most hunting, middle-aged and older residents find it difficult to find work in the plains due to lack of physical strength, not to mention linguistic and cultural barriers. So they have little choice but to take odd jobs, or go to the administrative offices of the scenic area to clean toilets or run errands for the officials. "But these men were originally the tribe's heroic hunters!" exclaims Ubakker.

A tribe member proposed organizing a "hunters' program" as a way of attracting tourists, but no consensus has been reached regarding the specifics. Some residents believe tribe members should have the right to hunt and to breed wild animals in order to capitalize on the tourist trade. Others are in favor of making hiking trails and giving precedence to environmental interpretation; still others would like to establish an organization for promoting hunting culture. Lots of proposals have been made, but it seems they all look to the government to play the leading role.

The conflict between conservation and making a living is a collective issue facing the vast majority of indigenous people. Undoubtedly ecotourism offers a sound strategy. The success of such places as Smangus in Hsinchu and Tapang near Mt. Ali show that residents' participation is the key factor. In the final analysis, ecotourism requires a complete industry chain, including nature interpretation, accommodation, community management policies, and resource protection--all of which can only succeed with the active support and participation of the local residents. Moreover, governmental programs and assistance, as well as research by scholars, all come to a close sooner or later. Thus, whether local residents can shoulder the responsibility once outside funds dry up is crucial to the sustainability of ecotourism and tribal industry.

The Chokou River runs through the Aboriginal villages of Maolin, Wanshan and Tona, lending vitality to Maolin Township's abundant natural resources.

The Te-en Valley bed and breakfast in Maolin promotes local ecotourism and is run by the enthusiastic and good-humored Chen Cheng (center). After a few drinks in the evening he enjoys playing guitar and serenading his guests with love songs.

The Tona suspension bridge--the highest in Taiwan--is set amongst Maolin's verdant and steep mountains. Its towering height offers a bird's-eye view of the unique scenery around Lungtou Hill.

In addition to its stone houses and carbonic hot spring, Tona's sacrificial head platform makes a lasting impression on visitors.