Restoration of Endangered Common Birdwing Butterfly in Orchid Island: NTNU Promotes International and Cross-Disciplinary Cooperation
Professor Hsu Yu-feng's team from National Taiwan Normal University is advancing an international and cross-disciplinary restoration project to save the endangered Common Birdwing butterfly in Orchid Island. They are planting food plants in butterfly habitats and invited Japanese scholars to investigate Orchid Island in April this year. This initiative embodies the SDGs and the university's social responsibility.
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- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 11:57
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chih-chung, Taipei, 1st) Professor Hsu Yu-feng's team from National Taiwan Normal University's Department of Life Sciences is promoting an international and cross-disciplinary restoration project to save the endangered 'Common Birdwing butterfly' (Troides magellanus) in Orchid Island. They are planting food plants in butterfly habitats and even invited Japanese scholars to investigate Orchid Island together in April this year.
National Taiwan Normal University issued a press release today stating that the larvae of the Common Birdwing butterfly rely solely on a single food plant, 'Aristolochia tagala,' which grows only in the coastal shrubland, thickets, and forest edges of Orchid Island. Due to the narrow distribution of the food plant and habitat destruction, the butterfly population has sharply declined, classifying it as an endangered species.
To protect the Common Birdwing butterfly, Hsu Yu-feng led his research team to collaborate with Zhuang Wu-chang, General Manager of Sun Ten Pharmaceutical, launching an ecological restoration project. Sun Ten's subsidiary, Lemaou Agriculture, provided Aristolochia tagala seedlings, and Syamankamatahen, a Tao (Yami) indigenous person from Orchid Island, was hired to plant food plants in the butterfly habitats, gradually restoring the butterfly population.
Wu Chung-hsin, Director of NTNU's Center for Sustainable Development, pointed out that the restoration project not only protects a single species but also promotes the sustainability of the overall ecosystem, combines indigenous cultural characteristics, and enhances the ecological tourism value of Orchid Island. The team also collaborated with the Taiwan Lanhai Cultural and Educational Development Association, Orchid Island Tribal Culture Foundation, and Orchid Island Langdao Elementary School to promote ecological education courses, helping schoolchildren understand the importance of butterfly conservation.
In April this year, NTNU invited Professor Masaru Yago from the Insect Natural History Laboratory of the University Museum, University of Tokyo, Japan, to Orchid Island to jointly participate in the Common Birdwing butterfly restoration work. They hope that through international cooperation and local actions, they can respond to the spirit of SDG 15 'Life on Land' and SDG 17 'Partnerships for the Goals,' and demonstrate the university's social responsibility. (Editor: Lung Po-an) 1150501
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(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chih-chung, Taipei, 1st) Professor Hsu Yu-feng's team from National Taiwan Normal University's Department of Life Sciences is promoting an international and cross-disciplinary restoration project to save the endangered 'Common Birdwing butterfly' (Troides magellanus) in Orchid Island. They are planting food plants in butterfly habitats and even invited Japanese scholars to investigate Orchid Island together in April this year.
National Taiwan Normal University issued a press release today stating that the larvae of the Common Birdwing butterfly rely solely on a single food plant, 'Aristolochia tagala,' which grows only in the coastal shrubland, thickets, and forest edges of Orchid Island. Due to the narrow distribution of the food plant and habitat destruction, the butterfly population has sharply declined, classifying it as an endangered species.
To protect the Common Birdwing butterfly, Hsu Yu-feng led his research team to collaborate with Zhuang Wu-chang, General Manager of Sun Ten Pharmaceutical, launching an ecological restoration project. Sun Ten's subsidiary, Lemaou Agriculture, provided Aristolochia tagala seedlings, and Syamankamatahen, a Tao (Yami) indigenous person from Orchid Island, was hired to plant food plants in the butterfly habitats, gradually restoring the butterfly population.
Wu Chung-hsin, Director of NTNU's Center for Sustainable Development, pointed out that the restoration project not only protects a single species but also promotes the sustainability of the overall ecosystem, combines indigenous cultural characteristics, and enhances the ecological tourism value of Orchid Island. The team also collaborated with the Taiwan Lanhai Cultural and Educational Development Association, Orchid Island Tribal Culture Foundation, and Orchid Island Langdao Elementary School to promote ecological education courses, helping schoolchildren understand the importance of butterfly conservation.
In April this year, NTNU invited Professor Masaru Yago from the Insect Natural History Laboratory of the University Museum, University of Tokyo, Japan, to Orchid Island to jointly participate in the Common Birdwing butterfly restoration work. They hope that through international cooperation and local actions, they can respond to the spirit of SDG 15 'Life on Land' and SDG 17 'Partnerships for the Goals,' and demonstrate the university's social responsibility. (Editor: Lung Po-an) 1150501
Stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.