Scholars Urge Professional Certification for Ecotourism as Kinmen Remains Only Habitat for Eurasian Otters in Taiwan

(Central News Agency, Wu Wen-kuei, Kinmen, May 24) Kinmen is the only region in Taiwan with a stable population of Eurasian otters, and local operators have begun offering ecotourism activities. Scholars have suggested that the county government establish a professional training and certification system to provide tourists with accurate knowledge. The Kinmen County Government stated it would cooperate with local conservation associations to move toward such a system.

The "Otter Tourism in Kinmen - International Exchange Symposium on Otter Conservation," co-hosted by Wilds Environmental Consulting, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, the Kinmen County Government, and the Kinmen National Park Headquarters, was held today at the Kinmen National Park Headquarters.

Yuan Shou-li, a researcher at Wilds Environmental Consulting who has long studied otters in Kinmen, noted in an interview that while the Eurasian otter population in Kinmen is declining and overly concentrated in the eastern peninsula, it remains the only stable population in Taiwan. As the image of the otter has become more well-known, the Kinmen County Government has heavily promoted otters as a tourism highlight, and in recent years, tour operators have been observed taking tourists to otter habitats at night.

Yuan mentioned that he does not oppose ecotourism, but some guides lack professional knowledge, such as choosing the wrong time and place, using strong lights to search, or making noise in habitats. "This actually disturbs the otters' lives and prevents tourists from seeing them."

Yuan suggested that the county government lead the implementation of a professional training and certification system for otter ecotourism to convey correct ecological knowledge. He also proposed building an otter conservation education center to present multimedia images and research results. "Since observing wild otters is a matter of luck, even if you can't see the real thing, you must provide static displays so tourists feel their trip was worthwhile."

Yuan pointed out that the public sector should not just treat otters as mascots. Through personnel training and facility construction, tourism can be combined with education to stimulate local conservation awareness. In the future, when there is a conflict between wildlife habitat maintenance and development, the public will not ignore the otters as if their existence is irrelevant.

Yuan mentioned that he hopes the county government will view the unique Eurasian otters of Kinmen as an important tourism and ecological resource and protect them from the source, including habitat restoration, water resource management, and ex-situ conservation, all of which are issues that need to be actively addressed.

Kinmen Deputy Magistrate Chen Hsiang-lin attended the symposium and stated in an interview that the suggestion to introduce a certification system for ecotourism, where introductions are made by professionals familiar with otter ecology to reduce disturbance, "is a direction we can work towards." He will ask the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Tourism to be jointly responsible and work with local conservation associations to move toward a certification system.

Chen also said that while there were plans for an otter facility in the past, they were suspended. Currently, the government intends to use existing facilities for displays and introduce interactive devices like AR to help the public learn more about otters.