Environmental protection is gaining ground nowadays, and everyone is looking for new products that will be harmless to both humans and our natural environment. Native plants are not that inaccessible, in fact they provide a lot of interesting facts. If you like animals, then the native plants are something you cannot help knowing. Not only do they make our environment more attractive, they also attract many animals including birds, insects and reptiles!

Green Thumb Project, a program of Jane Goodall Institute Taiwan, aims to encourage schools and communities to plant more native species instead of alien species. We will interview the project¡¦s advisor Mr. Lu Wen Bin this issue and find out how he tries to create natural world with native species.

Most graduates from the Forestry graduate program of National Taiwan University either pursue further studies or seek positions in government agencies. But Lu knew that he will not be interested in a desk job, and so he began his career as a landscape engineer using native species in his designs. He also taught at a community college, and later became an advisor of the Green Thumb Project. His hope is that every kid in Taiwan will get to know our native plants.

According to Lu, not all alien species are appropriate for Taiwan. In the past, Taiwan¡¦s parks and gardens were planted with introduced species. Many of them are beautiful and rare species that do not particularly adapt to Taiwan¡¦s environment and require much care. Even if these species do prosper, they might be invasive in nature and spill over to the wild environment, causing costly damages to the farms and fields and to our natural environment as well.

Native plants, on the other hand, are much more endearing. After a long period of evolution, native plants are well suited to the local environment, and they can better protect themselves from diseases. Native plants are also useful to the insects, birds and other animals. Plant a nectar plant, and you get butterflies. A corridor of native plant community will serve the squirrels well. ¡§A corridor that is rich in its biodiversity is most suitable for animals, and certainly suitable for human beings as well.¡¨ Lu said.

Accroding to Lu, school campuses are ideal sites for the Green Thumb Project. Trees form natural barriers from sound pollution; the students get to know the animals, and they also learn to live in harmony with the natural world. His job is to create distinctive habitats with native plant species for different schools. The Ai-de Kindergarten in Taipei City is a good example. Affiliated with the National Defense Medical School, the school was faced with demolishment at one time. The kindergarten sought the advice of Lu, who helped transformed it into a nature garden that attracts many students with its eco-curriculum.

Lu also noticed that some schools tend to put up cement barriers around trees to prevent students from damaging the trees. He designed shrub barriers for these schools so that students can still be close to the trees. Kids that grow up with trees will not be led astray!

Besides promoting native plant species, Lu also emphasized the importance of wilderness. A neglected lot may looked uninhabited, but it is really home to many species of insects and animals. ¡§These creatures live there, and for 24 hours everyday.¡¨ Lu contended. ¡§Clearing out the wilderness, and putting up lifeless gardens which people hardly ever use simply doesn¡¦t make sense. We should return the land we do not use to nature.¡¨

Lu suggests that everyone can start by observing the little flowers around us. By connecting ourselves with the plants and the land, we can cultivate our love for nature. Would you like to be part of the Green Thumb Project? Take a look at the program www.goodall.org.tw!