Chiu Ming Yuan has enjoyed nature since young. His graduate school thesis dealt with ecology corridors. During his research, he found out that related studies were quite abundant in other countries; the engineers are quite comfortable taking nature into consideration and achieving a balance between their projects and nature protection. In Taiwan however, studies are scarce.

And just when he was fretting about the limited information he had collected, he happened to see a sign in Yangmingshan National Park that fired his curiosity. The ¡§Beware of Scops Owl¡¨ sign is a reminder to drivers to slow down during this stretch of road to avoid owl road kills. The person behind the sign was Dr. Huang Guang Ying, who had been collecting dead animals along the road since 1995 to determine the most ¡§hazardous¡¨ stretch of road, and to build an appropriate eco-corridor for the animals. Chiu and Huang became great friends because of their common interest, and they worked together to put their theories into practice. Using ultra-red equipment and cameras, they have currently 3800 records of animal usage. 15 species are recorded.

Chiu used to work for the National Highways Bureau. The brand new National Highway No. 6 will feature Taiwan¡¦s very first highway exit constructed with ecological concerns in mind. The exit was built over water bamboo fields, which are also wetlands habitats. The usual thing to do would be to fill up the fields, ¡§beautify¡¨ the area with ornamental plants, and completely obliterating the wetlands. Chiu managed to retain the original fields. ¡§Keeping the place as it is helped to save cost in terms of maintenance. ¡¨ Chiu said.
Chiu thinks that Taiwan can change its current mode of engineering and construction. Unfortunately, the pro-development and pro-conservation groups are always at loggerheads and lack communication. Environmental impact assessments conducted by the governmental agencies are usually just a formality, and Chiu is most often daunted by the lack of implementation.

But there is a bright side as well. Chiu once brought several engineers on a field trip to assess a route. They went straight into the forests during the trip. The normally stern engineers became relaxed and cheerful as they basked in the memories of their childhood days spent in nature. These engineers were more than willing to help preserve nature after the trip. Some of them became involved in conservation groups. Chiu said, ¡§ I think venturing into nature itself, dipping your feet in the cool stream, does a much better job of conversion than watching slides in a room. ¡¨

Conservation needs your help! Chiu encourages everyone to be part of the action that helps to protect our nature.