TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation x Roadkill Observation Network Cross-sector Collaboration to Jointly Protect Biodiversity【Business Weekly 】

2025/02/27

TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation x Roadkill Observation Network Cross-sector Collaboration to Jointly Protect Biodiversity
Powered by TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation

The growth journey of Roadkill Observation Network is precisely a process of continuously breaking through echo chambers. Lin De-En firmly believes that only by making more people understand the importance of roadkill can real change be truly driven. (Image source: Mr. Lin De-En)

        In Taiwan, a citizen science organization focused on animal roadkill is using innovative thinking to connect industry, government, academia, and civil society forces. Established in 2011, " Roadkill Observation Network " started as a Facebook group and has now developed to have 27,000 members, accumulating over 20,000 animal roadkill records annually, not only writing a new chapter for Taiwan's ecological conservation but also opening up new paradigms for cross-sector cooperation.

        Roadkill Observation Network founder Lin De-En stated that Roadkill Observation Network was initially established to study snake ecology. "At that time, it was very difficult to find volunteers to investigate snakes. It took two years to recruit only 25 people, and after training, only 12 volunteers remained to participate in the investigation." In 2011, he decided to collect roadkill snake data through Facebook groups, which unexpectedly received widespread response.

Roadkill data is highly useful - serving as a safeguard for epidemic prevention and ecological protection
        What relevance does animal roadkill have to you and me? This community that originally focused on snake deaths gradually expanded the species covered in roadkill investigations. The accumulated ferret-badger roadkill data played a key role when Taiwan's rabies epidemic broke out in 2013, helping epidemic prevention units grasp the distribution of the outbreak. Their investigation data also revealed the harm of rodenticides to non-target species such as owls, prompting agricultural authorities to discontinue the national rodent control week. These concrete contributions helped more citizens recognize the importance of animal roadkill data, and the community scale continued to grow. The growth journey of Roadkill Observation Network is precisely a process of continuously breaking through echo chambers. In the early days of establishment, because of their focus on animal deaths, the community faced protests and misunderstandings. But Lin De-En firmly believes that only by making more people understand the importance of roadkill can real change be truly driven. This philosophy received recognition through the TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation 's " Green Inside Project" selection award in 2014, injecting new momentum into the organization. Lin De-En pointed out that Ta Ya not only provided rewards, but more importantly, continued to pay attention to Roadkill Observation Network's development and helped facilitate cooperation across different fields.

Cross-sector collaboration in arts, culture and technology - Ta Ya helps roadkill concepts enter daily life
        Under the TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation, in 2017 Roadkill Observation Network collaborated with Tainan performing arts group "Railway Side Creative Collective" to launch a stage play themed on animal roadkill called "Xuan Xuan's Fantasy Journey," reaching broader audiences through artistic expression. Subsequently, Roadkill Observation Network continued to collaborate with arts and cultural workers from various fields, allowing environmental education to break through echo chambers. At the same time, Ta Ya further connected two major citizen groups that similarly utilize crowd power - "Taiwan Rivers Network Association" and "Thousand Miles Trail Association" - in the 2024 "Delonix Regia Forum and Green Inside Project," using "citizen science" as the theme to engage in dialogue with the public, jointly exploring environmental issues and working together to expand social impact.

Roadkill Society established the top 100 animal roadkill hotspots, and through this system, reminds road users to pay attention. (Image source: Roadkill Society)

        Because of Ta Ya's support, Roadkill Society's philosophy also attracted attention from other companies. For example, a major navigation software developer also collaborated with them, incorporating roadkill hotspot information into their system to remind road users to pay attention. Lin De-En said, "With the example of TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation, companies can see the diverse possibilities of participating in environmental conservation." From the initial roadkill animal investigations to today's environmental action combining technology, arts, and corporate resources, Roadkill Society demonstrates the unlimited possibilities of citizen science. This also confirms Ta Ya Group's commitment to becoming "a driving force for an environmentally friendly, TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation," building consensus for Taiwan's environmental protection through continuous support of local actions.

Full article source: Business Weekly https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/business/indep/1005357