Taiwan Government Teams Up With Volunteers To Protect Rare Dragonfly Species

Taiwan is working to protect a rare dragonfly species that is found only in Nantou. Sympetrum nantouensis was only discovered by researchers in 2013.

Transcript

00:00Known for its distinctive small and bright abdomen,

00:04this is the Xianhongqingting, the slim red dragonfly.

00:08It's a species endemic to Taiwan

00:11and only found in the country's mountainous county of Nantou.

00:15We only find it in Yuchi, Puli and Guoxing.

00:19I think it's a treasure.

00:20Already considered a rare species,

00:23the insect is facing habitat loss

00:26as it relies on land slowly being developed.

00:29Out of the 40 sites we surveyed,

00:33quite a few have lost their habitat

00:36and have been flattened to build houses.

00:39To protect the dragonfly,

00:41the government is teaming up with volunteers

00:44to conduct ecological surveys and promote its conservation.

00:48We will conduct training for volunteers

00:51and civil scientists

00:54to monitor and protect the dragonfly.

00:58Nantou is home to more than half of Taiwan's 160 species of dragonflies.

01:03With the government working with the local community,

01:06there is growing hope that this rare species

01:09may one day thrive in the area,

01:11making Nantou a safe haven for these special creatures.

01:15Patrick Chen and Sani Qi for Taiwan Plus.