01
Ecosystem Support
Maintain wetlands, ecological ponds, ecological waterways, native plants, and tree health to support campus biodiversity.
Civic Engagement on Sustainable Environmental Education
Environmental Performance｜Environmental Education and Civic Engagement
Ecological Campus × Civic Engagement
Bringing Environmental Education into Everyday Life
National University of Kaohsiung uses its wetlands, ecological ponds, East Lake, ecological waterways, trees, and bird habitats as learning sites. Through eco volunteers, Black-naped Oriole conservation, environmental education programs, K12 partnerships, and Sustainability Week activities, NUK enables students, faculty, staff, communities, and partners to jointly participate in the stewardship of campus natural capital.
3,328+
In 2025, campus eco volunteers contributed more than 3,328 service hours to ecological monitoring, guided interpretation, butterfly habitat creation, bird surveys, and environmental education outreach.
2025 Environmental Education Highlights
Annual Environmental Education and Civic Engagement Highlights
NUK uses the campus as an open ecological learning site, integrating volunteers, civic engagement, community partnerships, and environmental education to turn biodiversity conservation into participatory, educational, and sustained action.
51.6% Forest and vegetation coverage on campus, forming the foundation for ecological education and habitat conservation. SDG 15
3,328 hrs Eco volunteer service hours in 2025, supporting monitoring, guided tours, and habitat maintenance. Civic Engagement
36 families
68 species Cumulative campus bird records, with continued Black-naped Oriole conservation in collaboration with the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society. Biodiversity
68 species Cumulative campus bird records, with continued Black-naped Oriole conservation in collaboration with the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society. Biodiversity
146 species Tree species on campus, with approximately 9,000 trees forming NUK’s green campus foundation. Natural Capital
60+ Annual ecological surveys and monitoring activities covering birds, butterflies, dragonflies, plants, and aquatic environments. Monitoring Records
185 visits Participation in K12 environmental education programs, expanding the external impact of campus ecological education. K12 Education
313 participants Participation in Sustainability Week activities, promoting shared understanding of sustainability issues among students, faculty, staff, and communities. Sustainability Week
156.65 tCO₂e Carbon storage measured for 241 campus trees, providing educational materials for campus natural carbon sinks. Carbon Storage
The Campus as a Living Classroom, Ecology as Learning Material
NUK transforms its natural campus environment into a site for environmental education. From wetland stewardship, butterfly habitat creation, Black-naped Oriole conservation, and tree carbon storage measurement to Sustainability Week activities, students, faculty, staff, community residents, volunteer groups, NGOs, and government agencies participate together. This creates an ecological demonstration campus that integrates natural carbon sinks, biodiversity conservation, and social inclusion.
Wetlands and Ecological Habitats NUK maintains wetlands, ecological ponds, East Lake, ecological waterways, and waterfront spaces as habitats for flora and fauna and as environmental education sites.
Black-naped Oriole and Bird Conservation NUK collaborates with the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society on Black-naped Oriole conservation and bird monitoring, promoting campus bird ecology education.
Eco Volunteers Volunteers are trained to conduct surveys, provide interpretation, support butterfly restoration, and maintain habitats, expanding the capacity for civic engagement.
K12 and Community Co-learning Through K12 programs, guided tours, workshops, and Sustainability Week activities, NUK extends campus sustainability experience to local communities.
Management Framework
Five Dimensions of Environmental Education and Civic Engagement
NUK integrates environmental education and civic engagement into five dimensions: ecosystem support, volunteer development, citizen science monitoring, community education, and sustainability culture transmission.
02
Citizen Science Monitoring
Establish traceable ecological data through monitoring of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, plants, and aquatic environments.
03
Volunteer Development and Participation
The Eco Volunteer Team serves as an important human resource base for environmental education and habitat maintenance.
04
K12 and Community Education
NUK opens the campus as a local environmental education site and promotes K12 programs, guided tours, and community co-learning.
05
Sustainability Week and Life Education
Through Sustainability Week, exhibitions, workshops, and the “Remembering the Coral Tree, Moving Forward with the Bischofia” initiative, NUK passes on campus memory and environmental ethics.
Ecological Monitoring
Campus Ecological Monitoring and Citizen Science
The Eco Volunteer Team regularly conducts campus ecological monitoring, linking observation, documentation, maintenance, and interpretation into hands-on environmental education.
BUT
Butterfly Surveys
Butterfly surveys are conducted twice a month in the wetland and ecological waterway areas.
DRG
Dragonfly Surveys
Dragonfly surveys are conducted once a month to observe changes in aquatic and wetland ecosystems.
PLT
Plant Surveys
Plant surveys are conducted once a month to track native plants and habitat conditions.
BRD
Bird Surveys
Campus-wide bird surveys are conducted once a month to build campus bird records.
H2O
Water Monitoring
Surface water, groundwater, and purified water channels are monitored for water quality once each quarter.
Biodiversity Actions
Biodiversity and Habitat Conservation Actions
Campus ecological conservation covers wetland maintenance, butterfly habitat creation, Black-naped Oriole conservation, invasive species management, tree health, and natural carbon sink assessment.
NUK Wetlands and Ecological Waterways
NUK continues to manage its wetlands, ecological ponds, and ecological waterways using ecological methods, maintaining habitat quality and using them as environmental education sites.
- Maintain ecological ponds and ecological waterway spaces
- Integrate waterfront spaces and public art
- Enhance campus ecosystem service functions
Conservation Partnership with the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society
A total of 36 families and 68 bird species have been recorded on campus. NUK works with the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society to conduct Black-naped Oriole conservation monitoring and promote habitat conservation and education for protected bird species.
- Monthly bird surveys
- Black-naped Oriole conservation partnership
- Bird ecology education and guided tours
Host and Nectar Plant Habitat Creation
NUK continues to create butterfly habitats in the campus wetlands by planting butterfly host plants and nectar plants, with volunteers supporting daily maintenance.
- Plant host and nectar plants
- Conduct monthly butterfly surveys
- Integrate surveys with environmental education tours
Campus Tree Inspections and Risk Assessment
NUK conducts inspections, pruning, removal, support, and replanting for typhoon-damaged trees, diseased trees, and high-risk trees to maintain public safety on campus.
- Inspect typhoon-related tree damage
- Control Ganoderma root rot disease
- Replant native tree seedlings
Removal of Mile-a-minute Weed and Aquatic Invasive Species
NUK removes and manages invasive species such as mile-a-minute weed, water lettuce, and pennywort to reduce pressure on native campus ecosystems.
- Annual invasive species removal
- Wetland and aquatic habitat inspections
- Reduced risk of habitat degradation
Tree Carbon Storage Measurement
Campus tree inventories are used as educational materials for natural carbon sinks. NUK completed measurements for 241 trees, with carbon storage reaching 156.65 metric tons of CO₂e.
- Tree inventory and measurement
- Transform results into environmental education materials
- Connect climate action with biodiversity
Volunteer and Community Partnership
Eco Volunteers and Community Partnerships
Through volunteer training, environmental education, community partnerships, and K12 programs, NUK transforms campus natural resources into a shared sustainability learning platform for the local community.
Eco Volunteer Development
The Eco Volunteer Team is a key foundation for NUK’s environmental education and civic engagement. Volunteers support ecological monitoring, habitat maintenance, guided interpretation, butterfly restoration, and environmental education outreach.
- More than 3,328 volunteer service hours in 2025
- Target of developing 100 volunteers
- Participation in ecological monitoring and campus tours
- Support for wetland, butterfly, and bird conservation
K12 and Community Environmental Education
NUK integrates campus wetlands, ecological surveys, and volunteer-led tours to provide environmental education programs for K12 schools, making the ecological campus a local sustainability education resource.
- Six K12 programs held in 2025
- 185 participants
- Promotion of campus-community co-learning
- Expanded implementation of SDG 4 and SDG 15
Sustainability Week and Campus Memory
Sustainability Week and “Remembering the Coral Tree, Moving Forward with the Bischofia” Life Education
Sustainability Week connects campus ecology, public art, carbon neutrality, and life education through exhibitions, workshops, lectures, declarations, and civic engagement activities.
2021
Black-naped Oriole Conservation Outreach
NUK collaborated with the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society to hold Black-naped Oriole conservation workshops, bird ecology exhibitions, and environmental education volunteer training.
2022
2050 Net-zero Declaration
During Sustainability Week, the University President led administrative leaders in declaring NUK’s 2050 net-zero commitment, covering green university development, low-carbon transportation, and civic participation.
2023
Beautiful Green Living
Public art, tree carbon storage, artist-in-residence works, and environmental education workshops were used to connect sustainability with campus memory.
2025
Conservation and Sustainability Declaration
NUK promoted Sustainability Week activities, a sustainability declaration, and the Black-naped Oriole Conservation Alliance to expand campus sustainability participation.
Remembering the Coral Tree, Moving Forward with the Bischofia
“Remembering the Coral Tree, Moving Forward with the Bischofia” uses the old coral tree and new Bischofia seedlings on campus as symbols, connecting life cycles, ecological inheritance, and environmental education. The old coral tree bears witness to the University’s early development and shared memories, while the new Bischofia seedlings symbolize resilience, continuity, and collective stewardship. This initiative transforms campus sustainability from an abstract idea into tangible and participatory life education.
Historical Memory Stories of the old coral tree connect NUK’s founding history, sense of place, and shared memories among students, faculty, and staff.
Life-cycle Education The process from disease, care, decline, and renewal to new seedling growth is transformed into learning materials for life education and environmental ethics.
Ecological Inheritance The new Bischofia seedlings symbolize ecological continuity and call for students, faculty, and staff to jointly protect campus natural capital.
Advancing Sustainability Campus memory, environmental education, civic engagement, and SDGs practices are connected into long-term action.
Management Actions
Management Measures and Annual Outcomes
NUK promotes environmental education through habitat maintenance, monitoring records, volunteer development, community education, and civic engagement.
| Management Topic | Management Measures | 2025 Outcomes | Relevant SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecological Habitat Maintenance |
|
|
SDG 11 SDG 15
|
| Biodiversity Monitoring |
|
|
SDG 6 SDG 15
|
| Black-naped Oriole Conservation and Partnerships |
|
|
SDG 15 SDG 17
|
| Volunteers and Civic Engagement |
|
|
SDG 4 SDG 11 SDG 17
|
| K12 and Sustainability Week Education |
|
|
SDG 4 SDG 11 SDG 15
|
Deepening Education through Ecological Stewardship and Sustaining Campus Sustainability through Civic Engagement
NUK will continue to build on its natural campus environment by integrating ecological monitoring, volunteer development, community partnerships, and life education. Environmental education is not only about knowledge transmission; it is a shared sustainability action through which students, faculty, staff, and local communities participate, protect, and move forward together.