The Highland Experimental Farm of National Taiwan University (NTU), located in Ren'ai Township, Nantou County, at an elevation of 2100 meters, plays a pivotal role in implementing the “National Botanical Garden Ark Plan”initiated by the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute in 2019. This collaborative effort involves government agencies, universities, and private seed banks working together to collect plants or seeds from the wild, cultivating them to provide a lifeline for threatened plant species. The Highland Experimental Farm of NTU is a crucial hub for seed conservation in the mountain forest zone, representing the highest-altitude ark in Taiwan.
This nationwide initiative is Taiwan’s largest plant conservation plan and has formed a conservation network involving various institutions. The plan successfully achieved its goal of conserving 50%–55% of threatened plant species in Taiwan. As the highest-altitude ark in Taiwan, the Highland Experimental Farm of NTU is the only unit in the domestic conservation system capable of large-scale conservation efforts for mid to high-altitude plants.
Before the initiation of the ark conservation plan at the farm, the physiology of most of these plants had never been studied, leaving much unknown about their germination and growth environments. Graduates from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, NTU actively participated in the plan, transforming the farm into a specialized conservation environment. This involved creating different greenhouse layers with varying levels of shading and installing fans for temperature control. Various cultivation media, such as rocks, bark, and peat moss, were used to simulate the original habitats of these plants, ensuring successful growth.
Through continuous research efforts and careful nurturing of the plants, the conservationists at the farm have completed the comparison of asexual or sexual reproduction of 32 rare plant species. They have established seasonal cultivation and recommended optimal propagation methods. The plan not only accomplished the collection and cultivation of mid to high-altitude plants but also provided an exhibition and cultivation area, preserving threatened species and enabling the public to become acquainted with threatened plants from Taiwan’s mid to high-altitude regions.
At the Highland Experimental Farm of NTU, personnel venture into the mountains to search for endangered plants at high altitudes, collect them, and bring them back to the farm for cultivation.
The personnel at the Highland Experimental Farm of NTU preserve endangered species and educate the public about the National Botanical Garden Ark Plan, allowing people to understand the threatened plants of Taiwan’s mid to high-altitude regions.
This photo shows the “Lonicera oiwakensis Hayata” branches collected by the Highland Experimental Farm of NTU personnel. This species is found in the mountainous areas of northern and central Taiwan at altitudes ranging from 1800 to 2300 meters and is extremely rare to encounter.