After-quake ecology offers diverse sights and sounds for visitors

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on April 10, 2006. It features the Taomi Ecological Village, a mountain community located in Puli Township near the Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan's Nantou County. The area features a vista of forests, streams, wetlands and swamp, which provide food and habitat for a variety of animals and plants.

Taomi is located about five kilometers southwest of the center of Puli Township. It has a population of just over 1,200. For many years, people here have made a living by planting Manchurian wild rice, bamboo, mushrooms, potted plants and vegetables. Bamboo in particular has been the local economic mainstay.

Taomi boasts 19, or 65 percent, of the 29 species of frogs in Taiwan. Also can be found here are 35, or about 25 percent, of Taiwan's 143 species of dragonflies. About 40 percent of Taiwan's bird species live here. These are the gift of the diversity offered by the area's luxuriant forests and rich waterways. They are also the product of the efforts of local residents in their attempt to preserve the area's ecological resources and to develop its recreational industry.

Taomi also features a wide range of native plants. After the big earthquake that took place on September 21, 2000, the area's geographical environment was changed dramatically. This has spawned a rich local ecology that gives birth to new plants and animals, including the Chinese striped-neck turtle, the little egret, the mycrohyla ornate, and a wide range of frogs. At night, Taomi presents the largest frog chorus in all of Taiwan.