I. Project Origin & Vision

In recent years, tourism in Xiao Liuqiu has boomed. However, the massive influx of tourists has brought severe ecological impacts to popular intertidal zones and coral reef areas, placing the island in a dilemma of overdevelopment due to insufficient supporting measures. To address this, our center's research team has been deeply engaged in the local community since 2019, continuously dedicated to frontline marine ecological research and monitoring surveys.

Our center actively undertakes commissions from various levels of government administrative agencies to conduct in-depth assessments of the impacts on the marine ecosystem, providing the government with scientifically backed policy recommendations and management strategies. Concurrently, we aim to mitigate tourism impacts from the foundational level through "knowledge translation" and "educational empowerment."

All members of the center leverage their respective academic expertise and integrate ecological experts from various fields outside the university. Together, we work to implement true sustainable ecotourism and safeguard the precious marine assets of this coral reef island, which spans only about 6.8 square kilometers yet possesses invaluable coral reef resources.

Led by several core scholars from our center, this program collaborates with external professional experts, scholars, and partner organizations. Combining their respective academic strengths, the team unites to dedicate their expertise to the marine ecology of Xiao Liuqiu.

II. Core Research Directions

Our center has constructed a comprehensive scientific research framework for Xiao Liuqiu, focusing on the following four core pillars:

1. Ecological Surveys

• Intertidal Substrate and Ecological Surveys: Conducting substrate and benthic invertebrate surveys to comprehensively evaluate the environmental impacts caused by tourist activities.
• Biodiversity Monitoring: Continuously tracking coral, fish, and algae ecosystems to accurately understand the dynamics of species and habitats in the surrounding waters.
• Environmental and Carrying Capacity Monitoring: Periodically executing tourism carrying capacity surveys and water quality testing and analysis to track changes in environmental quality.

2. Ecological Restoration

• Key Species Restoration: Promoting restoration trials for Sargassum (brown algae), giant clams (Tridacninae), and key intertidal organisms.
• Habitat Improvement and Maintenance: Evaluating intertidal habitat improvement schemes and investing in the restoration of the Duzaiping habitat (sea urchin removal research) to actively restore ecological balance.

3. Policy Recommendations & Management

• Visitor Capacity Management: Providing visitor control recommendations for intertidal conservation demonstration zones and assisting in the deployment of management systems.
• Operational Management Policies: Proposing feasibility assessments for Xiao Liuqiu's marine ecology operational management to assist the government in optimizing current regulatory frameworks.
• Local Protection Mechanisms: Planning the establishment of the Xiao Liuqiu Ecological Patrol Team to strengthen first-line ecological inspection and protection capabilities.

4. Education & Outreach

• Social Empowerment and Citizen Science: Organizing training for local citizen scientists and promoting applications for the Shanfu environmental education curriculum to deepen local conservation awareness.
• Science Communication and Multimedia Outreach: Producing marine ecological conservation videos, and publishing the Xiao Liuqiu Biological Field Guide and Field Guide to Common Fishes of Xiao Liuqiu to comprehensively promote marine science education.
• International Environment-Friendly Initiatives: Installing English conservation signage to enhance international tourists' environmental awareness and improve the local ecotourism image.

III. Sustainable Management & Outlook

To protect the fragile and invaluable intertidal ecosystems of Xiao Liuqiu (including Shanfu, Yuchengwei, Duzaiping, Gebanwan, and Longxiadong), our center consistently upholds a rigorous spirit of academic research.

We actively serve as a communication bridge among the government, local communities, civil society, and industry. By insisting on supporting management decisions with empirical scientific data and working hand-in-hand with local stakeholders, we envision that Xiao Liuqiu will achieve the optimal balance between tourism development and environmental conservation.

  Citizen Scientist Underwater Surveys

  Algae Surveys

  Intertidal Transect Line Surveys