Watershed Education: Civic Action on Yunlin Creek Water Resources

Yunlin Creek, traverses the city center, once a shared childhood memory for the residents of Douliu City. However, it became severely polluted during the economic boom of the 1980s. In 2016, a collaboration between public sectors, YunTech's Mountain Line Community College Society, and local NPOs initiated the project to uncover Yunlin Creek and improve its riverbank landscape.We played a pivotal role in uniting diverse stakeholders from the fields of education, architecture, cultural heritage, and ecology, resulting in the establishment of the Yunlin Creek Cultural Community Alliance. Through interdisciplinary cooperation, we collectively promoted water quality improvement and river remediation efforts, providing opportunities for community members to engage with and care about water resource issues(SDG 6、SDG 4).Furthermore, We have collaborated with experts from Japan, organizing Taiwan-Japan forums to share experiences in river management.In 2024, we led a delegation comprising representatives from Yunlin County government, NPOs, and scholars to visit Groundwork Mishima in Japan, expanding Taiwan's connections and exchanges with the international river community (SDG 17).

Result

1. Goal and Vision: River Care—The Restoration of Yunlin Creek

With the global climate change and policy initiatives, governments are allocating more resources to water environment improvement, emphasizing ecological concerns, local consensus, and civic engagement. Thus, the Yunlin Creek Uncovering Action has initiated the journey of rebuilding urban lungs. Our team, through river-walking courses, began to pay attention to the untreated Yunlin Creek and its water quality. In 2017, we collaborated with local NGOs to establish the Yunlin Creek Cultural Community Alliance, collectively caring for urban river governance projects. Hosting over 400 river-related events, we guided public authorities and community members to reevaluate rivers, moving towards the goals of cleaner rivers, cultural preservation, and a waterfront city.

2. Practicing SDGs—Diverse Approaches to Promoting Local Participation in River Basins

(1) SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation: Through environmental guided tours, we raised awareness among residents about water resource protection. For example, organizing "Clean Creek, Weed Removal" workshops, guiding community members and students to identify water-purifying plants and manually remove invasive weeds, then turning them into handmade paper or dyed cloth to achieve goals of water hygiene improvement and green recycling.

(2) SDG 15 Terrestrial Ecology: Regularly organizing Yunlin Creek night runs, we conducted ecological observations with local NGOs and residents to record changes in river habitats. We shared this data with ecological groups and government agencies to maintain river water quality.

(3) SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities: Post-river restoration, our team assisted county water resource units in designing and installing riverbank indicators to ensure pedestrian safety. Through river interpretation activities, we advocated for safe pedestrian paths along the riverbanks, discouraged motorcycles from riding on the embankments to prevent air pollution, and planned facilities such as seating, tree planting, and literary art walls to enhance urban living standards.

(4) SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals: Recognizing that improving Yunlin Creek requires community efforts, we drew inspiration from Japan's Groundwork Mishima's river management experience. We collaborated with universities, community associations, architectural firms, ecological groups, and cultural and historical societies to form the Yunlin Creek Cultural Community Alliance, engaging in discussions, learning, and actions, focusing on water environmental issues.

3. Innovative Promotion: Cross-Domain Integration of Urban River Governance and Action

(1) Diverse Approaches to Promoting Local Participation in River Basins: In response to the Yunlin Creek's renovation project, we organized activities such as watercolor painting of river landscapes, plant dyeing, and stream papermaking to engage community leaders, volunteers, and local NGOs in caring for and protecting river ecology. We set up discussion platforms with local organizations to address river water quality and management issues continuously.

(2) Cross-Organization Concern for River Conservation: Collaborating with local groups to promote river conservation actions, addressing issues such as water quality improvement, old tree conservation, and cultural preservation of Yunlin Creek. We established the Yunlin Creek night running group for regular "Yunlin Creek night runs or nighttime observation activities" to increase residents' attention and participation in river protection and collective governance goals.

(3) Facilitating Exchange of Japanese River Management Experience with Yunlin County Government: Our team had long-term exchanges with Japan's Groundwork Mishima, learning about comprehensive river governance expertise and community building experience. In 2023, we facilitated exchanges between Yunlin County Government's water resource units and learned from Japan about water purification methods, citizen participation, and ecotourism through Taiwan-Japan international river exchange visits.

4. Social Impact: Public Welfare and Community Joint Promotion of Urban River Governance

By blending public welfare initiatives with river-focused educational programs, our team seamlessly incorporated craft-based courses into discussions surrounding river concerns, thereby enhancing participants' understanding and fostering greater engagement with local river issues. Across craft-related courses, lectures, and workshops, which attracted over 60,000 individuals across 400 sessions, we successfully involved university students, educators, community members, seniors, and NGO representatives in exploring and advocating for the preservation of urban river ecology, cultural heritage, and upkeep, thereby amplifying our societal influence.

5. Scalability: New Value Model for Urban River Governance

By combining river issue courses, practical actions, and public-private collaboration, and cooperating with local community organizations, we have established a sustainable organizational platform model. We have collaborated with four elementary schools, four communities, and one university (approximately 500 participants) in joint creek cleanups, workshops, and river tours. In the future, we will provide NPOs, schools, and community associations with river education learning resources through case studies, publications, videos, river trips, and curriculum development, becoming resources for river education.

Detail of the Practice

Originating from rivers, civilization has long depended on water resources. In the face of climate change, the sustainable development of water resources has become a global priority, closely linked to economic development and public health. This research investigates the efforts of our team in river governance and water quality improvement along Yunlin Creek, aiming to achieve the sustainable management and conservation of riverside communities. Over the past three years, our team has implemented the following initiatives:

1. Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Stream Protection and Aquatic System Restoration:

Our team collaborated with various organizations including community colleges, non-profit organizations (NPOs), Yunzhong Street Cultural Park, Wild at Heart Association - Yunlin Branch, Yunlin County Bird Watching Association, Water Resources Agency Fifth River Management Office, Yunlin County Water Resources Department, and Yunlin Guandi Children's Museum. Together, we conducted environmental education workshops focusing on planning, venue setup, promotion, and teacher assistance.

(1) Preservation of Native Vegetation and Water Conservation: Collaborating with ecological groups, we negotiated methods for maintaining water grasses along the creek and removing invasive species from riverbanks. This initiative engaged over 200 participants from local communities, grassroots organizations, community colleges, and government representatives.

(2) Green Waste Recycling and Cultural Product Development: We partnered with the local community, Yunzhong Street Cultural Park and Paper Craft Village, to organize workshops highlighting "Clean Creek, Papermaking." Using weeds from Yunlin Creek, participants created unique paper products, promoting environmental sustainability and cultural heritage. This initiative received recognition from the Yunlin County Cultural Affairs Bureau and aligned with SDGs 6, 4, 17, and 9.

(3) Water Purification and Stream Restoration: Our team collaborated with ecological experts to conduct river vegetation surveys and explore conservation methods for aquatic habitats. This interdisciplinary approach involved community members, temple committee members, farmers, and government officials, fostering a diverse exchange platform for river conservation and management.

2. Integrating Road Running Events for River Monitoring, Ecological Surveys, and Riverside Space Maintenance:

Recognizing the importance of citizen literacy and environmental education before the completion of the second phase of Yunlin Creek's river engineering, our team initiated a river running group. Members included participants from community colleges, Yunlin Creek Cultural Community Alliance, community residents, landscape design companies, and professors from National Yunlin University of Science and Technology. Weekly river walks and surveys were conducted to facilitate environmental monitoring, ecological recording, and provide recommendations for sustainable river management.

(1)River Sports and Water Quality Monitoring: The Yunlin Creek running group served as a citizen-led environmental monitoring and education initiative. Participants engaged in field surveys and documented observations during their runs, reporting any abnormalities in water quality to relevant authorities. This initiative not only safeguarded river water quality but also enhanced public understanding and participation in river conservation efforts.

3. Continuous Experimentation and Knowledge Exchange: Taiwan-Japan Collaboration in River Governance:

Our team has long been concerned with issues of climate change and river conservation. From the problem of air pollution caused by river sedimentation that we have been addressing for many years, to resilience in cities in response to climate change and flood management issues, we have endeavored to enhance public understanding and awareness of river environments through the exchange and learning of classic river cases both domestically and internationally. Additionally, since 2016, when Mr. Toyohiro Watanabe, Director of the Groundwork Mishima Bureau in Japan, visited Yunlin to provide guidance on the improvement of the Yunlin Creek's water environment and quality, our team has been actively involved in national river seminars and the translation of the Japanese GW Mishima's books on local revitalization. These efforts, in collaboration with various units such as the Sustainable Development Center of Yunlin University of Science and Technology, community associations, businesses in Douliu Old Street, the Yunlin Creek Cultural Cluster Alliance, the Field Cultural Association of Yunlin County, and the Taiwan Ecological Society, have led to the organization of river lectures, exchange forums, and book launches, with approximately 100 participants engaging in discussions and exchanges on topics such as water quality improvement, river environmental construction, and basin cultural preservation, thereby enhancing mutual cooperation and understanding of Japanese river management methods.

In March 2023, during Mr. Watanabe's third visit, a Taiwan-Japan river governance seminar was conducted, focusing on deeper sharing of river experiences and strategic discussions. At the moment when the riverbank improvement of Yunlin Creek was nearing completion, we jointly held the "Riverscape Learning 2023 Taiwan-Japan River Public Governance - Citizen Forum", showcasing the collaborative efforts of our team, students and teachers from community colleges, community members, and the Yunlin Creek Cultural Cluster Alliance over the years. We also led Mr. Watanabe and representatives from various units to visit important facilities for water quality improvement such as the upstream artificial wetlands and gravel purification sites of Yunlin Creek (SDG06), witnessing the transformation of water quality from severe pollution in the past to mild (nearly concluded) pollution today. There have been significant improvements in pollutants, turbidity, and odor, with increasing abundance and variety of aquatic plants, fish, and bird species. Through the exchange opportunities provided by this river governance seminar, understanding of river governance by both public and private sectors has been enhanced, strategies for subsequent maintenance and management have been affirmed, the value of citizen participation has been acknowledged, and the importance of local knowledge in basin management has been emphasized, with over 100 community members, government representatives, university students, lecturers, and representatives from NGOs participating.

This has also led to the Yunlin County Government inviting our team to assist in planning river maintenance and management measures for Yunlin Creek, as well as capacity building for basin communities and river guardians. Furthermore, our assistance extended to organizing a visit by the Yunlin County Government to Mishima City in Japan in 2024 for a Taiwan-Japan river study tour and the hosting of the first Yunlin Creek Art Festival. These innovative initiatives will inject new vitality and opportunities for water quality improvement and environmental governance of Yunlin Creek.