Background and Objectives
Promoting Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Strategies
Nature-based Solutions (NbS), introduced and defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), involve the protection, sustainable management, and restoration of natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges while enhancing human well-being and biodiversity.
NbS can contribute to addressing a wide range of challenges, including food security, climate change, water security, human health, disaster risk reduction, and social and economic development.
Based on the NbS concept, the Water Resources Planning Branch selected the Toushe Basin in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, as a demonstration area for developing integrated watershed governance and management strategies. The project aims to establish feasible and sustainable approaches to watershed management by combining structural and non-structural flood management measures, maximizing their overall effectiveness while minimizing flood risk.
Through these efforts, flood management is expected to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the water environment while improving community well-being.
Figure 1. Community Engagement Activities in the Toushe Basin
Main Activities
Baseline Surveys and Pilot Studies for Peatland Water Retention and Soil Conservation
Although peatlands cover only about 3% of the Earth’s land surface, peat soils contain up to 44% of global soil carbon and store more carbon than all other vegetation types combined. Peatland conservation therefore plays an important role in mitigating climate change.
This project focuses on the Toushe Basin, Taiwan’s largest peatland, with the objective of conserving peatland ecosystem services while establishing a demonstration area for sustainable governance through Nature-based Solutions.
Through sustained stakeholder engagement platforms and baseline surveys, the project promotes cross-sectoral collaboration and local participation while examining the social challenges facing the area. Hydrological and hydraulic conditions, land use, ecosystem structures, and other existing environmental conditions are comprehensively analyzed, with the NbS concept serving as the basis for developing effective strategies for peatland conservation and sustainable management.
Major activities include interdisciplinary workshops, stakeholder engagement activities, and baseline peatland surveys and analyses. The project also explores water-retention and soil-conservation strategies within the NbS demonstration area through field-scale pilot studies and monitoring.
The potential benefits of these measures for ecosystem services and human well-being are evaluated to improve understanding of the feasibility of applying NbS and water-retention and soil-conservation strategies in peatland environments, as well as their potential contribution to ecosystem services.
Figure 2. Peatland Soil Sampling Survey
InSAR Monitoring
The Water Resources Planning Branch applies Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology to monitor long-term land subsidence and support the assessment of flood-prone conditions in the Toushe Basin.
InSAR enables broad-area and periodic monitoring of surface deformation and provides valuable information for understanding changes in ground elevation over time. The monitoring results provide a scientific basis for evaluating existing conditions and planning future improvement and management measures.
To enhance the quality and reliability of InSAR monitoring signals, corner reflectors are also installed at selected locations within the study area.
Figure 3. Corner Reflector for Enhanced InSAR Monitoring