Taiwan Church News
3863 Edition
9 ~ 15 March, 2026
Weekly Topical
Ready to open Taiwan Branch, A Rocha International Visits Nahuy of the Indigenous Atayal
Reported by Lin Yi-yin from Taipei
To learn and survey the project of “Millet Ark”, prof Lin Yih-ren, an ecological scholar engaged in a long-term academic studies within the Indigenous Atayal people, led Mr Ed Walker, CEO of renown A Rocha International, to visit Nahuy Township, Hsinchu on March 2 and 3.
On March 4 and 5, many Taiwan experts were also invited to exchange thoughts with Mr Walker in a two-days workshop held at National Taiwan Science Education Center. In the meeting, Mr Walker remarked that he was deeply touched to witness a close cooperation between Taiwan church and academic community to take care of Taiwan environments,. He therefore promised to set up a Taiwan Branch of A Rocha International in a near future.
In the workshop attended many Taiwan experts, including Dr Liu Jiong-xi, professor of Department of Life Science of National Taitung University, Dr. Lin Zih-ying, director of the MIT course of National Taiwan University of Arts, Rev Chi Yi-fan, CEO of City to City Taiwan, Ms Lu Yueh-wen, an online campaigner for the ecumenical movement, and Dr Wang Shou-cheng, chair of Taiwan Ecological Stewardship Association and many others.
On March 4, at National Taiwan Science Education Center, Mr Walker visited the exhibition named “Regular Exhibition of Biodiversity”, which showcased the evolutional theory of the earth, the “Big Atyal refrigerator”, Amis dishes sourced from high mountain and deep sea, the millet grain examined in the laboratory, the extinction or rebirth of human beings and etc.
To sign a contract and establish a Taiwan Branch of A Rocha Int’l, prof Lin expressed Mr Walker had offered an application format with membership guidance. Prof Lin hoped to recruit at least 30 Taiwanese Christians, with a rank and file consisting of pastors, lay Christian, ecological experts, environmental activists, to join A Rocha Int’l which currently has 25 branches around the world.
A Rocha Int’l is a Christian environment-protection organization dedicating to the mission of caring for God’s creation. The institute was founded in Portugal in 1983 and gradually expanded to more than 20 countries, including Brazil, Canada, France, Canada, Canada, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Initially launched as a bird observatory club, later A Rocha Int’l gradually moving on to care the disappearance of biodiversity, promoting environmental education, and campaigning eco-friendly agriculture and sustainable development. Its vision is to restore a nature of bio-diversity, fair and sustainable environment for human beings.
As a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2002, A Rocha Int’l had also signed up the Cape Town Commitment, issued in Lausanne Congress 2010, which clearly states “Creation care is thus a gospel issue within the Lordship of Christ”.
At present, A Rocha Int’l is assigned as the leader of the “Oikos Network”, which recruits Christians around the world who are keen to care for the critical environment issues and respond to urgent climate changes. The Oikos Network was jointly-founded in 2022 by the Micah Global, the Anglican Communion, and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). This online network aims to link ecumenical churches with global communities to fight against pressing environmental challenges together.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
