喜德彩葉草溫室  Seed Coleus Greenhouse

In most carbon offset systems, revenues flow toward intermediaries or distant investors, leaving the people who maintain ecosystems with little to no benefit. The Satoyama Mace Initiative reverses this pattern by channeling carbon revenues directly to Indigenous and smallholder farming communities—those who live closest to the land and bear the greatest stewardship responsibilities. By doing so, the Initiative transforms carbon from an abstract commodity into a currency of justice, dignity, and survival. Each carbon credit represents not just a reduction in greenhouse gases, but also a restored livelihood, a protected forest, or a revitalized riverbank. The Initiative’s economic model ensures that environmental sustainability and social equity are inseparable. Beyond its measurable outcomes, the Mace Initiative was conceived as both a CSR program and a global communication campaign—a deliberate fusion of technical sustainability with storytelling and creative advocacy. The team understood that to change systems, one must first change perceptions. Through collaborations with international media, design agencies, and educational institutions, the Initiative crafted an inspiring narrative that reframes rural and Indigenous communities not as silent victims of climate collapse, but as leaders of a just transition. Read more: https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/satoyama-mace-initiative-wins-2025-muse-creative-awards-for-corporate-social-responsibility-7cdc62c6bbd4c1d270048311a7c099b6

The Satoyama Mace Initiative (SMI) is a community-based framework inspired by the Japanese concept of satoyama—the harmonious balance between people and nature. It demonstrates a successful, integrated approach to climate action that aligns with both the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At its core, SMI revitalizes Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes (SEPLS)—such as Japan’s satoyama areas and their global counterparts—by connecting ecological stewardship directly to sustainable economic benefits for marginalized communities. Through its robust carbon credit mechanism, the Initiative establishes a vital nexus between environmental integrity and social justice. The Satoyama Mace Initiative ( SMI ) has been awarded the 2025 MUSE Creative Award in the Strategic Program – CSR Program category, recognizing its pioneering achievements in linking carbon markets with cultural heritage, Indigenous empowerment, and ecosystem restoration. Read More: https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/satoyama-mace-initiative-honored-with-2025-muse-creative-awards-for-strategic-program-csr-program-fcbc9cc3997e038f258ea85b2259589d

The “Satoyama Mace Initiative,” a United Nations-endorsed project spearheaded by a team led by Professor Yen-Hsun Su of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), recently received significant affirmation from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican for its efforts in promoting sustainable carbon sequestration and the long-term development of local indigenous communities. The Papal Blessing Fully Received: A Group Witness Holding the Official Vatican State Secretariat Letter and Signed Photo, Confirming Universal Values for Asian Rural Landscape Carbon Rights. Team members stated that the initiative’s core spirit aligns precisely with Pope Francis’s call in the encyclical Laudato Si’ , which emphasizes “our common home” and the reality that “both the earth and the poor suffer.” The receipt of this highest-level response and blessing from the Vatican grants the initiative the utmost spiritual recognition for its universal values, which combine environmental sustainability, social justice, and local livelihoods. Upon submitting its work to the Vatican’s Office of the Pope, the team received a message expressing appreciation for their efforts from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV via the Vatican Secretariat of State. The Pope thanked the “Satoyama Mace Initiative” team for sharing their work and heartfelt sentiments, expressing gratitude for their efforts and sincerity, and conveying his support through a signed photograph. Read More: https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/satoyama-mace-initiative-receives-papal-blessing-affirming-universal-values-c3bffc02bc8585b6da3e7758e415ab5a

The study demonstrates that chlorophyll-modified cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) electrodes show superior light absorption, particularly in the Q-band region (600–700 nm), leading to a photocurrent density of 3.26 mA/cm² and a significant increase in applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE) from 0.82% to 1.37%. Compared with unmodified Cu₂O, the chlorophyll-modified electrode exhibited a sevenfold improvement in stability, with only a 7.9% photocurrent decline after extended operation versus a 34.8% decline in the unmodified version. The modification also improved charge carrier lifetime (from 0.9 to 1.1 ms), validating enhanced charge separation and reduced recombination. Density of states (DOS) calculations confirmed bonding interactions between Mg (from chlorophyll) and O (from Cu₂O), ensuring robust heterojunction formation. “This bio-inspired electrode design not only accelerates solar-driven hydrogen production but also prevents rapid material degradation, making it both efficient and durable,” explained the Satoyama Mace Initiative’s research team. (The research, recently published in ACS Sustainable Resource Management (Cite this: ACS Sustainable Resour. Manage. 2025, 2, 8, 1571–1579.) This breakthrough shows how bio-inspired science and equitable governance can unite to deliver clean hydrogen, biodiversity protection, and community well-being. https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/satoyama-mace-initiative-launches-bio-integrated-breakthrough-for-sustainable-hydrogen-and-carbon-equity-f45922a69607f79a4ac9eef3cc29ceaf

The Satoyama Mace Initiative has established the Satoyama Carbon Credit Regional Revitalization Base in Tainan, Taiwan, scheduled to begin official operations on January 1, 2025. This base will serve as an international hub for biodiversity carbon sequestration projects, supporting rural communities while contributing to global climate action. This milestone marks the world’s first non-profit organization (NPO) gaining international recognition to certify biodiversity-based carbon credits while promoting rural revitalization. https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/satoyama-mace-initiative-gains-unu-ias-ipsi-endorsement-taiwans-global-biodiversity-carbon-program-23c18608be92d9aae78ed90ef1e848d4

Nowhere is this more visible than in the landscapes of the Global South, where rural communities live in fragile balance with land and sea. Along the lower reaches of Taiwan’s Jishui River, history itself tells this story. Once the coastline of the Daofeng Inner Sea, the area was first home to the Indigenous Pingpu peoples. Waves of settlers arrived during the Ming-Zheng period, reshaping the land with agriculture and trade. In the 18th century, the Zhai-Zi Port bustled with activity, but repeated shifts in the river’s course led to siltation. The great inner sea gradually disappeared, replaced by coastal plains that drew further waves of settlement. Riverbank communities rose—but they lived under the constant shadow of floods, forcing relocations that were recorded even during the Japanese colonial era. Today, this same region has become the site of a new experiment in justice and sustainability. On 3,900 hectares of dryland corn farms, a demonstration project under the United Nations’ Satoyama Mace Initiative : Regional Revitalization of SEPLS in Carbon Credit, recently authorized by UNU-IAS, is rewriting the story. Using newly developed sustainability-based carbon reduction methodologies, the project is projected to reduce 700,000 tons of carbon each year. At a current value of USD $40 per ton, this means USD $28 million annually returned directly to Indigenous peoples and local farmers. As the initiative expands to farmers’ associations and cooperatives worldwide, it aims to accelerate the low-carbon transition of Indigenous agricultural systems and strengthen their role in international carbon markets. In doing so, it ensures that the poor are no longer written into history as victims of decline, but as stewards of renewal. https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/when-the-poor-and-the-planet-wither-together-hope-emerges-through-the-satoyama-mace-initiative-1a9fc706add5f974ebfb7fe3daf9e724

Taiwan is pioneering a transformative model where luminous Anthuriums (Anthurium andraeanum) and Peace Lilies (Spathiphyllum) illuminate rural regeneration by merging art, aesthetics, and climate action. Developed with Japanese-patented Leaf Vein Absorption Method technology, these plants emit dynamic, color-shifting night-time glows while enhancing photosynthesis and carbon capture. This innovation demonstrates how technology and aesthetics can generate measurable environmental benefits. Integrating technology, ecology, and community-based practices is challenging. Our team persistently advances SEPLS knowledge-sharing, multi-level governance, and the international dissemination of best practices, demonstrating that environmental, social, and aesthetic objectives can coexist. Trials conducted with the SEPLS Carbon Credit Regional Revitalization Center revealed that a single luminous Anthurium captures approximately 0.172 kg of CO₂ per month, translating aesthetic innovation into quantifiable carbon mitigation. The carbon capture potential directly supports international carbon credit schemes, enhancing the viability of rural communities in global voluntary carbon markets. The intellectual property underpinning the luminous plants is safeguarded through the Japanese patent, which uses non-GMO biological methods combined with high-entropy nanomaterials. This allows safe, vibrant bioluminescence across flower petals and leaves, bridging art and science while protecting innovation. https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/glowing-anthuriums-illuminate-taiwans-rural-regeneration-fusing-art-technology-and-climate-action-4fb4c2f208bdf9a05e27801e245a1cc5

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Fusheng-Chang Construction, Daxitian Construction and the NCKU team to advance carbon offsetting and the transformation of ecological value. MOUs between Fusheng-Chang Construction, Daxitian Construction and the NCKU team Under the MOU, participating companies will contribute 50% of the carbon credits generated from cooperative technology projects toward the establishment of a Small Grant Fund. The fund aims to support the development of ecological restoration and sustainable innovation aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), biodiversity enhancement, rural ecological governance in Satoyama Initiative, and international carbon credit field sites. The goal is to establish a sustainable, innovation-driven ecosystem through community participation and technological advancement over the next five years. Operating as a non-profit platform, the Satoyama Mace Initiative integrates science, land management, ecology, and industry to establish a biodiversity carbon certification system. From 2024 to 2030, the project targets 60 million metric tons of carbon sequestration, while using the small grant mechanism to iteratively support biodiversity and climate action programs. This endeavor directly responds to the three core objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by creating a feedback mechanism between corporate carbon value and ecological investment. It enhances the strategic importance of environmental restoration in international carbon markets, net-zero transition pathways, and emerging energy technologies. News link : https://www.cna.com.tw/Postwrite/Eng/401670

Professor Su’s team, in partnership with local Indigenous communities, carried out in-situ carbon sampling and KMGBF assessments in mangroves, secondary forests, and farmland in southern Taiwan. NCKU students, in partnership with local Indigenous communities, carried out in-situ carbon sampling and KMGBF assessments in mangroves, secondary forests, and farmland in southern Taiwan “These landscapes hold incredible potential not only for climate mitigation but also for empowering communities,” said Professor Su. “Our goal is to co-create a sustainable value chain that benefits both nature and people.” A Global Vision: From Poverty Alleviation to Structural Transformation Beyond environmental impacts, the initiative addresses social and economic dimensions. By establishing a credible biodiversity-based GHG crediting system, the Satoyama Mace Initiative enhances natural resource governance, boosts community resilience, and accelerates transitions toward sustainable economies—particularly in vulnerable regions. Looking forward, NCKU and its international partners plan to expand the program’s reach, strengthen policy and financial mechanisms for biodiversity carbon credits, and demonstrate the practical value of SEPLS in achieving the KMGBF and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Satoyama Mace Initiative” to Advance Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity Conservation - Aiming for 60 Million Tons of Carbon Sequestration by 2030 While Empowering Rural Regeneration and Global Sustainability News link : https://www.cna.com.tw/postwrite/eng/401517

The Satoyama Mace Initiative focuses on carbon reduction technology that is consistent with the Satoyama Initiative and biodiversity, the development of biodiversity carbon sequestration technology, and related application technology methodologies. Carbon biotechnology is based on the methodology produced by the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) protocol (under the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform). At the same time, the methodology must align with the spirit of the Satoyama Initiative and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a global agreement of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15). Methodology submissions will undergo review, external review, and announcement procedures. With the support of partners, this platform plans to develop into developing countries, especially low-developing countries and small islands, and become an important driving force for economic transformation in developing countries (equivalent to the 2050 KMGBF Goal ).   The carbon reduction technology, biodiversity carbon sequestration technology development, and related application technology methodology proposals linked to biodiversity are subject to internal and external review fees and special chapter publication fees for the relevant application technology methodology. The proposer must pay the internal and external review fees and the publication fees of the relevant applied technology methodology. Read more : Biodiversity GHG Methodologies Publication Plan: Biodiversity Methodologies for Greenhouse Gas Editors: Prof. Wei-Sheng Chen, National Cheng Kung University Mr. André Mader, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Manager Prof. Yen Hsun Su, National Cheng Kung University Contact Dr. Amit Sharma

The Kick-off Meeting of Satoyama Mace Initiative was hold on in NCKU on 5th February, 2025. SEPLS Carbon Credit Regional Revitalization Center supported by partners services the developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing states, as well as countries with economies in transition (Corresponding to KMGBF goals for 2050). SEPLS Carbon Credit Regional Revitalization Center supported by partners aims to develop methodologies for quantifying project benefits. Specifically, the center plans to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions or removals and issue Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) for the management of Socio-Ecological Productive Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS). The planned activities includes: On-site actions : on-site activities for biotechnology/ greenhouse gas (GHG) methodology/ GHG project technology application technology application of SEPLS Clean Development Mechanism coupling with community-based conservation to reach sustainable practices. These activities aim to promote and support socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS), contributing to the enhancement of biodiversity and the well-being of the local community. Furthermore, the parameters associated with carbon emission reduction, focusing on resource utilization, the cyclic use of natural resources, sustainable multi-functional management of natural resources and ecosystem services, as well as the development of sustainable socio-economies for physical/digital products enhances community resilience through ecosystem-based approaches for climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. Partnership building : the multi-stakeholder platforms establishment among local communities /indigenous peoples, governments, private sector, and civil society to link community of practitioners and experience sharing. Research : the peer-reviewed paper & book publications of SEPLS Clean Development Mechanism. Research includes baseline or evidence base for SEPLS GHG project appraisal of carbon credit for SEPLS management. Education : textbooks development for technology application of SEPLS Clean Development Mechanism Education: the arrangement of the education venues (places) establishment for the field schooling to practice conduct seminars, workshops, courses (including agricultural products and crop carbon sequestration (carbon credit) packaging and marketing management), training classes and other services from time to time. The e-learning alternative education programmes to expand service areas in remote learning and replace in-person communication with online learning. These carbon credits can be monetized in the carbon market, providing projects with financial support to scale up, enhance the 5 Ps of the 2030 Agenda: People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace, and Partnerships, and support the achievement of the SDGs and KMGBF. Read more: 成大「里山權杖倡議」計畫啟動大會　期許人與自然和諧　共創地球永續 SEPLS carbon credit regional revitalization approaches in carbon credit programs not only reduce threats to biodiversity but also meet people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing by designing and shaping the implementation, corresponding to Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). 聯合國「里山倡議」，期許實現社會與自然和諧共生。國立成功大學執行為期 6年之「里山權杖倡議」計畫，目標在推動與開發符合聯合國生物多樣性里山倡議減碳科技並結合農村再生地方創生活動，預期目標在 2024-2030 年總達到 6 千萬噸二氧化碳增匯。