Ministry passes bamboo forest carbon sink project

• By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

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The first carbon sink project for bamboo forest management has passed review by the Ministry of Environment, marking a milestone in the development of Taiwan’s natural carbon sink policy, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said yesterday.

The environmental, social and governance (ESG) project by Chunghwa Telecom Co covers 34 hectares of makino bamboo grove in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興), the agency said.

The project was matched with Chunghwa Telecom through the agency’s Hsinchu branch two years ago and would run through the end of 2034, it said.

Representatives from the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and Chunghwa Telecom tout a bamboo forest carbon sink project at an event on Tuesday in Taipei.

Photo courtesy of Chunghwa Telecom

Chunghwa Telecom prepared documents according to the bamboo forest management methodology and applied for the plan to be accredited as a voluntary emission reduction project, the agency said.

The project passed the review on Oct. 2 and became the first validated carbon sink project for bamboo forest management nationwide, it said.

That showed that Taiwan has not only established a calculation methodology for bamboo forest carbon sink, but has also put it into practice, marking a milestone in natural carbon sink development, the agency said.

Bamboo forest diebacks could occur if the plants are left unattended, it said, adding that proper management and human intervention are the key to maintaining bamboo forests’ carbon sequestration potential.

Bamboo forests renew about every four years and bamboo aged four years or older should be removed via selective cutting to create growing space for young bamboo, the agency said.

The agency set up the carbon sink and biodiversity ESG project matching platform in April 2024 to help match corporate investments with natural habitats or forests in need of conservation, it said.

Such projects can assist companies in acquiring carbon sinks or carbon credits while creating job opportunities for locals, the agency said.

For example, Chunghwa Telecom is to cooperate with an Atayal village as part of the project, it said.

Bamboo management requires substantial manual labor, the agency said, adding that the felled bamboo would be processed into products.

More bamboo forest-based ESG projects could be launched on the platform in the future, it said.

So far, the platform’s ESG projects are open only to companies or foundations that have registered and incorporated in Taiwan, it added.

The agency expects Chunghwa Telecom’s experience to encourage more companies to take on natural carbon sink projects via the platform based on their core technology and sustainability targets, the agency said.