Danei Valley Ecological Park Introduction
The Danaaigu Stream is located in the upper watershed of the Zengwen River, where the stream is rich in a fish commonly known as "苦花" (bitter flower), or guava fish (Loach). In the past, outsiders often came to the area to use poison and electricity to fish, endangering the safety of the village's drinking water and destroying the natural ecosystem of the stream. Later, initiated by the former village chief Gao Zhengsheng, the villagers contributed their respective fishing grounds to form the "Stream Conservation Association." The conservation plan began in 1985 with a series of negotiations and planning efforts. In 1989, the "Conservation Team" was officially established, along with the formation of the "River Protection Committee," with villagers voluntarily forming river patrol teams to prevent electric fishing and poison fishing, and strengthen river pollution prevention efforts. After several years of effort, the Danaaigu Stream became clear again, with fish clearly visible, and the natural ecology of the stream revived. In 1992, Shanmei Village received the Council of Agriculture’s Model Award for Natural Ecological Conservation. In July 1994, the "Shanmei Community Development Association" was established to run the village’s tourism industry in a community-oriented manner, promoting industrial development. In January 1995, the "Danaaigu Natural Ecological Park" was opened to the public. In 2002, the Shanmei community was awarded the Presidential Cultural Award due to the success of the Danaaigu Stream conservation efforts. Today, the "Danaaigu Natural Ecological Park" has become an emerging tourist destination in the Alishan area and has spurred agricultural industry development thanks to successful ecological conservation.
