Biodiversity
The Board of Directors serves as the highest supervisory unit for climate governance. To assist the Board of Directors in overseeing the Company's management of climate-related issues, the “Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee” was established under its purview. Under this committee, the “Sustainable Environment Development Team” and the “Risk Management Team” are dedicated to addressing climate change issues relevant to the Company respectively.
The Sustainable Environment Development Team conducts an annual review of climate and nature-related issues and holds cross-departmental discussions with risk-responsible units. The Risk Management Team integrates operational, financial, cybersecurity, environmental (including biodiversity), and compliance risks into CSC's company-wide risk management framework. Implementation results are compiled every six months, reported to the Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee, and then submitted to the Board.
| Numbers of sites | Areas (Unit: Hectare) | |
|---|---|---|
| Operational sites except for offices | 2Note | 560.87 |
| Scope of assessment | 2 | 560.87 |
| Proximity to critical biodiversity areas | 0 | 0 |
| Coverage of management plans | 0 | 0 |
To fulfill our commitment to biodiversity, CSC periodically conduct biodiversity assessments and commissioned the Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University to plan ecological investigation for CSC's sites and establish the baseline for species for 2 years. The investigation was conducted quarterly, and the contents include land animals (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and butterflies) and plants. For bird investigation, it was also conducted monthly when migrant birds pass through.
As of September 2024, eight seasons of ecological investigations have been completed. In addition, data from bird investigations conducted by CSC Birdwatching Club from 1987 to 2019 and plant species recorded have also been compiled.
A total of 416 species of plants and animals were recorded in this assessment, consisting of 147 different families. Among them, there are 9 endemic species (White-eared Sibia, Taiwan Barbet, Kawakami Excoecaria, Long-branch Bambusa, Taiwan Incense Cedar, Taiwan Golden-rain Tree, Tainwan Cinnamon, Cinnamomum Kotoense, and Tashio's Hawthorn). 6 critically endangered species (Ring-necked Pheasant, Water Spangles, Cinnamomum Kotoense, Lanyu Podocarp, Sago Palm, and Aphrodite Moth Orchid), 5 endangered species (Fairy Pitta, looking glass tree, Nagai Podocarpus, Kusamaki, and Common Garcinia), 12 vulnerable species (Blinding Tree, Euphorbia sparrmannii, Kawakami Excoecaria, Narrow-leaved Dracaena, Indian Barringtonia, Small-leaved Barringtonia, Cagayan Nutmeg, Philippine Drypetes, Taiwan Incense Cedar, Ivorywood, Fan Palm, and Maki Podocarpus), and 6 near-threatened species (Slaty-breasted Rail, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Chinese Elm, Taiwan Ebony, Japanese Serissa, and Largeleaf Markingnut) are found. The aforementioned endemic species, critically endangered, endangered, and near-threatened species are primarily birds and plants. The bird species are migrant and transit birds observed and recorded by the CSC Bird Watching Club since 1987, while the plants were cultivated by CSC after the establishment of the plant for landscape greening purposes and are non-native species.
The summarized results are presented in the table below:
| Classification | Families | Species | Endemic | Endemic Subspecies | Conservation Note I | Red List Note II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | II | III | CR | EN | VU | NT | |||||
| Mammals | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Birds | 39 | 75 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Reptiles | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Amphibians | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Butterflies | 5 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Plants | 94 | 304 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 4 |
| Total | 147 | 416 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 6 |
- Conservation levels based on the Council of Agriculture's Announcement No. 1071702243A issued on January 9, 2019: I - Endangered Species, II - Rare and Valuable Species, III - Other Conservation-deserving Wildlife.
- Rarity categories based on the Red List of Terrestrial Mammals of Taiwan (2017): CR - Critically Endangered, EN - Endangered, VU - Vulnerable, NT - Near Threatened
The results of this survey were utilized to establish a category of ecological indicator species for the plant site. Among these, "balance indicator species" are used to assess the overall health of the site's ecosystem; therefore, changes in apex predators at the top of the food chain, such as the Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) and the Malayan Night-Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus), are typically used as indicators. Furthermore, "environmental indicator species" are employed to monitor changes in habitat quality. Recommended species for this category include bats, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow(Passer montanus), the Light-vented Bulbul(Pycnonotus sinensis), and the Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle(Mauremys sinensis).
Moving forward, CSC will conduct plant site ecological surveys in three-to-five-year cycles, with at least one additional survey scheduled before 2030. Using the results of the initial survey as a baseline, CSC will perform comparative analyses to track changes in species diversity and environmental quality within the plant sites. By implementing ecological check protocols and nature-based solutions, CSC aims to maintain ecological balance and achieve the goal of No Net Loss (NNL) of biodiversity.
