2024 Accton “Biodiversity” Action Recap 

ESG Spotlight / Environment 🌄 / ESG Office  / March 21th, 2025

In 2024, Accton joined the Carbon Sink and Biodiversity ESG Project Matching Platform by the MOA Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and independently applied for the “ Bats of Hsinchu, Harmonious Coexistence of the Urban Dwellers and Nature “ project, taking concrete actions to support the UN‘s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Embracing the spirit of “Making Partnership Work”, Accton starts from Greater Hsinchu, collaborates with public and private sectors, and connects civil society organizations and research units to implement biodiversity initiatives. We actively support the bat biodiversity surveys in Hsinchu’s watersheds. Through educational seminars and workshops, we engage employees and the public to promote awareness and foster urban-nature harmony.

Rooted Locally, Cultivating Ecological Awareness

Accton has factories in Hsinchu Science Park and Zhubei AI Park. Although these locations are not within biodiversity hotspots, the areas surrounding our urban-based facilities still provide opportunities to observe wildlife commonly found in lowland forests and urban fringes, such as bats and bees. By referencing the Taiwan Ecological Network, there is a “Fengshan and Touqian River Basin Conservation Corridor” in Hsinchu County, and there are two species of bats in this area: the IUCN-listed National Endangered Species (NEN) Frosted Myotis (Vespertilio sinensis), and the National Vulnerable Species (NVU) Formosan Golden Bat (Myotis formosus flavus).

These unfamiliar creatures hold significant ecosystem service value in both urban and rural areas yet face conservation challenges due to people’s misconceptions and lack of awareness. Therefore, Accton is starting from its surrounding environment, integrating the concept of friendly urban habitats, and promoting environmental education activities focused on bats and solitary bees. Through these efforts, the company aims to gradually build ecological awareness among its employees and the general public.

1. Hsinchu, the Bat City – Ecological Seminar

In August 2024, we held our first seminar, “Hsinchu, the Bat City”. Mr. Chun-Chieh Chang was invited to unveil the mystery of bats and the important role they play in the environment in an in-depth and simple way.

Bats are an “umbrella species” in the ecosystem that maintain the healthy functioning of the ecosystem. Different species of bats around the world have different dietary preferences, such as helping to pollinate plants, eating pests in the fields and mosquitoes in the cities, thus bringing benefits to our urban life and creating a huge economic value for agricultural products.

The Sixth Fuel Factory in downtown Hsinchu is home to a group of precious “Frosted Myotis” bats. Although their ultrasonic calls cannot be heard by the human ear, they coexist with the local community and are often seen flying and foraging during spring and summer evenings.

Mr. Chang highlighted the declining population of Frosted Myotis due to environmental changes according to his long-term trend of observation, which should be a concern for us in the long run. All we can do so far is to use specialized equipment that can capture bat sounds for species identification. At the same time, bat roosting boxes can be made and set up at suitable locations to enhance their habitat.

In Eastern cultures, bats symbolize good fortune, often appearing as auspicious totems in temple carvings, incense burners, and paintings. It turns out that bats have long been integrated into our cultural life.

Throughout the seminar, colleagues were attentive and often had curious questions, the atmosphere was lively and full of interest.

2. Bat-house Making and Sound Checking Workshop

Following the seminar, two bat workshops were held in September, leading colleagues to go out into the campus and community to make bat roosting houses and experience bat sound surveys in the evening.

Bat-House Making

The workshop was held at Hsinchu Jian Gong Primary School. First of all, Mr. Heng-Ching Chang, Curator of the Formosan Golden Bat’s Home, introduced the diversity of bats and the existential crisis they face, and introduced the form and function of a bat house to the participants. Then Mr. Hsuan Wang, Secretary of Taiwan Sustainable Union, led the trainees to make a bat house by themselves.

The participants were divided into groups, including families, friends, coworkers and students, and all of them showed the spirit of teamwork to complete the bat house. At the end of the event, a DIY bat lantern was made for the participants to take home as a and to learn more about bats as an “awesome” creature in their lives.

Despite the heavy rainfall on the day of the event, the enthusiasm of the participants was not quenched. Under the guidance of the teachers, the whole event was full of laughter and surprises.

Bat Ultrasound Survey – Citizen Science Workshop

In the evening, we moved to “Home under the Chimney” for an on-site observation of bats, while also experiencing the process and methods of bat sound surveys for the first time.

Teacher Yi-Tzu Tsai of the Home under the Big Chimney, Mr. Chun-Chieh Chang of the Bat Association of Taiwan, and Curator Heng-Chia Chang of the Formosa Golden Bat’s home led the participants into the alleys and lanes of the community to observe the activities and habitat of the Frosted Myotis, an endangered species, in a close-up manner.

Using bat ultrasound detectors (Echo Meter Touch 2) and a mobile app, participants were able to “see” the echolocation sounds emitted by bats in the night sky. This experience helped them realize how closely bats are integrated into our lives, providing them with an unforgettable citizen science experience.

3. DIY Beehive Box Workshop 

Apart from the bats that bring benefits to city life at night, there is another group of unnoticeable creatures that are also important to us during the daytime, namely the “solitary bees”.

The Solitary Bee Workshop was led by Mr. Ming-Hsien Tsai, Chairman of the Bee and Wasp Conservation Association of Taiwan, Mr. Heng-Chia Chang, Curator of the Formosa Golden Bat’s home, and Mr. Yen-Cheng Wu of the DA-MAO-LI-YUAN(an eco-friendly quinoa garden), who taught participants how to make a solitary bee hive and learn about solitary bees.

The seminar provided a comprehensive knowledge on how to identify various common bee species and their benefits to human life, so that bees can no longer only be perceived as honey producers or stingers, but also provide ecological services such as pollination and maintaining balance in the natural world.

Participants worked together to craft beehive for solitary bees, carefully cutting and sanding bamboo step by step. Throughout the process, they not only learned to use cutting tools but also honed their patience and attention to detail, successfully creating beautifully crafted bee homes. Despite the sweat and effort, everyone remained enthusiastic and looked forward to the solitary bees moving in.

4. Edutainment: Discover the Creatures of Accton Little Forest

In 2024, we organized the “Accton Little Forest” lecture and the “Love Nature iNaturalist Treasure Hunt” competition within the company, with guidance from the Society of Wilderness on using the iNaturalist app. These activities provided employees with a fun and easy way to observe local flora and fauna, integrating technology for an engaging learning experience. A total of 434 biological records were documented, including horticultural plants. 

Future Perspectives

As a leading network communications company, Accton connects everything through advanced communication and AI technologies. This same vision drives our ESG efforts, as we continue to promote biodiversity mainstreaming across workplaces, communities, and campuses. We are committed to collaborating with partners to advance land and river environmental education, fostering corporate responsibility and ecological awareness. 

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