NCKU’s Cheng-Kung Lake Dredging Project

In October 2024, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) launched the Cheng-Kung Lake dredging project, aiming to improve the lake’s water quality while integrating environmental education to raise ecological awareness among students and the general public. The project, organized by the Office of General Affairs in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs, the College of Life Sciences, and the Department of Environmental Engineering, featured the event “Let’s Explore! The Great Treasure of Cheng-Kung Lake.” Students were invited to enter the lake and participate in a “treasure hunt,” collecting fish, turtles, and other aquatic organisms while receiving ecological education and environmental knowledge. This hands-on experience not only helped students understand the diversity of aquatic life but also fostered a stronger awareness of water quality protection and ecosystem conservation.

Through the combination of dredging and ecological education, National Cheng Kung University not only improved the lake’s water quality but also planted the seeds of environmental awareness and ecological stewardship in students’ minds. Such initiatives help enhance public understanding of biodiversity conservation and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

To further improve the water quality of Cheng-Kung Lake, NCKU introduced a “Smart Water Quality Monitoring and Treatment Vessel,” an unmanned boat integrating artificial intelligence with water treatment capabilities. Developed collaboratively by the Department of Environmental Engineering, the Department of Systems Engineering, and the Department of Naval Architecture, the vessel underwent two years of research and development and has been successfully tested in multiple reservoirs. It can monitor water quality in real time and perform surface cleaning operations, effectively removing algae, reducing nutrient concentrations, and improving overall water quality.
The introduction of the “Smart Water Quality Monitoring and Treatment Vessel” not only improved the water quality of Cheng-Kung Lake but also demonstrated the application of advanced technology in water protection and ecological conservation. This innovative measure helps safeguard the habitats of aquatic organisms, maintain biodiversity, and provides a valuable reference for water management in other regions.

NCKU Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center

NCKU has established the “NCKU Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center” at the An Nan campus. The center showcases records of years of whale and dolphin rescue missions and practical work in marine conservation. It aims to provide visitors with a unique opportunity for knowledge and practical learning, promoting marine life conservation and education, and further deepening the university's social responsibility.

The main objective of the NCKU Dolphin and Whale Center is to assist in the rescue and management of stranded whales and dolphins in Taiwan, conducting research related to rescue, medical care, rehabilitation, release, or post-mortem examination, sampling, and subsequent analysis of cases involving live or dead stranded whales and dolphins. When there are live stranding cases, the center immediately sets up a dolphin and whale rescue station to conduct rescue operations. In the case of deceased individuals, the center follows different post-mortem procedures and sampling analyses based on the degree of freshness or decomposition. This includes handling and preserving whale and dolphin skeletal samples. For extremely fresh deceased individuals, besides standard organ sampling and microbiological analysis, systematic research is conducted on precious samples.