Enjoy an Ecological Tour in Liouguei

Eighteen Arhats Mountain Natural Humanities Association supports small farmers and promotes environmental education

　The Eighteen Arhats Mountain Natural Humanities Association（十八羅漢山自然人文協會）is helping local residents to receive professional training and certification, so they can provide guided tours, in-depth travel, and environmental education services in this protected area in Kaohsiung's Liouguei District.
　Association members also conduct regular mountain patrols, to identify and protect rare plants like the endemic Salvia tashiroi Hayata, and to report illegal activities by loggers. They are one of the few community associations in Taiwan that manages and monitors a natural reserve, while also leading ecotourism activities. 

　In recognition of their efforts, the NGO received the Kaohsiung City Environmental Education Excellence Award in 2023（高雄市環境教育優等獎）. Their collaboration with ecotourism communities across Taiwan includes establishing a resource-sharing mechanism to assist other groups engaged in ecotourism and regional revitalization. They also partner with National Pingtung University of Science and Technology（國立屏東科技大學）and the Pingtung Division of the Ministry of Agriculture's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency（林業及自然保育署）. At the same time, they actively support the area's small farmers, founding the cultural-creative brand Liou-Guei Select（六山十八）to promote local produce such as pepper, hand-picked mountain tea, plum wine, and aiyu jelly. This initiative aims to boost the local economy and contribute to cultural development.

Return (亀心Return): Revitalizing the Community and Inheriting a Century-Long Vision

　In an effort to revive the glory days of a century-old business, Chen Jia-hong（陳佳鴻）, founder of Shih Yang Miao Cultural Enterprise Studio（蒔秧苗文化事業工作室）, collaborates with young individuals from indigenous tribes. Together, they are striving to reinterpret and rejuvenate Hong Kun-yuan Trading Company（洪稇源商號）on Liouguei Old Street. To breathe new life into this century-old business — a venue for trade between indigenous people and Han Chinese since the 1895-1945 period of Japanese colonial rule — the local brand Return was officially launched in February 2024. 
　The store offers coffee and storytelling, with plans to integrate baking and accommodation to achieve sustainable development through the preservation of historical sites and cultural fusion. Chen sees local regeneration as a vital mission. By embracing the concept of linking Provincial Highway 27A（台27甲線）, and connecting with places like Meinong, Liouguei, and Taoyuan, they are dedicated to regional revitalization and encouraging young people to return to their hometowns. The name “Return” symbolizes the profound meaning of returning home with a determined heart.

十八羅漢山生態協會 支持小農、推動環境教育

由當地的居民組成的十八羅漢山自然人文協會，經過專業培訓和認證，提供保護區導覽解說、深度旅遊和環境教育服務。他們定期巡山監測，發現田代氏鼠尾草等珍稀植物，並通報不法行為，協助破獲過山老鼠集團，是少數將自然保護區交由社區協會管理、監測並經營生態旅遊的案例之一，更於2023年獲高雄市環境教育優等獎肯定。

協會和全臺生態旅遊社區合作，建立資源共享機制，協助其他社區生態旅遊及創生發展，更與屏科大、林業及自然保育署屏東分署攜手，支持當地小農，成立文創品牌「六山十八」，推廣友善地方的小農產品，如胡椒、手採山茶、梅漿及愛玉等，促進當地經濟和文化發展。

亀心Return 地域活化傳承百年願景

為重現百年商行榮景，蒔秧苗文化事業工作室創辦人陳佳鴻與原住民部落青年攜手，將六龜老街上的洪稇源商號重新轉譯，六龜地區的在地品牌「亀心」自2024年2月揭牌誕生，為這座自日治時期起就是原民與漢人交易的百年商行重新賦予生命。

「亀心」商行提供咖啡和故事分享，並計畫結合烘焙和住宿，以實現古蹟維護和文化融合的永續發展。陳佳鴻強調，他們將地方創生視為重要使命，透過串聯台27甲軸線的概念，連結美濃、六龜、桃源等地，致力於地區活化和青年歸鄉服務，如同「亀心」象徵歸心似箭的意涵。

• 十八羅漢山自然人文協會　
高雄市六龜區復興巷37-15號
（07）6894063
• 亀心 Return
高雄市六龜區華南街37-47號
0958-362-167