This year, the Irrigation Agency continued to organize tree planting, maintenance, and adoption programs to strengthen vegetated green corridors along irrigation canals and ponds. In line with national net-zero agriculture policy, the Agency also advanced the Farmland Irrigation Sustainability ESG Project. For this year, Allianz Life was successfully matched with the tree planting and maintenance program at Pond No. 8-29 of the Taoyuan Main Canal, with a tree planting event held on October 18, 2025. Through tangible action, the project put agricultural sustainability and ESG principles into practice. Today, Chief Secretary Zhu Xiao-en of the Irrigation Agency joined Allianz Life Board Director and Chief Financial Officer Oliver Wohlgemuth, Chief Marketing Officer Zheng Xiang-kun, and more than 100 employees and their families in a tree planting activity at the open spaces surrounding Pond No. 8-29 of the Taoyuan Main Canal. Together, they helped create a diverse green recreational corridor around the irrigation pond and contributed to global net-zero carbon reduction efforts.

Chief Secretary Zhu Xiao-en of the Irrigation Agency noted that the Taoyuan Plateau was formed by alluvial deposits from the Dahan River. Because rivers on the plateau are short, available surface water sources are limited. In addition, the red soil layer of the Taoyuan Plateau contains high clay content, resulting in limited groundwater yield. Early settlers took advantage of the red soil’s low permeability to excavate irrigation ponds for water storage and irrigation, giving rise to the landscape known as Taoyuan, the land of a thousand ponds. With irrigation ponds providing water for agriculture, agricultural prosperity in turn drove the development of settlements, forming the distinctive “pond culture” of Taoyuan. This has made a profound contribution to the foundations of Taiwan’s agriculture and public infrastructure.

In the past, Taoyuan’s irrigation ponds were vital facilities for supporting farmers. Today, through the promotion of the Farmland Irrigation Sustainability ESG Project, they now benefit the broader public. By planting appropriate trees and shrubs around the ponds, the project not only enhances water conservation functions, but also increases biodiversity and the value of ecosystem services. In the future, these areas will provide recreational spaces for local residents and contribute to net-zero carbon reduction. The irrigation ponds in the Guanyin District of Taoyuan are also important habitats for winter migratory birds. Every autumn and winter, large numbers of migratory birds such as tufted ducks and cormorants can be seen gathering there. Tree planting around the ponds further helps create suitable wintering habitats for these birds.

Pond No. 8-29 of the Taoyuan Main Canal serves as a Farmland Irrigation Sustainability ESG site. Today, employees of Allianz Life and the Irrigation Agency worked together to plant approximately 230 trees, and over the next four years, tree planting and maintenance will continue across an area of about 4,800 square meters. By personally planting saplings to create green corridors around the irrigation pond and protect valuable agricultural water resources, participants in this public-private collaboration help pass on the commitment to ecological sustainability. The organizers hope that all sectors will join this initiative dedicated to caring for local communities and safeguarding water resources, working together to create a better environment and protect precious agricultural water resources.