WLI World September 2026
Satoumi Leadership Camp — 2026 Lujiao Creek Wetland Junior Patrol Team
After visiting the Heping Island community, we designed a curriculum that enables junior students to examine the issues facing the Keelung area based on two dimensions: severity and urgency.
A short walk from the train station, we came upon a three-sided harbor. Four black kites circled above two cruise ships, scanning for food. Beyond the harbor rose a wall of green hills covered with houses. A giant “KEELUNG” sign stood above them. It was the morning of July 21, and the members of the Lujiao Creek Wetland Junior Environmental Patrol Team were ready for their annual leadership camp in Keelung, Taiwan.
This leadership camp has long been a tradition of the patrol team. Each year, the team’s college sophomores organize a four-day summer camp for its middle and high school members. The activities center around a chosen environmental topic. Past camps have explored themes such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Net Zero, and “think globally, act locally.” This year, we turned our attention to the concept of Satoumi.
Satoumi is a Japanese concept describing a mutually beneficial relationship between coastal environments and human communities. Rather than treating human activity as inherently harmful to nature, Satoumi highlights how coastal communities can actively care for their environment while ultimately benefiting from healthy coastal ecosystems.
The city of Keelung offered an amazing opportunity for us to observe Satoumi at work. We visited the Baimiweng Fort, where we learned about the lives of traditional harbor workers and how they adapted to the local landscape. They used the steep hills to build homes close to the harbor and covered their roofs with asphalt to withstand Keelung’s frequent rain. At Heping Island, we also learned how local culture and beliefs evolved around life along the coast.
As Keelung’s ports declined due to increasing competition from other harbors, the city worked to revitalize the local economy through tourism and environmental conservation. While kayaking, we experienced firsthand how a healthy coastline can support local tourism. At the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, we learned how local residents and divers are trained as citizen scientists to monitor the well-being of the coral reefs. Finally, we visited Keelung Islet, where regulations on tourism and fishing help protect its biodiversity.
The evenings were also filled with educational activities. Through a board game developed by the event organizers, we began to understand the different perspectives involved in land development. Residents might prioritize access to housing, environmental organizations might oppose road expansion, while governments may focus on economic growth. Senior members of the patrol team also led a workshop on developing project proposals. The workshop inspired us to reflect on our experiences at Lujiao Creek Wetland, identify an issue we wanted to address, and deliver an elevator pitch for a potential solution.
To conclude our Keelung journey, we proudly gathered at the station square. We presented what we had learned about Keelung and Satoumi. We reflected on the four memorable days we spent with our teammates. And finally, we returned home with a deeper understanding of how people and the environment can shape and sustain one another.
Learn how to become a citizen scientist at the Museum of Marine Science and Technology. 
The Keelung islet is restricted to tours led by approved boat operators, hence limiting tourist disturbance on the islet.
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