1. Legislature passes organic law to upgrade Council of Agriculture

On May 17^th, The Legislative Yuan passed a law to upgrade the status of the Council of Agriculture (COA) to a stand-alone ministry, introducing new offices under it to address challenges such as climate change. The ministry, established under the Organic Act of the Ministry of Agriculture, will have a larger workforce and budget to better promote rural development and the welfare of local farmers and fishermen, said COA head Chen Chi-chung. For instance, the COA's Forestry Bureau and the Forest Conservation and Management Administration under the Veterans Affairs Council will be merged into a single agency responsible for handling Taiwan's forestry and nature conservation. There will also be a new department in charge of animal welfare in the wake of the increasing popularity of pets in Taiwan to make sure animals are properly treated, according to the COA.

2.Taiwan's endangered black-faced spoonbill population increases

The global population of black-faced spoonbills, a globally endangered species, currently numbers 6,603 according to the latest census carried out by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. More than 4,288, some 64% of the global population, wintered in Taiwan. The main areas for the black-faced spoonbill include Tainan, Kaohsiung, and the border of Changhua and Yunlin, according to the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Forestry Bureau.