This study examines Taiwan’s ecological footprint (EF) and its Overshoot Day from 2000 to 2018. The latest EF calculation method is used to determine the conversion rates and equivalent factors of bioproductive lands in each year to establish a database of Taiwan’s EF in that period. The results reveal that Taiwan’s EF was 7.69 gha/person in 2000, dropping steadily to 6.46 gha/person in 2018. Taiwan’s carbon footprint accounted for about 61% of Taiwan’s total EF, slightly higher than the world average (60%). The carbon footprint as a proportion of the total EF has been increasing annually. This study adopts social communication tools, such as the overshoot day and the earth clock, to promote sustainable development goals and climate change policy initiatives. Global Footprint Network (GFN) updates the overshoot day of each country in its database yearly, based on each country’s EF and biocapacity. Since Taiwan is not included in GFN, this study adopts the same method and finds out that Taiwan's Overshoot Day in 2018 was March 14th, meaning that on March 14th, 2018, Taiwan exhausted all of the biological resources that its bioproductive lands can regenerate in the year. If the global population lived like Taiwanese, four Earths would be required to provide the resources used. This result not only reflects the consumption of natural resources in Taiwan, but also indicates that Taiwan should focus on sustainable development and reduce that consumption.

In recent years, citizen science has emerged as a vital component of large-scale scientific research, relying on the collaboration of participants and scientists in gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating new discoveries. Research has shown that citizen science participants not only assist in data collection but also make significant contributions to their scientific and environmental education. However, the wide range of learning process and approach associated with citizen science has resulted in numerous studies using different theories to examine learning outcomes. This paper seeks to compile various learning theories that align with citizen science participation and engagement. The theories to be explored include experiential learning, sociocultural theory, social learning theory, free-choice learning, constructivism learning theory, and situated learning. By synthesizing these theories, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive reference for the growing body of research on learning with citizen scientists.

Community-based citizen science plays a vital role in biodiversity conservation by engaging the public in scientific research while fostering environmental awareness. This study evaluates a citizen science project conducted in the Taoyuan Algal Reef (TAR) region of Taiwan, focusing on participants’ motivations, learning outcomes, and their relationship with behavioral intentions toward biodiversity conservation. Despite a small sample size, our findings provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of such initiatives. Learning and self-achievement emerged as the primary motivators for participation, with social interaction playing a secondary role. Using the structural equation model (SEM), we confirmed that attitude serves as a critical mediator between knowledge, sense of place, and behavioral intention. This supports the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB) model, emphasizing that knowledge acquisition fosters attitudinal shifts that ultimately drive conservation behavior. Moreover, place-based learning was identified as a key component in strengthening participants’ sense of place and ecological awareness. Our findings suggest that aligning citizen science initiatives with participants’ motivations enhances engagement and long-term conservation efforts. Additionally, ongoing community monitoring not only contributes to scientific data collection but also empowers local communities in environmental decision-making. This study highlights the broader educational, social, and ecological benefits of community-based citizen science and underscores the need for systematic evaluations to optimize its impact.

The present study surveyed the land hermit crab species, body size, shell type, and shell suitability, at five sites over four seasons in the Penghu County Wang-an Island Green Turtle Nesting Refuge. Coenobita rugosus H. Milne Edwards, 1837 was the only species recorded and found at three sites (Tiantai Hill, Xi’an Reservoir, and Tudigong). The density index of hermit crabs exhibited notable variations across the sites, showing no significant variation with the changing seasons. The bush habitat displayed a higher density index compared to the sand habitat. Additionally, the sites differed significantly in terms of the shell type and body size of the hermit crabs. Further, no significant relationship was established between abundance and weather factors or between crab abundance and sea turtle nesting. This investigation is a preliminary examination of the possibility of land hermit crabs being used as bioindicators for breeding of sea turtles.

The Ecological Footprint (EF) is a measurement broadly adopted by the international community to measure the progress toward sustainability. Taiwan’s EF methods refer to the annual reports of the Global Footprint Network (GFN). Therefore, the calculation method closely follows international trends and is updated accordingly. Since the first calculation of Taiwan’s EF in 1998, Taiwan’s EF has been revised several times. At present, the EF from 1994 to 2011 can be obtained. The purpose of this study is to update Taiwan’s EF from 2012 to 2018. This study divides the biologically productive lands into six categories. Since there are two different data sources for fishing grounds and carbon emissions, Taiwan’s EF can be calculated with four different results. Overall, Taiwan’s EF shows a slow downward trend from 2012 to 2018. Furthermore, Taiwan’s carbon footprint accounted for about 70% of the EF, followed by the cropland footprint, which accounted for about 20% of the EF. Compared with global trends, Taiwan’s carbon footprint is about 10% higher than the global carbon footprint, indicating that Taiwan’s carbon emissions are higher than the global average. With the global emphasis on carbon reduction, Taiwan needs to focus on improving carbon emissions.