Maolin National Scenic Area's “Freeway Shutdown for Butterflies” Wins Second Place Worldwide at the 2026 ITB Green Destinations Story Awards.-Maolin National Scenic Area Headquarters

To showcase Taiwan’s strength in combining ecological conservation with sustainable tourism, the Maolin National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Administration, MOTC announced good news from ITB Berlin 2026 on March 4. With its story titled “Freeway Shutdown for Butterflies—Creating a Safe Route Home for Purple Crow Butterfly,” it won second place worldwide in the “Nature and Scenery” category of the Green Destinations Story Awards.

ITB Berlin has partnered with the Green Destinations Foundation of the Netherlands to conduct a second-round evaluation each year for finalists selected for the global “Top 100 Stories.” The award is regarded as one of the highest honors in sustainable tourism and aims to recognize the world’s most inspiring tourism practice cases. The award-winning story from Maolin National Scenic Area Headquarters focused on one of the world’s only two Overwintering Butterfly Valley sites within Maolin National Scenic Area. Every winter, hundreds of thousands of Purple Crow Butterfly migrate south to overwinter, forming a stunning purple butterfly cascade. To protect the northbound spring migration from being swept into vehicle airflow while crossing the freeway, the Maolin National Scenic Area Headquarters has, since 2007, worked across agencies with the Freeway Bureau, MOTC and the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Ecological Conservation Association to launch the “Freeway Shutdown for Butterflies” initiative.

Through protective nets, guiding vegetation, and dynamic monitoring, the outer lane is closed to ensure safe passage for the butterflies. This sustainable practice of letting people yield to butterflies has continued for 17 years, successfully reducing butterfly roadkill mortality from 30‰ to below 3‰. The effort goes beyond technical protection by deeply integrating local culture and community strength. Maolin National Scenic Area Headquarters has actively restored Purple Crow Butterfly habitats within its jurisdiction, including leasing 60 hectares of privately owned land and prohibiting logging to protect overwintering habitat, while also hiring local Indigenous residents as patrol personnel and environmental education instructors. This model, which roots conservation awareness in local communities and drives Indigenous community revitalization, has won strong recognition from the international judges.

On the day of the awards ceremony, a special “Taiwan Tourism Special Contribution Award” was presented to Albert Salman, founder of the Green Destinations Foundation, in appreciation of his support for aligning Taiwan with global sustainable tourism standards. Later, at the award presentation on the Blue Stage, Maolin National Scenic Area Headquarters secured second place amid strong international competition. The honor not only demonstrated the results of Taiwan’s long-term participation in international Green Destinations programs, but also showed global travelers Taiwan’s determination to protect the planet and develop sustainable tourism.

Ko Chien-hsing, Director of Maolin National Scenic Area Headquarters, said the award is not only international recognition of Maolin’s long-term commitment to ecological conservation, but also an important milestone in Taiwan’s promotion of sustainable tourism. “Purple Crow Butterfly is Maolin’s most precious natural asset. Through the practice of ‘Freeway Shutdown for Butterflies,’ we have shown the world that economic development and the natural environment can coexist and prosper.”

For more information on Maolin National Scenic Area Headquarters’ tourism activities, please visit the official website or follow its Facebook fan page.