National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) announced today the launch of the "NTHU Sustainable Platform," which will connect government agencies, such as the National Science and Technology Council, the Water Resources Agency, and the Ministry of Environment, along with local environmental groups like the Wilderness Conservation Society, to jointly protect the river basins of the Touqian River and others.

According to the university’s press release, NTHU has established the "Clear Water and Beautiful Forest: Environmental Science and Sustainable Watershed Living Circle" Sustainable Platform, which was officially inaugurated today. The platform will focus on environmental sustainability using NTHU's expertise in environmental science and AI (artificial intelligence) technology.

NTHU has long been concerned with the ecological environment of the river basins in the Hsinchu area. The university has conducted biological toxicity testing on the riverbed sediments of the Touqian and Kejia rivers. It has also used fixed cameras, drones, and AI image recognition technology to identify river waste, such as discarded plastic bottles and aluminum cans, providing scientific guidance for future river cleanup efforts.

NTHU President Kao Wei-Yuan stated that the "NTHU Sustainable Platform" will transform scientific research into policy support and collaborate with civil organizations to build a comprehensive action network. He also called on all those who care about river basins to work together toward the vision of "Clear Water and Beautiful Forest."

Lin Deng-Qiu, co-convener of the Taiwan Sustainable Platform and distinguished professor at the Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, remarked that the environmental challenges we face today are diverse and complex. He believes that the Sustainable Platform is a collaborative, cross-department, and cross-disciplinary approach that will help NTHU provide a sustainable management path for rivers like the Touqian.

Pang Gui-Zhi, Chairman of the Taiwan Clean Water Action Alliance, noted that the "NTHU Sustainable Platform" will connect local organizations and establish partnerships with groups such as the Taiwan Clean Water Action Alliance, the Wilderness Conservation Society of the Republic of China, the Environment Protection Association of Guanxi Township in Hsinchu County, and the Taiwan River and Creek Network.

The "Sediment Testing and Biological Toxicity Research" team led by Professor Zhou Xiu-Zhu from NTHU's Institute of Environmental Sciences, and the "Real-Time Monitoring Model Training for River Waste" team led by Professor Huang Neng-Fu from the Department of Computer Science, are also involved in the river protection efforts.

Professor Huang Neng-Fu explained that by setting up intelligent remote-controlled cameras upstream of the Touqian River and using drones to capture aerial views of the surrounding area, they have trained an AI model capable of automatically identifying river waste.

He added that the model currently has an accuracy rate of over 90% in identifying waste such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, paper cups, glass bottles, and foil packets. The goal is to enhance automated monitoring of river basins, provide timely alerts and predictions, and serve as an important guide for the government to develop pollution control policies and river cleanup actions.