09/14/2026
🍊 讓山林智慧重新發芽！差點消失的南庄橙，如今重返原棲地，有望成為部落產業之寶！
#南庄橙 是 #台灣 原生特有植物，1926年由日籍植物學家在 #苗栗 南庄發表、命名，首度留下植物學上的文獻記載。隨著淺山開發及生活型態改變，這顆稀有的水果在野外幾乎絕跡，更被國際自然保育聯盟列為「極度瀕危」物種。為了延續這株珍稀植物，林業保育署近年展開調查、採種與育苗，如今已有5,000多株重新栽植於南庄地區，逐步恢復它在山林中的身影。
但對 #賽夏族 來說，南庄橙並不是1926年才出現的陌生植物。族人早已熟悉它，並稱它為「嘎達釉」，意思是「媽媽準備的糧食」。經過部落耆老回憶與形態比對，確認這就是族人長久以來運用於飲食、醫療與祭典的植物。過去醫藥資源不普及時，族人會將乾燥的嘎達釉研磨成粉，在感冒或生病時食用。對族人而言，嘎達釉承載的，是世代累積的生活經驗，也是與山林相處的珍貴智慧。
這份流傳已久的山林智慧，也成為科研探索的起點。得知部落的傳統應用後，林業保育署進一步開發南庄橙的食品應用，先從果醬、香料等產品著手，也委託國立台灣大學研究團隊探索加工物的科學潛力。研究發現，南庄橙水萃加工物具有降低肺炎相關指標的潛力，相關研究成果也進一步取得發明專利。由於目前國內尚無原住民族傳統智慧財產權保護專法，為避免未來商業利益與來源部落脫節，林業保育署在取得部落同意後，將研究成果申請專利並取得證書，再藉由授權機制分享商業惠益。這也成為國內首例由政府運用科學研究取得專利，再授權給傳統智慧來源部落的案例。
現在也開始有企業加入這行列，未來業者若使用南庄橙作為生產原料，將透過授權機制，讓商業收益適度回饋部落。賽夏合作社規劃將回饋用於族人栽種分潤、合作社營運、族群發展及森林復育。 #萬家福 承諾未來與部落推動南庄橙契作，透過長期採購建立穩定的原料來源與部落收益； #柯亞果醬 則承諾將南庄橙產品獲益的5%回饋部落。從瀕危植物的復育，到找回「嘎達釉」的部落記憶，再走進現代科研、專利與產業，南庄橙正在走出一條兼顧保育、文化與生計的新路，讓山林智慧不只被保存，更能在守護它的土地上繼續生長。🌱👌
🍊 Bringing forest wisdom back to life! Once on the brink of extinction, the Nanzhuang orange is taking root again in its native habitat, ushering in new business opportunities for communities.
A fruit native only to , it was first documented and named by a Japanese botanist in Nanzhuang, , in 1926. But as economic development spread into Taiwan’s foothills and traditional ways of life changed, this rare citrus nearly vanished from the wild; for years, it was named as a critically endangered plant by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Looking to reverse this trend, Taiwan’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has been working to bring it back through field surveys, seed collection and propagation. More than 5,000 Nanzhuang orange trees have now been planted to date, rebounding at a rate that is exceeding expectations.
For the Indigenous Saisiyat people, however, the Nanzhuang orange was never a new discovery. Long before it appeared in botanical records, they had known and used it for generations, calling it Kata’iyok, meaning food prepared by mothers. Through the memories of community elders and comparisons of the plant’s characteristics, the Nanzhuang orange was confirmed as the same plant the Saisiyat have traditionally used for sustenance, medicine and ceremonies. When modern medical care was not readily available, families would dry the fruit, grind it into a powder and take it when they contracted a cold or another illness. For the Saisiyat, Kata’iyok carries generations of lived experience that symbolizes a deep understanding of how to live with the forest.
That generations-old knowledge is now inspiring modern . After learning about the Saisiyat’s traditional uses, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency began exploring applications for the Nanzhuang orange, including jam and seasonings, while a National Taiwan University research team studied the potential of processing the fruit. Researchers have since found that a water-based extract showed potential in reducing indicators associated with pneumonia. With Taiwan still lacking dedicated legislation to protect Indigenous traditional intellectual property, the agency sought the community’s consent before patenting the research findings, creating a pathway to share future commercial benefits with the community that holds the traditional knowledge. This is the first case in Taiwan where a government agency has used scientific research to obtain a patent and then licensed it back to the Indigenous community from which the traditional knowledge originated.
Now, businesses are also stepping in to help turn conservation into a slice of . Companies that use Nanzhuang oranges as a raw material in the future will work through a licensing mechanism that returns a share of the commercial benefits to the Saisiyat community. The Saisiyat cooperative plans to use these returns to support growers, farm operations, community development and forest restoration. Prosperity Plaza, a major supermarket chain in the country, has pledged to establish long-term contract farming with the community. Keya Jam, meanwhile, has committed to returning 5% of the profits from its Nanzhuang orange products to the community. From restoring a critically endangered plant to rediscovering memories of Kata’iyok, the Nanzhuang orange is charting a new path where tradition, innovation and conservation can grow together. The wisdom of the forest is no longer simply being preserved. It is taking root again, on the very land where it belongs. 🌱👌
