From LINE Stickers to Environmental Education: ECOVE Establishes a New Paradigm for Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation

The "Purple Butterfly Valley" is a world-class natural wonder formed by the long-distance migration and overwintering aggregation of the purple crow butterfly. ECOVE Environment Corp. operates multiple Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilities across Taiwan, many of which are located along the migratory pathways of the purple crow butterfly. Among them, the Zhunan Wetland near the Miaoli EfW Plant serves as the largest breeding ground for the Double-branded Black Crow butterfly (Euploea sylvester). 

This article highlights how ECOVE, through its "Purple Butterfly Conservation Plan," transforms biodiversity conservation concepts into concrete practices involving employee engagement and community well-being. Through habitat creation, LINE stickers, environmental education, seed instructor training, butterfly-friendly planting, and community collaboration, ECOVE has established a replicable paradigm for purple crow butterfly conservation.

Actions to Safeguard the Sustainable Future of Purple Crow Butterflies and Promote Biodiversity Conservation

The purple crow butterfly is a tropical species and one of the few butterfly species worldwide that engage in large-scale migration. Each year, it migrates long distances from north to south, forming the world-class natural wonder known as the "Purple Butterfly Valley." Similar to other species, purple crow butterfly larvae feed on specific host plants, while adult butterflies rely on specific nectar sources to replenish the energy required for migration and reproduction. Consequently, its survival does not depend solely on a single habitat but rather on the ecological stability between breeding grounds, migratory corridors, and overwintering sites, making them important indicators of large-scale ecosystem health.

ECOVE's multiple EfW facilities across Taiwan are located along the key migratory routes of the purple crow butterfly. This geographical connection has enabled ECOVE to recognize the close link between its operations and the local ecosystems while advancing resource cycling and environmental management.

ECOVE realizes that biodiversity is not a distant environmental issue, but a long-term responsibility that companies must address through resource cycling, pollution reduction, facility management, and community engagement. In 2024, ECOVE adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, with the goal of achieving no net loss of nature and biodiversity by 2030 and net positive impact and zero deforestation by 2050. ECOVE selected the purple crow butterfly as its focus species due to its ecological significance, local relevance, and potential for environmental education. To ensure that the public recognize and understand the importance of the purple crow butterfly and biodiversity conservation, ECOVE launched the "Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Plan," turning conservation concepts into tangible actions through three key approaches: eco-friendly habitat creation, public engagement, and environmental education.

ECOVE has established a close bond with the purple crow butterfly, as many of its EfW facilities across Taiwan are located along the butterfly's migratory routes.

Establishing Internal Consensus to Integrate Biodiversity into Daily Operations

In addition to launching the conservation plan, ECOVE actively utilizes existing communication channels—including the biodiversity forum, the ESG x AI Moment  series, the purple crow butterfly section on its ESG website, and the purple crow butterfly poster exhibition—to continuously introduce the ecological characteristics and conservation significance of the purple crow butterfly. These initiatives enable employees to understand the species, as well as its connection with facility environments and corporate sustainability.

Upon establishing a foundational awareness, ECOVE further explored ways to seamlessly integrate purple crow butterfly conservation and biodiversity concepts into employees’ daily lives, encouraging them not only to understand the issues but also to  develop a stronger sense of connection and engagement. Therefore, ECOVE transforms the butterfly's ecological characteristics and knowledge into creative materials for daily communication. LINE stickers featuring the purple crow butterfly's unique traits and engaging messages were created, allowing employees to naturally encounter and learn about the species during daily conversations.

Through diverse and relatable communication approaches, the conservation of the purple crow butterfly transitions from a one-way awareness campaign into an accessible and shareable part of employees’ daily lives. In addition, ECOVE further strengthens employees’ engagement with biodiversity through butterfly mark-and-release activities, gradually fostering a sense of conservation awareness and embedding sustainability into its corporate culture.

ECOVE has created LINE stickers and cultural and creative products featuring the purple crow butterfly, giving environmental education a fresh and engaging image.

In 2025, ECOVE invited the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Association to share its conservation initiatives and picture book stories at the 4th SDG ASIA Expo. In 2026, ECOVE further produced a short film titled "Every Wing Counts, A Lifetime in Purple," which documented the company’s journey in protecting purple crow butterfly habitats.

ECOVE has produced a biodiversity short film featuring the purple crow butterfly to promote ecological conservation awareness and environmental education.

Purple Crow Butterflies Fluttering Within Facilities—The Result of Eco-Friendly Habitat Creation

ECOVE operates multiple EfW facilities across Taiwan. By integrating its extensive experience in facility management, ecological surveys, and promotion of environmental education, ECOVE has further incorporated biodiversity considerations into its existing operational sites. Through the establishment of dedicated zones for the purple crow butterfly within facilities, combined with environmental monitoring and ecological surveys, ECOVE has created a purple crow butterfly-friendly habitats that support biodiversity conservation.

ECOVE has established dedicated purple crow butterfly zones within its facilities, offering educational tours that allow visitors to learn more about the species and its ecological significance.

Taking the Miaoli EfW Plant as an example, the facility has established a long-term environmental monitoring mechanism to continuously track ecological changes in the surrounding terrestrial, botanical, and wetland aquatic areas. In April 2025, the Miaoli facility conducted two ecological surveys of the purple crow butterfly in Zhunan. Building upon existing monitoring mechanisms and professional investigations, the facility further enhanced its understanding of the purple crow butterfly habitats, nectar plants, and surrounding environmental conditions.

The facility also participated in the purple crow butterfly mark-and-release activities at the Maolin National Scenic Area. In 2024 and 2025, nearly 2,000 purple crow butterflies were marked and released, supporting the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Association in accumulating valuable research and conservation data. 

Furthermore, ECOVE integrates its engineering expertise to collaborate with its parent company, CTCI Corporation, in formulating the "Eco-Friendly Design Guidelines," translating purple crow butterfly conservation requirements into practical references for facility planning and design.

In addition, ECOVE plans to cultivate nectar plants in areas near the butterfly's migratory pathways, based on the geographical location, climate conditions, vegetation status, and feasibility of subsequent maintenance at each facility. In 2025, four facilities—Keelung, Houli, Xizhou, and Taitung—participated in this initiative, covering a total planting area of 84.87 square meters with 1,010 plants. Purple crow butterflies and other species have already been observed at multiple facilities,  transforming these operational sites into living spaces for observing butterfly activity and understanding biodiversity.

ECOVE has established nectar plant habitats within its facilities, enabling employees to observe purple crow butterfly directly on-site.

Deepening Environmental Education and Cultivating Seed Instructors Through Community Empowerment

After building internal consensus on biodiversity conservation, ECOVE further extends its initiatives to the promotion of external environmental education by developing educational materials covering purple crow butterfly ecology, species identification, migratory pathways, and biodiversity concepts.

In collaboration with the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Association, ECOVE cultivated a total of 37 environmental education instructors between 2024 and 2025. These materials will be utilized at ECOVE’s various EfW facilities across Taiwan, as well as the "Step by Step: Factories for Sustainable Environmental Education" program.

ECOVE held a workshop at Flying Cow Ranch to train seed instructors for the purple crow butterfly conservation program.

Employees participated enthusiastically in the instructor training program and learned purple crow butterflies mark-and-release techniques.

In addition to training environmental education instructors, ECOVE has collaborated with the Haikou Community Development Association in Zhunan Township, Miaoli County, the Hsinchu Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, and the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Association to promote the Hailong Protection Forest Purple Crow Butterfly Conservation Pioneer Action Plan. 


Through professional training, the initiative has established a community patrol team with purple crow butterfly conservation knowledge and habitat monitoring capabilities, expanding conservation efforts from corporate initiatives to community education and local stewardship. This collaboration continues to build long-term capacity for biodiversity conservation and environmental education inheritance.

A Lifetime of "Purple" Protection

Looking ahead, ECOVE will continue to build upon its core business of resource cycling and further advance its conservation plan for the purple crow butterfly. By integrating its engineering expertise with environmental management experience, ECOVE will work closely with various sectors to expand its conservation impact, establishing a new sustainable paradigm where businesses and nature coexist in harmony.