“reading sea creatures & corals: a penghu story” (esri story map) is my love letter to the coral reef ecosystem and the organisms it supports in the penghu archipelago, taiwan. i collaborated with the foundation of pescadores citizens, a local ngo, to organize volunteer sessions on penghu’s main island for scleractinian coral rehabilitation.

while stationed on the island, i was inspired by the terns soaring through the sky and the sea turtles swimming freely in the ocean. this inspiration led me to write two short stories featured in the story map, looking into their challenges living under anthropogenic impacts. by the end of last summer, i had helped transplant over 90 coral stems with volunteers and mapped live coral coverage across five sites (2020–2023) on penghu’s main island and in south penghu marine national park for long-term monitoring efforts. the map integrates underwater footage, photography, film and digital photos, gis maps, and figures from the scientific literature to immerse the audience in the underwater world.

the story map is divided into five sections, beginning with my short stories on greater crested terns and sea turtles, an introduction to the biology of corals, and the restoration work i carried out with the ngo in penghu. my story raises awareness of the urgent need to preserve coral reef ecosystems and inspire a deeper love for the ocean.

click on the presentation below to read the full story!