One person who has long been studying the ferns of the Nankang Hills is Mou Shan-chieh. Over a decade ago, while a student in the botany department at National Taiwan University, he discovered the richness of the fern ecology there. After finishing his studies he moved to a house not far from the Nankang Hills, so he began surveying the area's ferns.
長期從事南港山蕨類調查的牟善傑，十幾年前還在台大植物系唸書時發現此地豐富的蕨類生態，畢業後搬到南港山區附近居住，也開始了蕨類踏查之旅。