A new law to ensure the conservation of the nation’s wetlands went into effect yesterday, the result of years of effort by environmental groups and government agencies.
Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) said the newly enacted Wetlands Conservation Act (溼地保育法) was designed to protect wetlands and to establish regulations to manage economic activities within designated areas.
The law marked a break with traditional methods of wilderness conservation, as it allowed for certified local industries to continue through a system of certification and compensation measures, Chen said.
Photo: Yang Chin-cheng, Taipei Times
Local businesses in the agriculture, tourism and education sectors are to be encouraged to apply for certification through the ministry’s Wetland Mark system, Chen said.
The ministry currently lists 85 wetlands in the nation as designated protected areas, classified by three levels — local, national and international.
In accordance with principles adopted from the Ramsar Convention, a global convention on the protection of wetlands developed in Iran in 1971, the act is to encourage the “wise use” of wetland resources — seeking sustainability without excluding local human activities.
The act establishes mechanisms that allow for economic development in wetlands by requiring developers who pursue business activities to contribute to an environmental protection fund.
In line with the convention’s principle of “no net loss,” developers in wetlands can also partake in off-site restoration efforts of wetlands in other locations.
National Parks Division Deputy Director Ou Cheng-hsing (歐正興) said that the act would involve joint efforts between national land-use planning agencies, adding that over 10 supporting laws have been established since the passage of the act in 2013.
He added that increased awareness of the importance of wetlands — often described as “nature’s kidneys” due to their cleansing functions in ecosystems — have led to an increase in public participation at community events related to wetland conservation.
Efforts to initiate the landmark act of legislation were boosted in 2011 following two successful environmental movements against large-scale development projects — a proposed biotech research center in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) wetlands and plans for a petrochemical complex in Changhua County’s Dacheng Wetlands (大城溼地).
The act received bipartisan support in the legislature, with lawmakers from both the pan-green and pan-blue camps enjoying a tour of Guandu Nature Park in Taipei yesterday to commemorate its enactment.
Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom. Recounting their ordeal, one victim on Monday said she was asked by a friend to visit Thailand and help set up a bank account there, for which they would be paid NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 (US$2,136 to US$3,051). The victim said she had not found it strange that her friend was not coming along on the trip, adding that when she
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
RSS