The government is considering charging hikers for rescue operations in response to a recent increase in mountain hiking accidents, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday.
The ministry recently submitted a plan on national park hiking management and rescue to the Executive Yuan for consultation, the ministry said in a statement.
Search-and-rescue personnel work in difficult conditions to save hikers, National Park Service Director Wang Cheng-chi (王成機) said.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
Search-and-rescue mobilization and helicopter dispatch costs would be included in the new mechanism, Wang said, adding that the amounts are under review to ensure reasonable, nationally consistent standards.
Several recent incidents have highlighted the public’s lack of awareness regarding mountaineering safety, such as disregarding weather changes or lack of preparation, the ministry said.
In several cases, hikers’ lack of preparedness or safety led to the mobilization of search-and-rescue resources as well as contraventions of the National Park Act (國家公園法) or other local regulations, the statement said.
From 2019 to last year, there were 195 contraventions of mountain hiking management laws, totaling NT$2.01 million (US$61,930) in fines, in addition to another NT$1.6 million in fines for 781 contraventions of the National Park Act, it said.
As mountaineering activities and rescue involve agencies across several different ministries, the ministry invited officials and experts within the mountaineering community for two discussions to exchange opinions, it said.
Participants agreed that regulations, penalties and fees should be consistent nationwide, including a mechanism by which users pay for rescue services, it said.
The National Park Service is also developing an app that would provide maps, real-time weather alerts, safety guidance and automatically transmit users’ coordinates to improve rescue efficiency, the ministry said.
The government’s goal is not to restrict hiking, but to protect climbers and use technology to reduce risk, Wang said.
The ministry would also impose penalties on hikers who change routes, camp illegally, waste resources or act in a way that puts others at risk, with a maximum penalty of a three-year ban on entry to national parks, it said.
While the ministry promotes bringing people closer to nature, hikers should engage with nature responsibly and respectfully, it added.
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