Thu, Apr 25, 2002 page8

• Aborigines should act as forest protectors

  • By Tien Chiu-chin 田秋菫
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  I am deeply concerned about the land, especially the forests, and the rights and interests of the Aborigines of Taiwan. Since an association to promote Abori-gines' rights and interests was established more than 20 years ago, I have worked hand in hand with its members. I have also taken part in the activities to save cypress trees in Chilan (棲蘭), or Makao (馬告) as it is usually referred to, along with many friends. The most important thing for us is the question of how to retain the vitality of the land after 40 years of logging on Makao Mountain by the Vocational Assistance Com-mission for Retired Servicemen (VACRS, 退輔會).

  Over the past 40 years, the VACRS has logged 6,000 hectares of primitive cypress forests in Tatung (大同) township, Ilan County. In the past decade, the VACRS, purporting to be "clearing dead shrubbage," has crossed Hsuehshan (Snow Mountain, 雪山) and cut down 800 hectares of snags and broadleaf trees under cypress trees in Fuhsing (復興) township, Taoyuan County and Chienshih (尖石) township, Hsinchu County. The destruction of water and soil in the process has been truly horrific. Members of the Atayal tribe (泰雅族) can testify to this tragedy.

  Many people have seen truck-loads of huge cypress trees being driven from the mountain by the VACRS, but they don't know what to do. After a long period of demonstrations by groups and after more than 100,000 people signed a petition, the VACRS was finally banned from hewing down the forests in Makao Mountain. But these national treasures are still not completely safe.

  We suggest the establishment of a Makao Chinese Cypress national park (馬告檜木國家公園) because the management of a national park is more comprehensive in terms of budgets, systems and deployment of manpower. We understand that Aborigines have suffered greatly because Taiwan's parks used to follow US national parks in practicing unmanned management. We therefore believe that if we are to build a national park, it must conform to international trends and regard the conservation of Aboriginal culture as its principal aim and strive to co-exist with the Aborigines.

  Ministry of the Interior officials -- at the request of Aborigines, academia and conservation groups -- promised that joint management mechanisms would be set up between national parks and local Aborigines in the future.

  It is to be hoped that in this way the wisdom and experience gained by Aborigines over thousands of years can be incorporated into the parks and the relevant regulations. Only when Aborigines and forests are protected can the many problems of Taiwan's mountains and rivers be resolved.

  However, we have recently seen many groups that are eager to swing their axes on Makao Mountain lobbying Aborigines for support. They claim that they do this for the good of the Aborigines, when in fact they simply want to use the Aborigines' power to protect their interests and enable them to continue logging.

  Let's hope that Aborigines' interests and the rare cypress tress can both be protected. Let's also hope that activists for Aboriginal rights and interests and activists for conservation of Taiwan's mountains can join forces to call for amendments to regulations and for the government to approve legislation and funding to protect Aborigines' traditional living space.

  Let Aborigines share the responsibility for the conservation of their mountain homes. Let them become the protectors of the mountains and rivers, so that all ethnic groups living in Taiwan can benefit from that protection.

  Tien Chiu-chin is the secre-tary-general of the Taiwan Cypress Woods Protection Association.

  Translated by Jackie Lin
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