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Letter:

Aboriginal park needed

With the Earth Summit in Johannesburg making the headlines and sustainable development being the current buzzword in development, I can't think of a better time for the Taiwan government to proclaim the new Makao Chinese Cypress National Park.

In a decade where exploitation of life (both human life and nature) is the order of the day, every effort to preserve [the environment] should be hailed.

There shouldn't be any conflict between development and conservation. Today's conservation is an investment in tomorrow's development. Unfortunately very few people in the world realize it. Our own selfish ambition and urge for wealth often drive us past all acceptable sustainable borders.

How can the Makao Chinese Cypress National Park be a threat to the Atayal Aborigines? Any unsustainable development would definitely have a negative impact on nature and society, but sustainable development puts as much emphasis on sustaining and preserving human life and culture as it does on preserving nature. It is just as important to preserve the Aboriginal lifestyle and culture as it is to preserve the natural forest.

There is no choice but to preserve the forest. Biodiversity and the improvement of Taiwan's water resources are just two good reasons to preserve the forest. At the current rate of forest depletion, the forest might end up having great future economic value. Already some West African governments are investigating the economic possibilities of preserving the western African rainforests as natural air filters.

Local Aborigines should not only be allowed to continue living on the land of their ancestors, but should also be getting the most economic benefit from the new park. The Aboriginals should be allowed to continue their hunting and gathering way of life on a sustainable scale within the park boundaries. It should be their exclusive right. In such a way the park will have direct economic benefit for each individual living in the area. The park must be locally run.

Often carrying capacity is exceeded for the sake of more immediate income. To preserve local culture the number of visitors should be limited and regulated. A well organized local tourist infrastructure will bring more prosperity than one taken over by big hotel groups and outside capital.

An area such as the proposed Makao Chinese Cypress National Park has numerous economic possibilities. If properly managed, the park could not only become a key economical pillar for a future autonomous region, but may turn out to be the best attempt to preserve the Aboriginal culture and lifestyle.

Taking the bold step of promising 50 percent of the governing positions to locals and 50 percent to scientists will hopefully pay dividends, but please Minister without Portfolio Lin Sheng-feng (林盛豐), forget about traditional bureaucratic systems of government. Take the bold step and decentralize control of the park. Let the Aborigines have their rightful share from square one, even if they did not make it through the bureaucratic system.

The success of the park will greatly depend on its management. We should remember that the land belongs to the Atayal people. Will it be possible to preserve a traditional Aboriginal lifestyle without creating the park, or would capitalist development destroy another ethnic minority if we don't act now by protecting their land? The success of projects like the Makao Chinese Cypress National Park is for the better of all mankind.

Cobus Olivier
Taoyuan County
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