Tourists and environmentalists clash

By Gavin Phipps
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, May 30, 2004, Page 17

At present it requires a long hike to reach the summit of Hsueshan. But if the Tourism Bureau has its way, cable cars will whisk visitors there in minutes. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOCIETY OF WILDERNESS

When the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) unveiled plans late last month for the construction of a series of cable car networks that are intended to whisk tourists to the top of several of the nation's highest peaks and traverse some of the country's most picturesque landscapes, it didn't expect its supposedly eco-friendly scheme to raise many eyebrows. But it did. Along with triggering heated debate in the Legislative Yuan, the idea has sparked the ire of environmental groups.

The basic aim of the project, which is part of the government's ongoing plan to double the number of tourists by 2008, is to make it easier for tourists to visit some of Taiwan's most scenic, yet difficult to access, areas.

According to an MOTC spokesperson, roads can be widened in certain places, but the construction of new roads destroys the environment and is not always possible, especially in the Central Mountain Range area. Cable cars are, according to the MOTC, the future for 10 of Taiwan's most picturesque and out-of-the-way tourist spots.

Chang Hong-lin and Huang Bo-chun, organizers of today's rally, are skeptical that a network of cable cars will not harm the environment. PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES

A report by local engineering company, ATCI (亞聯工程顧問公司), which was commissioned by the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), looked at the viability of cable car construction at Yushan (玉山), Hsueshan (雪山), Nanhushan (南湖山) and Hohuanshan (合歡山) and concluded that the project, if completed, would be one of the most ambitious undertaken anywhere in the world.

Hohuanshan, already one of the most visited mountains in Taiwan, could see even greater numbers of visitors if the cable car project goes ahead. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOCIETY OF WILDERNESS

The overall combined distance the cable cars would traverse at these four locations alone would measure in the region of 21km. There would need to be a total of 114 pylons in order to support the cable and the heights of these poles would range from between 10m and 50m.

The estimated construction costs at these locations range from NT$102 million to NT$827 million, and operational revenues range from NT$23 million to NT$226 million a year.

Sixty Tan Mountain is set to be the site of the nation's first-distance cable car network. PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST RIFT VALLEY NATIONAL SCENIC AREA

This is money that, according to Liu Man-yi (劉曼儀) of the National Taiwan Normal University Graduate Institute of Environmental Education, would be better spent on education and preservation rather than blemishing natural areas with gargantuan towers and concrete viewing platforms.

"Why spend such large sums of money on something that will destroy, rather than protect the environment? Cable cars will allow more people to see the scenic views, but how many of them will come away with any knowledge of the environments they've seen?" she said. "Using the money to teach people about why these places are special and how to appreciate them is worth more than any fairground ride in the long run."

When contacted about the number-crunching feasibility report that went into great lengths to paint a positive picture of the operation, the installation and cost effectiveness of cable cars, a spokesperson for the engineering company declined to comment. According to the report, however, 65.9 percent of the households questioned were in favor of its construction while 24.2 percent were against.

"The report only skimmed the surface of the matter and didn't take into consideration the environments in which [cable cars] would be constructed," said Chang Hong-lin (張宏林), Secretary General of the Society of Wilderness (SOW, 荒野保護協會). "There was nothing about earthquakes, endangered species or about the effect of increased visitation on these areas."

Already hot topic on several of the nation's leading Chinese language Internet chat sites, the issue is set to leave cyberspace today when members of the Society of Wilderness lead an anti-cable car rally in downtown Taipei.

Set begin at 10am this morning, the rally -- which has taken the moniker "530: Love the Forests and Mountains Anti-Cable Car Rally" (530-愛山林-反纜車) -- will see environmental groups as well as academic organizations march from the Ministry of Education to the Executive Yuan.

"We plan to protest, but to do so in an educational, friendly and humorous manner. The rally is a way in which we will be able to explain to the public the impact cable cars will have on both the environment and their future enjoyment of it," said environmental educational instructor, Huang Bo-chun (黃柏鈞).

As a prelude to today's event, members of SOW earlier this week presented Chang Ching-sen (張景森), vice chairman of the CEPD, with a petition listing the reasons behind their opposition to the plan. The 10-point paper included environmental concerns such as the effect of mass tourism on eco-systems, the dangers posed by earthquakes as well as the cost effectiveness of cable car systems.

"The CEPD listened and appeared very interested in some of our points, especially our fears concerning the dangers of increased numbers of visitors and the construction needed on the summits of some of the mountains," Huang said.

While groups cast doubt on the plan's feasibility, the director of the Tourism Bureau's Technical Division Mao Cheng-yu (毛正羽), believes that MOTC's cable car project will lead to an increase in tourism, yet at the same time enable the scenic areas to avoid many, if not all of the environmental problems that can arise as the number of visitors increases.

"The project is positive for both tourists and environmentalists. Cable cars can bring in more people without increasing the number of cars and buses on the roads and enable us to avoid costly and controversial road expansions," Mao said. "We have a plan to increase tourism as Taiwan's natural beauty is one of our greatest assets."

A desire to avoid road expansion and construction is agreed on by both sides, but government bodies and environmental groups remain strongly divided in regards the need to increase tourist traffic at some of the nation's most picturesque and, as yet unspoiled, scenic spots.

"At present the number of people able to reach the summit of Yushan is restricted due to the lengthy trek, but once a cable car is constructed we'll see the numbers reach somewhere in the region of 880 people per hour," said Huang. "That's just far too many people."

The MOTC's long term goal of seeing cable cars carry visitors to nearly all of the nation's scenic spots may be a long way away, with bidding not slated to begin until next January, but the government has already earmarked a budget for the first of these projects at Sixty Tan Mountain (六十石山) in Hualien.

"The area is very beautiful and we'd like to see more visitors come here, but access is limited because of the size and lack of roads in certain areas," said Chu Meng-hung (朱孟晃) of the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration (花東縱谷國家風景區). "Cable cars will allow more people to visit and this in turn will mean that we are able to develop into a hugely popular tourist destination."

Whether construction of cable cars will prove positive for Taiwan's unspoiled scenic spots depends on who you ask, but environmental groups have already made their minds up in regards cable cars and the environment.

"Anyone can see a man-made structure anywhere in the world, but you can only see certain environments in Taiwan," said Chang. "I'm fearful that the cable cars themselves will become the reason people visit these places rather than for their natural beauty."