Woman takes the helm at Taroko

Huang Wen-ching (黃文卿) took over as the superintendent of Taroko National Park Headquarters yesterday, becoming the first woman to head a national park in Taiwan.

Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲), in presiding over the promotion ceremony, said that Huang, 47, had worked for the betterment of Taiwan's national parks for more than two decades.

Huang was involved in the government's plan to include Taroko National Park into the country's national park system in 1981. She leaves the post of deputy superintendent of Yushan National Park.

The interior minister said that national parks require planning, and that all six national parks have to be managed according to their unique features. Since it is nature that makes national parks beautiful, Yu said, a philosophy of "less is better" would be applied to developing tourist facilities in the parks.

Huang takes over from Yeh Shih-wen (葉世文), who stepped down from the post after he was criticized over his decision to construct observation facilities at the top of Hohuanshan in Nantou County. He was accused of over-developing the area and destroying much of the surrounding scenery.

Huang said all work on the mountain had been put on hold, and that she would consult experts in ecology and landscaping on the matter.

The guiding principle will be to retain the integrity of the natural surroundings and not to give way to wanton tourist expansion, she said.

Asked about her views on the development of Taroko National Park, Huang said that any future changes will revolve around ecology and conservation. She said development will work within the government's plan to double the number of foreign tourists to Taiwan within six years, while encouraging the public to be more aware of the delicate balance of nature.

She also expressed the hope that communities and private businesses would adopt parts of the park to take responsibility for its ecological protection.

Two major events will take place at the park next month: the Taroko Gorge Music Festival on Nov. 16, in which Taiwan's top musicians will perform, and the 2002 Taroko China Motor Marathon on Nov. 23, which has attracted more than 12,000 entrants so far.