Inappropriate civil construction carried out by the government to prevent damage caused by violent waves to coastal areas in eastern counties, including Hualien and Taitung, are harming not only gorgeous scenery but also precious ecological systems, legislators and environmentalists said yesterday.
At a press conference held at the Legislative Yuan, conservationists from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union's Hualien chapter displayed photos showing significant changes to the well-known scenic spot, Seven Star Beach in Hualien.
The photographs were taken before and after construction of a 32m artificial structure composed of wave-killing tetrapods, designed to break up wave action, and irregularly stacked boulders.
PHOTO: OFFICE OF LEGISLATOR EUGENE JAO
Environmentalists said that the NT$8.8 million construction pro-ject was launched last month even though no scientific evidence supporting its necessity was available.
"It is just one of many disappointing cases, which are carried out to satisfy greedy local political figures rather than to protect the coastline," said Chung Pao-chu (鍾寶珠), head of the chapter.
Tsai Wan-kung (
According to DPP legislator Eugene Jao (趙永清), the government spent NT$2.36 billion building 8,566 5m high wave-killing tetrapods in Hualien County. About 85 percent of wave-killing tetrapods in Taiwan are built in eastern Hualien and Taitung counties.
"Carrying out these construction projects, which are depleting the national treasury and destroying natural resources in eastern Taiwan, is contradictory to all our resolutions to promote sustainable development," Jao said.
WRA officials said that increasing development and population growth have left coastal areas more vulnerable to a variety of hazards, including huge waves. WRA statistics show that along Taiwan's 1,500km-long coastline, 50km has been reinforced by wave-killing tetrapods and an additional 500km by breakwaters.
The construction at Seven Star Beach, scheduled to be completed in August, was halted last week due to strong local opposition.
WRA Deputy Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) said that planting vegetation or establishing windbreaking forests might be ways to mitigate damage to the coastline.
"We will do our best to communicate with residents, showing our sincerity toward not only flood-disaster prevention but also coastal protection," Chen said.
Scientific researchers also urged the government to review the project and take biodiversity into account.
"In Hualien, we've seen a rapid drop in the number of crabs in coastal areas. This can be attributed to the environmentally-unfriendly constructions that are erected to prevent damage by huge waves," said Jeng Ming-shiou (鄭明修), a zoologist at Academia Sinica.
Chiau Wen-yan (
"We have to respect the dynamic equilibrium in nature, and try to find out how artificial structures might damage the natural coastline," Chiau said.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan