Formulating disaster prevention strategies is more important than pursuing economic development in an "era of natural disasters," Vice President Annette Lu (
While hosting a discussion for local township chiefs from coastal areas yesterday, Lu said that the increased frequency of natural disasters had lowered the quality of life for residents living in coastal areas and increased the workloads of local leaders.
"[This] may be partly attributed to the lack of resources put toward protecting coastal areas in the last few decades," Lu said.
Taiwan has 1,139km of coastline. If the offshore islands are included, the length reaches 1,566km, accounting for one four-hundredth of the world's coastline, she said. Eighty-six of the nation's townships in 15 counties are situated along the coast.
"Taiwan is ... an ocean country and the government will further balance development on land and in the ocean," Lu said.
Lu said that when she served as Taoyuan County Commissioner in the late 1990s, she developed several major projects to ensure a prosperous future for the industrial county. One of them, the so-called "Gold Coast Plan," called for the development of ecologically responsible tourism to preserve ecological systems in several coastal areas.
Lu said that the era of natural disasters has come and global warming has affected the whole world. Taiwan faces not only global climate change but also local ecological challenges, such as a more fragile geological environment after the devastating 921 Earthquake in 1999 and irreversible land subsidence from aquaculture activities, Lu said.
"At this very moment, it is more important for the government to come up with disaster prevention strategies than to pursue economic development," Lu said.
Lu said the coastline is a precious resource for the nation, not only for sightseeing but also for national security.
"It's obvious to all that it is China's intention to take over Taiwan by smuggling products and even spies. It has become urgent to find ways to prevent Taiwan's coastal areas from being turned into dangerous [areas] that jeopardize ... national security," Lu said.
Lu said that the central government would do its best to help local government and township offices in coastal areas protect tourism resources and national security.
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