Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and several ministry officials yesterday inspected Taijiang National Park (台江國家公園) a day ahead of its inauguration.
The park covers 4,905 hectares of coastal land in Tainan City and Tainan County and 34,405 hectares of sea. It features tidal flats, sandbanks and wetlands that are habitat for diverse flora and fauna, including mangrove forests and the endangered black-faced spoonbill.
“Taijiang National Park is the country’s eighth national park and its creation carries very special meaning,” Jiang said outside of a wildlife observation deck inside the national park. “This national park tries to preserve not only the landscape, but also the wildlife, the historic relics and the traditional economic activities here.”
It also includes the place where the Chinese military commander Koxinga (鄭成功)anded in his successful campaign to defeat the Dutch, who occupied parts of southern Taiwan in the 17th century.
Although Koxinga swore allegiance to the Ming Dynasty after it was overthrown by the Qing Dynasty, he created his own de facto independent kingdom in Tainan and established the first Han Chinese settlements in Taiwan.
In addition to its natural and historic values, Jiang said the traditional economic activities in the area, mainly fish farms and salt fields, were also to be protected by the national park administration.
“Contrary to most other national parks that aim to reduce human activities within, we specifically designated zones inside the national park in which traditional economic activities would be allowed and even encouraged,” Taijiang National Park Headquarters director Leu Teng-yuan (呂登元) said. “We will also help the people to sell their products.”
Although most parts of Jiang’s inspection tour went smoothly, an unexpected snag in the proceedings occurred when officials were on a boat tour on one of the lagoons in the park.
Tainan City Mangroves Protection Association Chief Executive Director Lee Chin-tien (李進添), who served as a guide during the boat trip, complained about the government’s decision to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) when showing local fishing techniques.
“Fishing nets made in Taiwan cost about NT$3,000 each, but guess how much one made in China would cost? It’s less than NT$400,” Lee said. “I don’t understand why the government wants to sign an ECFA with China.”
“We should sign a trade agreement with a country where we can sell a NT$10 product for NT$11 there,” he said.
Jiang and other ministry officials smiled as Lee talked, but did not respond.
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