A new law to ensure the conservation of the nation’s wetlands went into effect yesterday, the result of years of effort by environmental groups and government agencies.
Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) said the newly enacted Wetlands Conservation Act (溼地保育法) was designed to protect wetlands and to establish regulations to manage economic activities within designated areas.
The law marked a break with traditional methods of wilderness conservation, as it allowed for certified local industries to continue through a system of certification and compensation measures, Chen said.
Photo: Yang Chin-cheng, Taipei Times
Local businesses in the agriculture, tourism and education sectors are to be encouraged to apply for certification through the ministry’s Wetland Mark system, Chen said.
The ministry currently lists 85 wetlands in the nation as designated protected areas, classified by three levels — local, national and international.
In accordance with principles adopted from the Ramsar Convention, a global convention on the protection of wetlands developed in Iran in 1971, the act is to encourage the “wise use” of wetland resources — seeking sustainability without excluding local human activities.
The act establishes mechanisms that allow for economic development in wetlands by requiring developers who pursue business activities to contribute to an environmental protection fund.
In line with the convention’s principle of “no net loss,” developers in wetlands can also partake in off-site restoration efforts of wetlands in other locations.
National Parks Division Deputy Director Ou Cheng-hsing (歐正興) said that the act would involve joint efforts between national land-use planning agencies, adding that over 10 supporting laws have been established since the passage of the act in 2013.
He added that increased awareness of the importance of wetlands — often described as “nature’s kidneys” due to their cleansing functions in ecosystems — have led to an increase in public participation at community events related to wetland conservation.
Efforts to initiate the landmark act of legislation were boosted in 2011 following two successful environmental movements against large-scale development projects — a proposed biotech research center in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) wetlands and plans for a petrochemical complex in Changhua County’s Dacheng Wetlands (大城溼地).
The act received bipartisan support in the legislature, with lawmakers from both the pan-green and pan-blue camps enjoying a tour of Guandu Nature Park in Taipei yesterday to commemorate its enactment.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS