Miaoli County on Friday announced the implementation of an autonomous ordinance for the protection of leopard cats that would accompany other conservation measures to help protect the animal.
The new bill passed a third reading on Dec. 10, and was signed into effect by Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) on Friday, the county said.
The bill would be based on a reward system, rather than placing limits on residents, Hsu said.
Photo: Peng Chien-lee, Taipei Times
He said he hoped county residents would cooperate to help protect endangered species, and that the county could set a benchmark for the rest of the country to follow.
The reward system would encourage tenants of leased land to engage in environmentally friendly farming practices that would help leopard cats breed and live safely, Hsu said, adding that the county was in the process of formulating regulations on rewards and subsidies, and would establish a task force responsible for promoting leopard cat conservation.
The county is an important breeding area for leopard cats.
Two previous bills on leopard cat conservation had been proposed by the county’s government, but were sent back for revision by the Miaoli County Council.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus was criticized for obstructing the two bills, as the majority of the county’s councilors are members of the KMT.
Ahead of the Dec. 10 council session, the KMT proposed its own version of a conservation bill, which was combined with separate versions proposed by Democratic Progressive Party and independent councilors.
The bill include rules for areas of the county where leopard cats have been seen, such as mandatory consultation with conservation researchers prior to road expansions of 1km or more, or development projects on properties of 1 hectare or more.
These projects would must be conducted in an environmentally friendly manner, and the researchers employed would be chosen by the county government.
Separately, the county is to establish a group of conservationists to patrol communities looking for leopard cats and ensure their protection, Hsu said.
The county would also ensure that there are animal shelters to reduce the possibility of leopard cats fighting with stray domestic animals, he said, adding that officials and members of the public would be rewarded for good conservation practices.
With the introduction of the new ordinance, landowners would still have to follow existing rules on land use, the county’s Agriculture Department said.
The ordinance is merely intended to set an example, and to encourage and reward environmentally friendly practices, it said.
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