The forest fire that broke out on Lishan on May 11 and which came close to threatening the Chichiawan River (
Mountain forest conservation on Lishan falls under the jurisdiction of the Taiwan Forestry Bureau. A few years back, the bureau began to follow a "conservation and tourism" brief in line with the fashion of the time and several leisure areas were developed. There are suspicions, however, that the bureau relaxed its disaster prevention system.
My Atayal cousin serves as a mountain patrol ranger. His regular work has been reduced to the prevention of inappropriate behavior by tourists and the elimination of traps set by his own tribespeople. He often passes the time at his mountain station brewing tea over an open fire while waiting to get off his shift.
When the fire began, I called my tribespeople on Lishan to find out whether the mountain youth teams, under the jurisdiction of each local police substation, would also take part in the firefighting efforts. During forest fires in the past, Aboriginal mountain youth teams would respond unflinchingly and carry out the work without complaint or regret. Who would have thought that by now the teams exist in name only and that the young tribespeople would have become mere bystanders discussing the development of each fire and voting for who will emerge as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the effort to extinguish each fire.
During forest fires the fire department dispatches firefighters and volunteers from Taichung City and Changhua, Yunlin, Ilan and Nantou counties. Frankly, even though it is not totally pointless to send city firefighters to fight a forest fire in the mountains, it's inadequate and more a question of making a show of strength than responding sufficiently.
The disbandment of the mountain youth teams is just a reflection of social normalcy. In other words, when the declining Aboriginal economy is no longer able to provide the conditions necessary to keep Aboriginal youth with their tribes, the young have no choice but to leave for the city in an attempt to make a living there. Aboriginal society has also been influenced by the values of globalization and individual awareness is replacing collective tribal values. The election of MVP in a fire, for instance, is only a token election, since no one wants to risk his life firefighting anymore only to be rewarded with a lunch-box as they were in the past.
What really should worry us, however, is the relaxation of the disaster relief system. You will understand what I mean by taking a close look at disaster relief activities during fires in mountainous areas in Central Taiwan in recent years. It is said that the disaster relief system is divided and uncoordinated, that funds are insufficient and equipment basic, that the mountain area topography is rough and transportation difficult, that Aboriginal hunters are not careful in their use of fire and that tourists carelessly throw cigarette butts around. However, discussions on how to create healthy disaster relief mechanisms capable of providing mobility, safety and efficiency are very rare.
I would like to reopen the debate over the possibility of establishing a "green belt" -- involving the Aboriginal tribes throughout the mountainous areas. As long as someone in each of these tribes becomes a mountain forest conservation guard, they will form a "green protection belt network" when connected to each other. Tribal mountain forest guards would have two main functions, one being regular activities such as responsibility for reports, patrol, conservation and education, the other being mission-specific duties such as homeland protection in the event of war, disaster relief work and inspection tours. Training should be undertaken and should continue when there are no disasters.
All told, a "green belt" would help localize disaster relief, give priority to permanent rather than provisional measures and develop a system of conservation work. A "green belt" calls for the spirit of holistic community construction and the creation of timely industrial localization.
Taiwan's mountain forests are the mother of water, and when the body of our mountain mother has been badly burned, do her children below the mountain have any drinking water? The need to create a "green conservation belt network" is extremely urgent.
Walis Nokan is a technical lecturer in the division of humanities at Providence University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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