Although tensions often arise between environmentalists and developers, the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau has come up with a creative method to try to please both camps.
The bureau announced yesterday that it would create a 10m long ultraviolet-lit passage under an overpass of the Formosa Freeway (National Freeway No. 3), between kilometer marker 251.7 and 252.3, to accomodate the seasonal migration of milkweed butterflies (
A protection net 20m long and 2.5m tall will also be placed next to the northbound lanes of the highway to force the migrating butterflies to fly higher, which will prevent them from being run over.
The measures are scheduled to be completed tomorrow.
The bureau may also close the northbound lanes on the far right during peak days of migration, which is expected to occur from April 3 to April 5, when the nation observes Tomb-Sweeping Day. The bureau will observe the numbers of butterflies and close the lanes if necessary.
The construction will cost the bureau NT$1 million (US$31,250).
Lee Tai-ming (李泰明), the bureau's director-general, said that milkweed butterflies normally migrate from the south to the north of the country in the spring and their migration route usually crosses the freeway's Linnei section.
Lee said the Butterfly Conservation Society of Taiwan had found through field research last year that more than 1 million butterflies could cross the section every day during the Tomb-Sweeping Day holidays.
Research conducted by I-Shou University has indicated that traffic on the freeway threatens the existence of the unique, endemic subspecies.
Lee said that researchers had forecast that the migration this year could begin next Monday and last until April 6, with a majority of the butterflies moving across the freeway between 9am and 12pm.
"This is the first time the bureau has taken proactive measures to protect a rare species in Taiwan," he said.
Lin Tieshyong (林鐵雄), an associate professor in the university's civil engineering department, said the protection measures were "emergency measures," since the migration was set to begin very soon.
Lin said the conservation of milkweed butterflies was urgent. In 2005 more than 1 million per day could be observed during the migration, but the number dropped to 100,000 a day last year.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College