Tue, Jun 07, 2022 page14

• Lights out for darker skies at Hehuanshan 嚴防光害！合歡山暗空公園停車三分鐘未熄燈罰一千

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  Hehuanshan, which is more than 3,000m above sea level, has excellent conditions for gazing stars and the Milky Way. In 2019, it was certified by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and became the first internationally-recognized dark-sky park in Taiwan.

  There are only three IDA-certified dark-sky parks in Asia so far: Taiwan’s Hehuanshan, Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park in Okinawa, Japan, and South Korea’s Yeongyang Firefly Park.

  To protect the night sky resource and maintain a safe environment for facilities and personnel in the park, Nantou County Government Department of Tourism has drawn up the Nantou County Hehuanshan Dark-Sky Park Management and Autonomy Regulations. The regulations are expected to take effect after a review by Nantou County Council scheduled for later this month, and following approval by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

  

  Hehuanshan is an excellent star-gazing location. 合歡山擁有絕佳觀星環境。

  Photo courtesy of Chuang Chia-ho 照片：莊家和提供

  According to the eight-article regulations, the scope of the dark-sky park, which is defined in Article 2, starts at the 22.1km mark along Provincial Highway 14 (2km further along the highway from Yuanfeng Parking Lot), ends at the 27.5km mark, and extends 500m either side of the median line of the road.

  Article 5 of the Regulation stipulates that inside the dark-sky park, all external light from vehicles should be turned off within 3 minutes after parking, except for in cases of disaster relief or other emergencies. The luminous flux of portable lighting is limited to 500 lumens or under, must have a color temperature no higher than 3000K, and the irradiation angle should not be higher than the horizontal line of the light source. The use of a star pointer pen is limited to educational purposes, and must have a power rating not higher than 30 mW. Violations of the above regulations may be punished with a fine up to NT$1,000, and may be levied on a case-by-case basis.

  In addition, Article 6 regulates the prohibition of campfires, picnics, camping, setting up tents, making noise, irregular parking, setting up stalls, operating aerial photography equipment, peddlers or engaging in performance activities in the park.

  

  Hehuanshan often experiences high volumes of tourists and traffic during holiday periods. According to new regulations, parking within the limits of the dark-sky park without turning off your vehicle’s lights will result in a fine. 合歡山每逢假日夜晚經常湧入大批車輛，未來在暗空公園範圍停車若未關閉光源，將遭罰。

  Photo courtesy of a reader 照片：民眾提供

  (Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)

  海拔三千多公尺的合歡山，是觀賞星空、銀河的絕佳環境，二○一九年獲得國際暗空協會（IDA）認證，成為台灣首座國際暗空公園。

  目前在亞洲地區，僅有台灣合歡山、沖繩西表石垣國立公園、韓國英陽郡螢火蟲生態公園等三處通過國際暗空協會的認證，拿到「暗黑公園」之認可。

  南投縣政府觀光處為保護星空資源，並維護公園內環境設施及人員安全，制定「南投縣合歡山暗空公園管理自治條例」，預計在本月的議會審議通過，報請交通部核定後即可公布實施。

  「南投縣合歡山暗空公園管理自治條例」共有八條，第二條界定暗空公園範圍為台14甲線22.1公里處（鳶峰停車場以下兩公里）至台14甲線27.5公里處，以道路中心向兩側延伸五百公尺。

  自治條例第五條也明訂車輛在暗空公園停妥後三分鐘內應關閉對外所有光源，但涉及救災或其他緊急情況者，不在此限；使用可攜式照明之光通量限500流明以下、色溫3000K以下、照射角度不得高於光源水平線；指星筆限教學目的，並應使用30毫瓦以下之低功率類型。違反以上規定者可處一千元以下罰鍰，並得按次處罰。

  此外，第六條則規範禁止在園區有營火、野炊、露營、搭設棚帳、製造噪音及任意停車、設立攤位、操作空拍機、流動兜售或從事展演活動等行為。

  （自由時報記者張協昇）
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