As visitors to national parks increase, so do breaches of park rules, the Shei-Pa National Park Administration said on Tuesday last week, announcing a 23.4 percent increase in contraventions in the first three months of this year from the same period last year.
The park, covering areas of Taichung, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, features eight interconnected main trails, the office said, adding that applications for lodge and campground accommodation are highly competitive.
With international travel disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan’s national parks have been welcoming more visitors than ever before, which has further increased competition, especially on weekends and holidays, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Shei-Pa National Park Administration
The increase in park rule contraventions to 254 cases in the first quarter has been influenced by the boom, the office said.
To sanction the breaches, 203 people’s park entrance application rights were revoked for six months to one year, while 51 people were fined NT$1,500 to NT$3,000, it said.
Camping in unauthorized areas and staying at a lodge or campground without permission were common infractions, the office said.
Others included failure to report to park authorities, as well as arbitrarily changing itineraries, it added.
The office said it has noticed that people had applied for multiple stays at a lodge or campground within a short time, as well as that people had changed their multiday itineraries to one-day trips.
Some have applied using other people’s information, it added.
The office said it would increase inspections, including sending personnel to Cika Lodge (七卡山莊) every day to check visitor permits.
The Hsinchu Forest District Office said it would dispatch officers to check permits of visitors at Jioujiou Lodge (九九山莊) and other accommodations, and works with Special Police Corps officers to conduct occasional patrols.
Additional reporting by CNA
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