Environmental groups on Friday urged the government to designate the wetlands along the Changhua County coast as “internationally significant” to ensure better wildlife preservation.
The appeal was made on World Wetlands Day, which is observed every Feb. 2 and aims to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands.
The environmental groups said it is vital to award the Changhua wetlands this status before conservation plans or construction projects are implemented.
Photo courtesy of the Changhua County Government
That designation is long overdue, representatives from the Changhua Environmental Protection Union, Wild Bird Society of Changhua and Taiwan Environmental Information Association told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
With the designation, any development projects on the wetlands would be subject to more systematic and stringent assessments.
Ministry-level discussions about the central Taiwan wetlands, which are the country’s sole mudflat intertidal zone, began in 2009, union chairwoman Shih Yue-ing (施月英) said.
That initiative stalled after Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co proposed constructing a naphtha cracker in the region, Shih said, adding that although the project was ultimately canceled, the discussions never resumed.
However, with related Ministry of Interior discussions set to resume later this month, she said she hopes the wetlands obtain the status they deserve.
While the ministry previously said that the wetlands designation initiative would face significant opposition, local townships, such as Fangyuan (芳苑) and Fusing (福興), have voiced support, she said.
Some Changhua residents have expressed concerns regarding the implementation of green energy projects in the area, particularly those related to solar energy, because they could disrupt the environment, she said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰), who also attended the news conference, also urged the government to officially designate the wetlands to help cement their importance.
Feb. 2 marks the 1971 adoption of the Wetlands Convention in Ramsar, Iran. Since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and environmentalists have used the occasion to promote wetland protection.
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