The Legislative Yuan on Friday passed a conservation law aimed at improving the protection of marine ecosystems by designating areas to be protected and closing core zones to civilian maritime traffic.
Under the new marine conservation act, the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) is authorized to form an advisory committee composed of academics, conservationists, fishers and indigenous Taiwanese, with the latter two groups making up at least one-third of its members.
The committee’s role would be to plan and review the designation of marine conservation areas, which would have core and buffer zones, with each subject to distinct rules and regulations.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwanese Coral Reef Society
For a conservation area to be established, two-thirds of the committee members would have to vote in favor, and a majority of members must be present at the time of voting.
Core zones would be closed to civilian maritime traffic, and those caught entering the area and refusing to leave could be fined NT$50,000 to NT$500,000, the bill stipulates.
However, people who mistakenly enter a core zone and leave after a warning would not be fined. However, if they return to the area within two years, the penalty would apply.
Meanwhile, military vessels carrying out operations or patrols related to national security or defense would be able to enter the core zone, as would ships involved in search and rescue, scientific research and other activities.
Activities including aquaculture, the harvesting of marine organisms and construction of marine projects in buffer zones could be allowed with government approval, but those caught without permission to carry out such activities would be fined NT$30,000 to NT$300,000, the bill stipulates.
Activities that are essential for indigenous cultures or rituals would not be subjected to the restrictions in buffer zones, it added.
The act stipulates that the overall policy guidelines for the management of marine conservation areas would be formulated by the council in consultation with other relevant agencies, and then submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval.
The designation of marine conservation areas and related restrictions would take into account the interests of fishers, indigenous Taiwanese and others, OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS