Thirteen environmental protection groups nationwide have issued a joint statement opposing the proposed development of Shalun Farm, saying it would destroy the habitat and breeding grounds of the endangered eastern grass owl.
Plans to build Shalun Health Park on 84 hectares at a site in Tainan’s Gueiren District (歸仁) would encroach on almost 10 percent of Shalun Farm, while with other projects, including for a Shalun Green Energy Science City, the total area affected would be up to 25 percent of the farm’s land, which is an important habitat for the eastern grass owl, a Category I endangered species, the groups said.
On Oct. 25 last year, the Ministry of Environment’s Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee conducted a preliminary assessment of the health park project and ordered further review due to many committee members expressing concerns over pollution and ecological impacts.
Photo courtesy of the Tainan Wild Bird Society
Shalun Farm is usually home to 60 species of wild birds, with 130 species having been spotted there, 30 of which are protected or endangered, including the endemic Taiwanese eastern grass owl, the groups cited the Wild Bird Society of Tainan as saying.
Among Taiwan’s 13 owl species, the eastern grass owl is the only non-migratory bird and it nests on the ground, with Shalun Farm’s plentiful grassland and uncultivated farmland providing a continuous food source and breeding habitat, they said.
In the past few years, ecological compensation measures have been implemented by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency to protect the ecosystems of endangered species and the Tainan City Government in 2020 announced plans to use payments to protect two endangered bird species, the pheasant-tailed jacana and the eastern grass owl, the groups said.
However, the proposed development of Shalun Farm would contradict those plans, destroying large areas of the species’ foraging area, habitat and breeding grounds, they said.
The development of the science city project should stay in line with its original scope, surrounding the Tainan High-Speed Rail Station, or consider other areas for expansion within Tainan, they said.
As the state-run entity that controls the largest slice of Taiwan’s agricultural industry, Taiwan Sugar Corp should consider its social responsibility, making farmland ecological conservation one of its most important environmental, social and governance goals, they added.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS