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.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS