Lai Pinyu Environmental Protection Information Center
2 February 2nd is International Wetland Day, but the Changhua coast that escaped the Guoguang Petrochemical Development Case has not yet obtained the status of an "international-level important wetland". The Changhua Environmental Alliance of the Environmental Group issued another statement for this, requesting an announcement as soon as possible, urging that wetlands can be conserved and given more vitality to the local fishing and fishing and breeding industries.
Changhua Coast has the widest six kilometers of intertidal zone, the largest number of conservation birds, the largest number of curlews, the black-billed gull, a variety of bird habitats with a population of 1%, and a rich and diverse benthic organisms, and the only unique industrial culture that only retains the collection of oysters with ox carts. These characteristics make Changhua Coast a popular on the national-level important wetland list, but because of Guoguang Petrochemical's development plan, it was knocked out of the list in the 2009 selection.
Changhua Coast Wetland. Photography: Liu Zhengxiang; Image source: Changhua Coast Taiwan Wetland Society.
Guoguang Petrochemical Dispute brings society to face up to the importance of Changhua wetlands
Due to the environmental impact of the endangered white dolphin ecology and other environmental impacts, the Guoguang Petrochemical case has attracted attention and debate from all walks of life across the country. During the struggle, the Chinese people have also better understood the functions and ecological significance of wetlands. Wetlands have important ecological functions such as carbon sequestration, water purification, and high productivity. Therefore, they have obtained UN to propose the Ramsa Convention for protection. Taiwan also officially implemented the Wetland Conservation Law on February 2, 2015.
Cai Jiayang, chairman of Changhua Environmental Protection Alliance, pointed out that the escaping of Zhuoshuixi provides a large amount of mud and forms the largest mud intertidal zone in Taiwan in the Changhua coastal wetlands, and has also become the unique and largest mud estuary ecosystem. Although the special intertidal characteristics of the Changhua coast were highlighted in the ancient map of Taiwan drawn by the Dutch 400 years ago, the importance of this vast mudflat land was not valued. The area around the west of the Changhua line in the north was reclaimed and landed by the Zhangbin Industrial Zone. In 2008, the area around Fangyuan Dacheng in the south was almost 4,000 hectares of landed because of Guoguang Petrochemical.
Now Guoguang Petrochemical has been still alive under the rebound of public opinion, but the Changhua coast, which has survived from death, has not yet entered the list of important international wetlands or national important wetlands. Faced with the occasional development plans for industrial zones, wind power generation, etc., the Central Administration of the Construction Bureau and the local government of the Changhua County Government have not taken active actions, which still makes the local environmental groups feel worried.
"Unfined" has been around for five years. Changhua Wetlands are not even at the national level. Shi Yueying, the chairman and secretary-general of the Changhua Environmental Protection League, pointed out that in fact, Changhua Coastal Wetlands have entered the list of international important wetlands as early as the first selection in 2006. Changhua Wetlands have unique ecology such as manatee culture and big curlews, which are not inferior to Qigu and Sicao Wetlands, which were later listed as international-level wetlands.
However, Changhua Wetland was removed from the list because the Executive Yuan planned to promote Guoguang Petrochemical, a major national construction. Later in September 2012, Changhua Coast and the 202 Arsenal were reviewed on the same site, and they were originally listed as national-level important wetlands. Unexpectedly, under the pressure of local civil service, it was changed to "unresolved". Five years later, the unfinished case has not yet been settled. Even after the Wetlands Law was put on the road, the Construction Department stated that it would be submitted for review again.
Therefore, let the Huantuan speak out every year on wetlands and urge the government to return the name of "international-level wetland" to Changhua Wetlands as soon as possible.
Cai Jiayang emphasized that the wetland method clearly writes the four words "wise use". Wetlands are sustainable resources. As long as they are used correctly and smartly, wetlands are a treasure house of food that humans rely on for survival and a natural flood retention pond for flood control water retention . Therefore, whether it is an important wetland at the international level, national level or local level, according to Article 21 of the Wetland Law, the existing use of agriculture, fishery, salt and construction can continue to be maintained, and will not affect the rights and interests of the existing wetland stakeholders, nor will it make it impossible for local governments to develop and utilize it.
"Boats are gone, fish are caught" but it can block the development of industrial areas and fans, protect the wetlands, and allow the local fishing and aquaculture industries to have better quality in a good environment. Huantuan believes that this is the benefit of the Changhua coast being included in an important wetland. However, Shi Yueying said that since the Guoguang Petrochemical dispute, there have been a major development faction that has been deliberately making statements and misleading local fishermen. If they are designated as important wetlands, they will not be able to go out to sea to catch fish in the future and will face bans and restrictions on building, which is also a distortion of the wetland law and the true meaning of the wetland law.
Cai Jiayang urges the central and local governments not to beat each other anymore. He should ask for the preparation of Changhua coastal wetland conservation plan as soon as possible, handle the assessment of Changhua coastal wetlands, and give Changhua coastal wetlands the due conservation status.
