Part of the Alangyi Ancient Trail on Taiwan’s southeast coast was designated a nature reserve by local government Jan. 18, stopping a road project intended to connect the round-island highway system.
According to the Pingtung County Government, the 841.3-hectare trail area within its jurisdiction, covering 735.86 hectares of land and 105.44 hectares of water, must be protected to preserve its rich but fragile biodiversity.
“The region meets the criteria prescribed in the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act,” Deputy Magistrate Chung Jia-bin said after a meeting on the issue, adding that the government will seek to balance environmental concerns with the economic needs of local residents. The county has already prepared plans to develop local ecotourism and hot springs, provide loans for businesses and improve public transportation and health care, he noted.
The Directorate General of Highways proposed a plan in 2002 to complete Taiwan’s round-island road network by extending Provincial Highway 26 across the 8.8-kilometer gap from Xuhai in Pingtung County to Anshuo in Taitung County. The rocky trail, roughly half of which is in Pingtung, bridges this gap.
In February 2011 Pingtung County declared the area an interim nature reserve. The latest decision makes the reserve permanent, protecting that section of the trail that lies within the county, and effectively preventing the linkage of the highway with roads in Taitung County.
“The decision gives us a breather,” said Hung Hui-hsiang, chairman of the Pingtung Environmental Protection Union, whose group welcomed the result. “But if the next county magistrate does not support the reserve, it could be abandoned at any time,” he added.
According to Hung, he has been working on a common property plan that encourages local residents to run small-scale ecotourism packages allowing visitors to admire the trail’s beauty while minimizing ecological impact.
“Now we should take advantage of this window to create a sustainable model that involves locals, who can share the benefits,” he said.
Some 700 people flocked to the southern county for a sit-in against the road project, while a crowd of comparable size also showed up to voice support.
“Highway 26 is vital for providing better business opportunities and medical services for people in Taitung and Pingtung,” said Lin Tsan-tian, a Taitung County councilman. “This project must carry on.” (THN)
Write to Kwangyin Liu at kwangyin.liu@mail.gio.gov.tw