Alternative development of seacoast economies

The COA is aiming to alter traditional fishing harbors so that they may also serve leisure and tourism functions. In 2011, we made improvements to basic infrastructure and public facilities at 58 such locations, resurfaced or renovated docks at seven locations, built recreational boating docks at three locations, and dredged harbors on 31 occasions. This will reduce the dependence of coastal communities on fishing and thereby reduce pressure on the environment.

Responsible fishing

The COA is continuing to implement the system of management and monitoring of catches in coastal fisheries. In 2011 we gathered 70,000 data items, covering catches by fishing boats working in specialized industries like flying fish roe, short-headed anchovy, coral and torch fishing. We also inspected coastal fishing boats at sea a total of 231 times. In addition, we built 100,000 cubic meters of man-made fish reefs and released about 9.83 million fish fry. Finally, we compulsorily purchased 80 fishing boats or barques and retired 9676 fishing boats or barques from service.

In 2011, the COA (a) cooperated with the Coast Guard Administration to dispatch three patrols into the Pacific Ocean high seas and another one into the Atlantic high seas to board and inspect on (respectively) 59 and 32 fishing vessels; (b) dispatched 54 missions of fishery observers to observe operations and collect data at sea, with an average coverage rate of 6.8% for large-scale tuna fishing vessel operations in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, thereby surpassing the coverage rate target of 5% set by major fisheries management organizations worldwide; and (c) continued to provide funding to small and medium sized longline fishing vessels to install VMS monitoring systems, reaching an installation rate of 97%. Furthermore, the COA also issued regulations governing a permit system for, and data reporting by, fishing vessels that are owned or operated by Taiwanese but are not ROC flag vessels, thereby bringing such vessels under ROC rules and contributing toward maintaining order in international fisheries.

AFFORESTATION, FOREST MANAGEMENT, AND BIODIVERSITY

Afforestation

Afforestation is a key element in the COA’s vision of creating a “safe, eco-friendly, and high- quality homeland.” Afforestation improves the quality of the natural environment, creates an interdependent ecology where plant and animal life can thrive, adds outdoor recreational space for citizens, enhances the natural scenery, contributes to the development of the rural leisure industry, and plays an important role in soil and water conservation (thereby reducing the risk and severity of natural disasters). New planting of trees was conducted on 4643 hectares of plains land and 2448 hectares of mountain slopeland, for a total of 7091 hectares.

Sustainable forest management

In order to collect information about the nation’s forests, in 2008 we launched the Fourth Forest and Land Use Inventory and set up a long-term ecological monitoring system. As of the end of 2011, we completed 1.77 million hectares of forest surveys in state-owned o r privately-owned forest lands in western Taiwan as well as in national forests. We also completed surveying of 2319 Permanent Sample Plots. Furthermore, we established an aerial remote sensing and cartographic data supply platform for the third stage Back-End GIS Data Warehouse.

One of the COA’s jobs is to protect the forests by preventing forest fires, stopping theft of forest products, and halting excessive or illegal logging. In 2011 there were (a) 12 responses to forest fires, covering 2.5 hectares of land; (b) 353 cases of theft of forest products, with a solution rate of 79.32%; (c) 20 cases of halting of excessive or illegal logging, covering 16.763 hectares. The special police units for forest areas handled 510 cases of violations of relevant laws (including the Forestry Act, Wildlife Conservation Act, and Soil and Water Conservation Act), turning 966 perpetrators over to the judicial system.
The COA has long been working to strengthen restoration of Taiwan’s coastal ecology, enrich coastal scenery, and reduce damage from windblown sand, seasonal winds, salt, and tides. In 2011 we completed 107 hectares of afforestation along the coast and on offshore islands. Also, as part of restoration efforts in mountain forests, we completed restoration of 1644 hectares of degraded land.

Support for biodiversity

In 2011 the COA undertook the following tasks in support of biodiversity:

◆Coordinated the work of relevant ministries in 32 specific projects under the Biodiversity Action Plan; held a forum on international trends and the outlook for biodiversity for the next ten years; and amended action plans based on Aichi targets.

◆Continued implementation of the action plan for control of invasive species, aiming to prevent harmful environmental impacts from such species.

◆ Contributed 3225 seeds of 13 germ plasms from Taiwan to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.

◆Signed, in October of 2011, the “Landscape Conservation Taipei Declaration,” as part of the promotion of the conservation and sustainable use of natural scenery in Taiwan.

◆ Announced, in December, the establishment of the Gaorong Major Wildlife Habitat in Taoyuan County, with an area of 1.11 hectares, marking the first time that a protected area has been created under the Wildlife Conservation Act among Taoyuan’s famous irrigation ponds.

◆Worked to improve public awareness of the importance of biodiversity, with 1400 different educational or conference activities (including the 2011 National Ecology Film Festival and the 2011 Wild View Taiwan Film Festival, both held by the Forestry Bureau, seminars on storage of ecological research and data organized by the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, and the 2011 Biodiversity Conference organized by the Endemic Species Research Institute), with total participation by over 330,000 people.

MANAGING, CONSERVING, AND RESTORING THE LAND

Dealing with flood-prone areas

In 2006, two sub-programs were launched to stabilize the soil on mountain slopes in order to reduce the risk of natural disasters. The first two stages (2006-2007 and 2008-2010), involving (respectively) 1245 and 1729 separate projects, have been completed, thereby securing an area of 892,000 hectares of mountain slopes and protecting 1.946 million people in flood-prone areas. A total volume of 23.086 million cubic meters of soil and gravel was produced through these projects.

Also in 2011 the COA undertook a total of 38 projects to improve farmland drainage in areas prone to flooding, completing 21 kilometers of drainage channels and 50 structures, reducing potential flooding problems for 3800 hectares of farmland.

Restoration of the land

In 2011 we continued with our comprehensive survey of river watersheds and our program to achieve balance of the sediment yield in river watersheds, including: assessing the causal factors and potential scope of possible disaster events, improving techniques dealing with potential watershed-sediment disasters, and working out disaster-prevention strategies that incorporate both hardware and software methods.

As part of our continuing implementation of two major programs to stop excessive cultivation or construction in areas of soil conservation, in 2011 the COA confiscated 618 hectares of illegally occupied forest land; moved faster to reclaim (with compensation) state-owned forest land that was rented out (recovering 1027 hectares); and stepped up restoration work on damaged land (such as excessively cultivated land, areas where the soil has receded, forest fire areas, and collapsed slopeland), completing work on 1644 hectares of damaged land.

Under the demonstration program for making wetlands parks out of land inundated under salt water as a result of subsidence, the COA has continued to rent 60 hectares of inundated land in Kouhu Township of Yunlin County and in the Xuejia District of Tainan City. In these spaces we are creating wetland ecological parks and surveying the natural resources, with several goals: protecting biodiversity, slowing the rate of land subsidence, and creating a foundation for the development of eco-tourism and other green industries.

Management of river watersheds of slopeland to prevent disasters

Focusing on watersheds as the unit of management, acting on the basis of surveys conducted on collapsed land in state-owned forest areas and risk assessments in watershed areas, and responding to the danger of disasters caused by typhoons, in 2011 the COA budgeted NT$2.524 billion for 303 management projects involving (a) stabilization of collapsed land in upstream state-owned forest areas, (b) sediment control, and (c) maintenance and emergency response projects. Work covered 398 hectares of landslide areas and checked the downward flow of 11.49 million cubic meters of sediment. Our goal is to restore forest areas as fast as possible, and fulfill our mission of conserving national forest land.

In 2011 the COA wrapped up the second stage (2009-2011) of a long-term comprehensive plan for management and conservation of the Shihmen Reservoir and its catchment area. A total of $1.979 billion was appropriated for this stage, during which we effectively stabilized sediment with a total volume of 8.28 million cubic meters, and increased the coverage rate of control over the watershed area to 62%.

In our continued efforts to manage slopeland and prevent disasters, we have been doing conservation and management in watershed areas of Taiwan’s major reservoir s, and we have also speeded up projects in watershed areas where there is risk of major debris-flow disasters. In 2011 the COA invested NT$397.7 million in 126 projects aimed at reducing sediment flow into the reservoirs and preventing debris-flow disasters.

Constructing a debris-flow-disaster prevention network

One aspect of disaster prevention is preparedness. By the end of 2011 the COA had: (a) announced to the public 1578 locations of potential debris-flow torrent, spread out over 17 counties or cities, 159 townships, and 662 communities; (b) reassessed and updated Debris Flow Evacuation Plans for 571 communities, protecting 41,700 persons; (c) ran 48 drills and 280 informational activities to prepare people to evacuate before potential debris-flow disasters and trained a total of 1336 debris-flow volunteer specialists to do preparedness work in their communities; and (d) promoted the creation and functioning of 207 disaster prevention communities.

A second aspect involves having an effective debris-flow warning mechanism so that timely public warnings can be issued. In 2011 we modified our warning criteria by adding in the factor of three-hour accumulated rainfall and we also lowered the warning threshold. After a systematic reassessment, we also decided to maintain the level-nine warning threshold (200-600 mm). In addition, the COA convened eight meetings (totaling 21 days and 1950 participants) of the Debris Flow Disaster Emergency Action Team, notified emergency contact personnel on 101,122 occasions, and issued 124 red warnings and
890 yellow warnings.

A third aspect is the monitoring of debris-flow torrents. Construction was completed at 43 monitoring stations (26 fixed, three mobile, and 14 simplified), and we provided data, images, overmapping, and similar services on 82,625 occasions. We also conducted international exchanges on 16 occasions.

Monitoring and management of slopeland

The COA classifies slopeland, setting restrictions on what agricultural uses are allowed in specific locations. In 2011 we completed surveying and classification on 2250 hectares. Locations where there is an urgent need for stabilizing soil and water resources are known as “designated water and soil conservation areas.” Long-term plans have been made or are being made for managing these areas. So far six conservation projects have been completed in such areas, while the COA has also provided guidance for long-term plans (comprehensive assessments) in nine others, and for the mapping of two more.

The COA has approved soil and water conservation plans (including simplified soil and water notifications) for slopeland in 1666 cases and done 2544 inspections of ongoing projects of this type. In 2011 we conducted satellite remote-sensing imaging in 3944 cases; conducted investigations into and forced a halt to illegal use of slopeland in 1250 cases (with fines totaling NT$76.37 million and persons turned over to the judicial system in 81 cases); provided guidance to local governments in creating soil and water conservation service teams, which provided service to citizens in 2259 cases; and worked to improve public understanding of the importance of obeying the relevant laws in order to ensure that development and use of mountain slopeland is done safely.

Rehabilitation of aquaculture areas affected by land subsidence

In many areas where aquaculture is an important industry, excessive drawing of fresh groundwater has led to severe land subsidence, causing fish ponds to collapse and whole areas to be inundated by incoming seawater. In Yiwu in Yunlin County and Shinwen in Chiayi County, the COA has been running demonstration programs to improve water management and the overall environment in inundated areas. We have completed a cumulative total of 27,331 meters of water-supply and drainage pipelines and upgraded 23,923 meters of roads in such areas. In addition, under an ongoing program to achieve harmony between the aquaculture industry and the environment, in 2011 we provided about NT$200 million in subsidies to four counties with major aquaculture industries (Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Pingtung) to undertake 34 infrastructure projects—including water-supply and drainage systems, and also industrial roads— in aquaculture areas in their jurisdictions. These projects (some of which have already been completed) will effectively reduce the losses to aquaculture businesses incurred by heavy rains brought by typhoons or during the rainy season.

Maintaining superior farmland

At two conferences convened by the COA in 2011—the National Symposium on Agriculture and Farmland held in January and the National Food Security Conference in May—it was agreed that superior quality farmland should be brought under stronger management and should be given priority in the investment of agricultural resources. Based on the resolution to this effect adopted at the January conference, in February of 2011 we began a comprehensive national survey of farmland resources, and completed a preliminary inventory by the end of 2011. In addition, in light of the general movement toward land management by districts or zones drawn according to function, we also completed the task of assisting 15 counties and 77 townships where farming is a major economic sector to complete spatial depictions of their farmland resources, for future reference in grading and functionally categorizing farmland for management purposes.

studying revisions to relevant regulations to bring them into line with amendments proposed to the Land Expropriation Act by the Ministry of the Interior. Among the regulations we are reviewing are those governing the review process used by the COA to decide whether or not to agree to proposed changes in the use of land zoned for agriculture. In the future, we will rigorously review all proposed changes of zoning of farmland to see whether they are necessary, reasonable, and without any alternative option.

We have also initiated a demonstration project on overall value-added of farmland. In coordination with programs already in operation—specialized agricultural zones, the “Small Landlords, Big Tenants” program, the Agriculture Center-Satellite System, and the Rural Regeneration program—we will ensure that agriculture policy resources are coordinated and applied to superior quality agricultural production zones to achieve greater value-added effects, including: making use of farmland more flexible and dynamic, attracting more young people into farming, developing industries with competitive advantage, and raising the quality of life in rural communities.

Improvement of farm irrigation facilities

Efforts to upgrade irrigation facilities in 2011 resulted in renovation of 340 kilometers of waterways, completion of 829 related structures, consolidating of 258 hectares of farm land in three zones, and improvement of the quality and structural integrity of projects. In addition, the COA: (a) subsidized upland- crop irrigation works covering 2039 hectares; (b) completed automatic monitoring and reporting systems for irrigation water in 65 locations; (c) undertook promotion of water storage on 202 hectares of fallow wet-paddy land; (d) guided the establishment of 2611 monitoring points; and (e) conducted a total of 43,700 tests of the quality of irrigation water, effectively maintaining a handle on the condition of the nation’s irrigation water.

Moreover, as part of the government’s economic stimulus plan, the COA continued to expand investment in infrastructure. In particular, in 2011 we (a) improved 227 kilo meters of urgently-needed farm roads and waterways in farmland consolidation areas, (b) maintained and improved water channels covering 1599 hectares of land in early-phase farmland consolidation areas, and (c) maintained 3856 kilometers of irrigation and drainage channels. Such measures improved the environment for farm operations, improved the quality of life in local communities, provided jobs, and contributed to the government’s policy of stimulating the economy through infrastructure spending.