"And then the cars started coming. First a couple, then whole convoys of them clutching those pesky mountain permits, all belching out choking exhaust fumes and shattering the peace of this rare place... it was hard not to consider the fate of this pristine slice of wilderness, now that it's been opened up to the car-driving masses."
"That ranger's verbal attack on us and poor Gem [the dog Saunders and his friend had tried to take into the reserve] back at the visitor center had seemed strangely overzealous at the time, but now I think I understand better. The rules were written to allow him to keep pet dogs from destroying the pristine beauty of Shue Jian; sadly, however, he has no control over the crowds of noisy day trippers that seem destined to ruin this special place, now that it's reopened once more."
There are some possible solutions.
One is a simple quota, limiting the number of visitors to X per day or per week. But, as far as I understand it, the Forestry Bureau depends on visitors to the recreation areas it runs to subsidize its other operations, which include reforestation.
Another approach would be to ban cars from entering the reserve, instead providing a free shuttle bus. This kind of thing has been done in some other places in Taiwan, but only during exceptionally busy periods, such as the Yangmingshan Flower Festival. Rather than build parking lots halfway up the mountain, the shuttle bus should run from the nearest train station, to encourage people to take public transportation the whole way.
Increasing ticket prices so visitor numbers fall might also work. However, I believe that the more people experience nature, the more they will care about it. This isn't always the case, of course: Many Taiwanese farmers, who've been immersed in nature since they were born, have a shocking attitude to the environment.
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