Reforestation Plots

Taiwan Sugar, a government-owned company, has given over some of its land to reforestation. Here are photos of one such patch in Tainan County. The trees seem to be doing well. Note the plastic sheeting covering the ground. The reforestation plot borders an established forest.

Rice And Methane

Looks nice, doesn't it? But according to the New Scientist, rice fields are a massive source of methane, a greenhouse gas that's more potent than carbon dioxide.

What can be done? Weaning Taiwanese off rice is even less likely than weaning them off air-conditioning.

Converting the land into forests would be good for Taiwan's CO2 situation, but would surely add millions of food miles, as replacement rice would have to come from Thailand, Vietnam or the USA. Even if that weren't an issue, the rising price of food guarantees they'll be no cuts in local agricultural production in the near future.

Why Birds Are Important

In a recent email exchange, Robert W. Butler, a Canadian research scientist and professor of biological sciences, told me:

"Ecosystems require all of their components to function, and native birds are part of natural ecosystems. When the birds are healthy and abundant, it means the ecosystems that provide us with natural products - air, water and food - are also functioning."

Unfortunately, many of Taiwan's birds are threatened by habitat loss. The Hushan Dam Project, if it goes ahead, would be a very serious blow for the Fairy Pitta, a globally endangered migrant. The photo above was taken by Richard Yu.

I met Dr. Butler when he was co-chairing the Waterbirds 2005 Conference in Tainan City. He's also involved with the Taiwan International Birding Association.

A Victim Of Its Own Success

A few days ago, the China Post published an article on Shue Jian Forest Recreation Area by Richard Saunders. The final two paragraphs highlight a problem faced by many eco-tourism attractions around the world:

"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.