Technology is jeopardising Taiwan's ecology

TAIWAN, a country that has grown from agricultural backwater status to global technological giant, today faces serious negative consequences, especially pollution and degradation of natural resources.

Its rapid economic and industrial development has adversely affected wildlife and nature and increased hazardous industrial wastes.

About 4,000 species of vascular plants, 61 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 92 species of reptiles, 30 species of amphibians, 140 species of freshwater fish and an estimated 50,000 insect species including 400 species of butterflies are threatened according to Drs G Agoramoorthy of Pingtung University and Minna J Hsu of the National Sun Yat Sen University. Both are leading biological and wildlife experts in the country.

They said the Formosan flying fox and the Clouded leopard have become extinct since 1990 due to deforestation and habitat alteration. Likewise, the Formosan black bear and rare Sika dear no longer exist.

These animals used to roam the six national parks, 18 natural reserves and 24 protected areas that have a combined area of 440,290 hectares.

To make things worse, the large numbers of wildlife released into the wild by Buddhists and Taoist groups for religious reasons also face the threat of hunting. Yearly, Taiwanese spend more than US$6 million ($8.6 million) to set free 200 million wild animals ranging from insects to monkeys.

Taoism and Buddhism, Taiwans two major religions, stress the importance of doing good deeds during a persons life and returning animal to nature as one of the ways to earn good karma and garner an individual's salvation in the afterlife.

Yearly, hunters capture insects, birds, fish, snakes, frogs, turtles, monkeys and big mammals and market these to some 93 per cent of the country's population.

Regarding pollution, the countrys Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) estimates that only about 43 per cent of hazardous industrial wastes are properly treated.

Much of the untreated waste ends up contaminating soil and water via illegal dumping.

There are over 1,000 large industrial firms in the country producing over 18 million tonnes of technological solid wastes, 1.47 million tonnes of which are highly hazardous. Only 600,000 tonnes are treated, while the rest ends up in rivers and landfills, EPA said.

The most wastes produced are solvents. Some 100 tonnes of these were dumped into Kaoping River, Taiwans second biggest river, in July of 2000 leaving some four million residents without drinking water for days.

It is difficult to say if the economic growth Taiwan has achieved can offset the environmental nightmare it is facing, especially in the future.

Taiwan's economy is robust, it is ranked 17th largest in the world.

The fact that only one per cent of the population live below the poverty line speaks much of the financial gains of the population and the wealth it is in.

However, there are limited measures being implemented for conservation measures. The government has to put more teeth on policies to curb the loss of natural habitats and regulate increasing environmental pollution.

There is also a need for experienced scientists in government offices to help make sound environmental management decisions.

Senior administrators of national parks, reserves, environmental agencies and pollution boards have to come up with a no nonsense programme that ensures managing biodiversity resources and environment-friendly policy decisions.

The writer is based in Manila covering environment and community development issues.

The Brunei Times