On January 9 the Executive Yuan agreed to respond to calls that the government stop evading its responsibility and ignoring the country’s Wildlife Protection Act, and to begin taking meaningful actions to conserve and protect the unique population of Taiwan humpback dolphins.
The Executive Yuan has responded saying (see below) that they have referred the matter to the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD), an entity that is dysfunctional to say the least. The NCSD have no power and no resources so it can hardly be expected that they will be able to do anything. The NCSD has given the matter over to its Biodiversity Committee.
The attitude of the Executive Yuan is disappointing and only serves to highlight how the government continues to evade their responsibility concerning environmental issues. It would seem that the only thing that seems to help the government understand environmental issues is mass protests and international pressure.
Letter from the Executive Yuan to the National Council for Sustainable Development
From: Secretariat of the Executive Yuan
To: National Council for Sustainable Development
(Duplicates sent to the Council of Agriculture and Robin Winkler, Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association.)
14.1.2008
Regarding Taiwan Academy of Ecology and other environmental groups presenting a petition on 9.1.2008 for protection of the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins off the west coast of Taiwan and urging the government to research and propose a conservation plan and action plan, we send you [this information] and request that the National Council for Sustainable Development act as contact window and communication coordinator for this case and within 2 weeks consult with relevant organizations to research and handle [this matter] and keep [the Executive Yuan] informed.
Letter from the National Council for Sustainable Development to its Biodiversity Committee
From: Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development
To: Biodiversity Committee [of the National Council for Sustainable Development]
(Duplicates sent to the Council of Agriculture and Robin Winkler, Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association.)
17.1.2008
Regarding Taiwan Academy of Ecology and other environmental groups delivering a petition to the Executive Yuan on 9.1.08 for the protection of the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins along the west coast of Taiwan and urging the government to propose a conservation plan as soon as possible, we request that, within two weeks, the Biodiversity Committee [of the National Council for Sustainable Development] consult with relevant organizations with regards to the appeals made in that petition, undertake research and handling of the issue, and reply [to the NGOs] and also inform this Secretariat and the Executive Yuan.
Also see:
Taiwan’s Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in peril, says newly-formed international scientific working group
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