tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8883436591901487952024-03-13T19:44:18.336+08:00Save the Taiwanese white dolphinsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-83697151522981858812020-03-16T15:55:00.000+08:002020-03-16T15:55:01.449+08:00First Fines for Off Shore Wind Farms Failure to dispatch marine mammal observers during piling; EPA fines 1.5 million<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;">12 September 2019 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;">Taiwan Environmental Information Center editor Chen Wen-tze</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US">The Ocean Zhu-Nan (Formosa I) Offshore Wind Power Plan</span><span class="1"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 24pt;"> </span></span><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN">(Formosa I), located in the coastal waters outside Miaoli County, entered its trial operation phase in September </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://e-info.org.tw/node/220055" style="color: purple;"><span lang="EN">https://e-info.org.tw/node/220055</span></a></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=888343659190148795#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="color: purple;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><u><span lang="EN" style="color: blue;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><u><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></u></span></span></u></span></a><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN"> , expects to be completed by the end of the year to become the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in Taiwan. However, when the underwater foundation piling operation was carried out on June 21, July 8, and July 10, the Environmental Protection Agency discovered that it did not send enough observation vessels and cetacean observers thus violating its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) commitments. On August 28, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally issued a disposition, and in what is the first such action against offshore wind farms, levied a fine in the maximum amount of NT$1.5 million [approximately Euro 43,000] in accordance with the EIA Act. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white;"><br /><span class="tlid-translation">The EPA said that more wind farms will begin construction next year. The EPA has already discussed with the Coast Guard, the Ocean Conservation Administration, and the Bureau of Energy setting up a specialist team for inter-agency matters so that the developers will not treat lightly the ability of the EPA to monitor the EIA.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="tlid-translation"><b><span lang="EN" style="background-color: white;">Piling noise impacts cetaceans’ hearing; developers’ “bounced checks” fail on committments<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white;"><br /><span class="tlid-translation"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Formosa 1 project passed environmental impact assessment [EIA] review in 2013. In order to mitigate the danger from piling noise on cetaceans, the developer committed in its EIA to dispatch ten observer vessels with marine mammal observers onboard. The observers must first confirm that there is no cetacean activity for at least 30 minutes in the warning zone before piling can begin. If cetaceans are discovered in the warning zone, the construction unit must stop piling [1]</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN"><br /></span><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The EPA said that Formosa 1 originally committed to send 10 observation vessels but on June 21, only two vessels were dispatched during the piling, and on July 8 it was also two vessels and on July 10, no vessels were dispatched, all in violation of the EIA commitments. When the EPA discovered the first violation by the developer, it issued a warning and collected evidence, however, the developer continued its violation and being a serious case, in accordance with article 17 of the EIA Law, the EPA imposed the maximum penalty of NTD1.5 million.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Chiang Tzu-nung, deputy head of the EPA’s Supervision Team, said if the developer disagrees with the disposition, within three months of receipt of same it may file an appeal and administrative lawsuit.</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><span class="tlid-translation">He explained that poor weather cannot be used as an excuse for not dispatching observer vessels. The industry knew of this possibility when it made its EIA commitments. If the weather is not good, the industry can stop the construction, but if construction must proceed, then they must dispatch the observers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Chiang Tzu-nung said that this is the first time the EPA has punished offshore wind development and the penalty is the highest. In addition, this case will also let other offshore wind developers that they must comply with the commitments made during the EIA process.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span class="tlid-translation"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Construction of wind farms begins next year; EPA plans to establish an inter-agency platform</span></b></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">At present, the offshore wind power piling part for Formosa 1 has been completed, but other aspects of the construction also implicate matters relevant to EIA supervision. More than 700 wind turbines are expected to be built before 2025. The next wind farm is expected to enter the market next May, so the enforcement capacity of the EPA is in for a test.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Chiang Tzu-nung pointed out that the EPA has no vessels and it is difficult to enforce the law at sea. In order to strengthen supervision, the EPA has already called on the Ocean Affairs Administration, and is looking for cooperation from the Coast Guard Administration, the Bureau of Energy, and the Fisheries Agency to form an inter-agency platform. The Coast Guard has vessels and the Bureau of Energy has the responsibility, Ocean Conservation Administration has authority and the Fisheries Agency has fishing vessels, all of which in combination with the EPA will form a special task force.</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><span class="tlid-translation">Chiang Tzu-nung said that the Formosa 1 project is a wind farm that is relatively close to the shore and future wind farms will be relatively further from shore, making supervision be more difficult. The EPA will step up it's planning for an inter-agency task force, which when confirmed, will be announced and in addition to letting the public and the environmental groups know about the government’s conduct, and also let the developer know that just because the EPA has no vessels, does not mean the EPA will not catch violators.</span><br /><br /><span class="tlid-translation">In addition to the EPA, environmental groups are also tracking these violations. On 28 June the media ran an op-ed </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://e-info.org.tw/node/218761" style="color: purple;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">https://e-info.org.tw/node/218761</span></a></span><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> by </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei, Professor at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology</span><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> and Robin Winkler, chair of the Taiwan Matsu’s Conservation Union.</span></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=888343659190148795#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="color: purple;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> In mid-July, the environmental group filed submitted a "Citizens Notice" with the EPA </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://e-info.org.tw/node/219068" style="color: purple;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">https://e-info.org.tw/node/219068</span></a></span><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> asking for strict enforcement and punishment of the developer for its violations.</span></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=888343659190148795#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="color: purple;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Taiwan Matsu’s Fish Conservation Union Chair Robin Winkler criticizes the selection of off shore wind farm sites for the piling noise and say’s there is no “win win”scenario. Photo by Sun Wen-lin.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;">Footnotes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Content of Formosa 1 EIA Commitments on observer vessels and cetacean observers:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">[translators notes – (a) each of the nine blocks are two km sq with (b) the center block showing a radius of 1 km for the warning zone and (c) showing the trajectory for the observer vessels underneath which the legend shows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Red spot: turbine piling location<br />Orange spot: warning zone<br />Purple spot: monitoring area within warning zone block<br />Blue spot: monitoring area<br />Monitoring vessels<br />Broken line indicates navigation course of monitoring vessels<br />Arrows indicate main direction of travel of Chinese White Dolphin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The caption to this chart reads:<br />8.1.1.1-3 Position chart for location of observer vessels and underwater microphones during piling</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Formosa 1 during piling has a warning zone with a radius of 1 km, and an observation range of 2.8 to 5.3 km (Note: different developers have different commitments and methods). Sourced from the Formosa 1 EIA Report.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">3 The number of observation vessels should be calculated according to the total monitoring area and the observation range of the trained cetacean observers, which is about 1 km; and assuming that the piling noise can be transmitted everywhere in the deep waters, two vessels located at the corners around the warning zone are located at 2 km of the rectangle cruising on clockwise or counter-clockwise trajectory; with each vessel traveling at a speed of 6 knots on an 8 kilometer route it will take 43.2 minutes, and in the monitoring area there is a vessel every 4 square kilometers and each vessel travels at a speed of 6 knots so the 7.5 km route takes 40.5 minutes; the total monitoring area is 36 square kilometers and a total of 10 observation vessels are required (as shown in Figure 8.1.1.1-3).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /><span class="tlid-translation">4Before starting piling, the observers must first confirm that there is no cetacean activity in the warning zone for at least 30 minutes and when the piling has commenced, as soon as a cetacean enters the warning zone, the construction unit should immediately stop piling, wait thirty minutes after cetaceans have left the warning zone, and then resume with a soft start piling gradually working up to the normal piling force to continue the engineering. If dolphins are found in the monitoring area, observe and record the sighting data and movement direction, and confirm that the dolphins are no longer moving toward the warning zone.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;">Formosa 1 EIA commitment flow chart and description for marine mammal observers (Note: different developers have different commitments and methods). Sourced from the Formosa 1 EIA Report.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;">Original at <a href="https://e-info.org.tw/node/220014" style="color: purple;">https://e-info.org.tw/node/220014</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=888343659190148795#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="color: purple;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></b></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">T</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">his links to a report from 9 September 2019 </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">台灣首座離岸風場試運轉</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">海洋風電第二階段首支風機開始發電</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"> <span lang="EN-US">(Taiwan’s </span></span><span class="tlid-translation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">first offshore wind farm commissioned; the second phase of Formosa 1 begins to generate electricity)</span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=888343659190148795#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="color: purple;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"> This was an article published on 28 June 2019, “Win/Win Wind! Does the EPA Care?” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">雙贏風電!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">環保署</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Care</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">嗎?</span></span></h1>
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台灣媽祖魚保育聯盟http://www.blogger.com/profile/06020832324475964948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-67686566199458569752015-04-02T19:12:00.000+08:002015-09-25T19:17:26.894+08:00New paper provides evidence that critically endangered Taiwanese white dolphin is distinct, endemic subspecies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It was already clear that the pink-coloured dolphins living
off Taiwan’s west coast were different from other nearby populations of the
same species (<i>Sousa chinensis</i>, also known as the Indo-Pacific humpback
dolphin). But a </span><a href="http://www.zoologicalstudies.com/content/54/1/36"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">new
paper</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> has now revealed that the Taiwanese population also meets the criteria
for being recognised as a subspecies.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The authors, John Wang, Shih Chu Yang and Samuel Hung*, who
have been researching the critically endangered Taiwanese dolphins since 2002,
propose a new scientific name for them - <i>Sousa chinensis taiwanensis</i>, to
recognise their special local status.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The findings are the result of a study that compared
pigmentation patterns in the Taiwanese population with those of neighbouring populations
in the Jiulong River Estuary and the Pearl River Estuary, in the coastal waters
of China. Dolphins in all three populations are born grey and gradually become
pink or white with age, with the grey pigmentation becoming spots, and sometimes
fading away altogether. However, examination of the spotting on individuals
shows that the patterns on dolphins from the Taiwanese population are distinct
from those in the other two regions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In such situations, if at least 75% of the population is
distinct from more than 99% of other provisional populations, it is commonly
accepted as a subspecies. The study found that 94% of the Taiwanese population
could be seen to be different from more than 99% of the other two populations,
easily meeting this criterion. Further evidence of their uniqueness includes
behavioural differences between the Taiwanese dolphins and other populations,
and the fact that they are geographically isolated by the deep waters in the
middle of the Taiwan Strait; <i>Sousa chinensis</i> are usually only found in
shallow, coastal waters.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recognition as a subspecies would make protective action for
the Taiwanese dolphins even more urgent than previously thought, because their
extinction would mean not only that Taiwan would lose this charismatic and
ecologically important creature from its waters, but also that the world would
lose a kind of dolphin that exists nowhere else. This subspecies may even be on
a path to becoming a distinct species if the separation is sufficiently long to
allow greater differentiation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Local non-governmental organisations continue to call for
official government recognition of the dolphins’ habitat, and for long-delayed action
to reduce the five key threats to their survival – bycatch in fishing
equipment, air and water pollution, noise and disturbance, loss of freshwater
flow into their habitat, and land reclamation. Little has been done to address
these threats over the thirteen years that researchers and concerned local
groups have been drawing attention to them, and they continue on a trajectory
towards extinction.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The full scientific paper about the subspecies recognition
can be accessed freely (without subscription) at the website of the journal
Zoological Studies at </span><a href="http://www.zoologicalstudies.com/content/54/1/36"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://www.zoologicalstudies.com/content/54/1/36</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*While Hung has contributed to research on the Taiwanese
population, he has also spent many years researching the Pearl River Estuary
population from his base in Hong Kong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Christina MacFarquharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292184723256420129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-47311543872864122442014-08-07T15:04:00.002+08:002014-08-07T15:04:52.129+08:00100 dolphin vision vs 100 year extinction: Taiwan’s choice for white dolphins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Following a workshop in Taiwan in May, where <a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/taiwans-white-dolphins-and-fisheries.html">experts proposed a recovery target of 100</a> for the critically endangered population of Taiwanese white dolphins, new research has painted a clearer picture of the alternative: their path towards extinction.<br />
<br />In a <a href="http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v24/n3/p263-271/">paper</a> published recently in the journal Endangered Species Research, Claryana Araújo and colleagues describe what is likely to happen to the dolphins, currently numbering no more than 74, in a range of scenarios that could occur over the next 100 years.<br />
<br />Using a simulation programme, they first show what is likely to happen to the population if there is no change to the current serious threat of injury and entanglement in fishing gear – the subject of the May workshop. According to the results, in this baseline scenario the population declined and, in 66% of the simulations, became extinct in 100 years or less.<br />
<br />Unsurprisingly, when the researchers then looked at other future scenarios in which the impact from fishing gear increased and the size and quality of the dolphins’ coastal habitat declined, the likelihood of the their extinction within 100 years also increased, with up to 92% of the simulations giving this result.<br />
<br />Araújo said, “The results of this study confirm the very delicate situation of the Taiwanese white dolphins, and that the population is declining.”<br />
<br />Indeed, the fact that the dolphins are critically endangered is already no longer a matter of debate. However, the results of the study confirm that simply stopping the situation from becoming worse will not be enough to save them: the existing threats need to be reduced and, where possible, removed.<br />
<br />This message will be important as the government sets about responding to the situation. Thanks to campaigning by Taiwanese NGOs, the dolphins are already considered in Environmental Impact Assessments for major new projects. Now, with the <a href="http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=216689&CtNode=436">proposed designation</a> of part of their habitat as ‘Major Wildlife Habitat’ under the Wildlife Conservation Act in May, there could soon be an even stronger mandate both at the national and local government levels to address their plight. <br />
<br />A rapid, coordinated effort will be needed to address the existing threats, which, in addition to fishing gear, also include water and air pollution, underwater noise, land reclamation, and the loss of freshwater flowing into the dolphins’ habitat, due to the damming and diversion of rivers along western Taiwan.<br />
<br />Compared to the threat from fishing gear, less information is available on these other factors, which, the researchers point out, means that they probably underestimated their impact in the study. This suggests that the danger to the dolphins may be even greater than the results show, and their extinction more imminent if action is not taken.<br />
<br />“Based on the data available,” said Araújo, “the mortality due to fisheries interactions is the most serious, immediate threat for this population. And even with uncertainties regarding the level of the other threats and the exact mortality rate, the population shows a decline. This tells us that urgent conservation actions are needed.”<br />
<br />Reducing the number of dolphin deaths from fisheries interactions will not be as straightforward as simply monitoring fishing boat activities and enforcing penalties for catching dolphins. <br />
<br />According to the researchers, thousands of fishers, many of them small scale artisanal fishers, operate along Taiwan’s west coast, making it impossible to effectively observe all their activities and prevent dolphin deaths.<br />
<br />The only feasible solution would be to implement a total ban on gill nets and trawlers within the dolphins’ habitat, they say, echoing the findings of the May workshop.<br />
<br />The workshop also explored ways to work with fishers and fishing authorities to achieve adequate protection for the dolphins while also addressing the issue of overexploitation of fish, and working towards more sustainable long-term fisheries.</div>
Christina MacFarquharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292184723256420129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-27944072910475663372014-05-24T07:17:00.004+08:002014-05-24T07:37:04.297+08:00Interview with Dr Louella Dolar on protected areas, fisheries and fishing communities in the Philippines<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dr Louella Dolar, of Silliman University in the Philippines, talks about the establishment of protected areas with restrictions on fishing activities, and how this has helped marine ecosystems recover and brought benefits to fishers in the Philippines.<br />
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This interview took place at the <a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/taiwans-white-dolphins-and-fisheries.html">workshop</a> on <em>Sustainable Fisheries and the Conservation of the Taiwanese White Dolphin</em>, from 28 April to 2 May, 2014, in Taiwan.</div>
Christina MacFarquharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292184723256420129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-23887791536905941562014-05-03T11:18:00.003+08:002014-05-24T02:02:35.279+08:00Dr Peter Ross: three recommendations on Taiwanese white dolphin fisheries impacts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dr Peter Ross* on the three recommendations of the international expert
group after a week-long workshop on fisheries impacts on the critically
endangered Taiwanese white dolphin population.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Chair of the Eastern Taiwan Strait Sousa Technical Advisory Working
Group and Program Director at the Vancouver Aquarium in Canada.</span>
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Christina MacFarquharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292184723256420129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-3184748381564758842014-05-03T09:29:00.003+08:002014-05-05T14:18:18.729+08:00Taiwan’s White Dolphins and fisheries can benefit from dolphin-friendly fishing, says international expert group<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Scientists propose target of 100 dolphins by 2030</b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1Q2GKSH1Jg/U2RP_noMTxI/AAAAAAAAANU/z1ry5J8PuIY/s1600/TW-04+with+new+scar_%E7%8E%8B%E6%84%88%E8%B6%85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1Q2GKSH1Jg/U2RP_noMTxI/AAAAAAAAANU/z1ry5J8PuIY/s1600/TW-04+with+new+scar_%E7%8E%8B%E6%84%88%E8%B6%85.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a>Taiwan’s critically endangered and biologically distinct White Dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and its fishers could both benefit from a switch to dolphin-friendly fishing gear, concluded scientists at an international workshop yesterday in Taipei.<br />
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The workshop participants, from Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States, were invited by the Biodiversity Research Centre at Academic Sinica, the Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center of National Cheng-Kung University, and Matsu's Fish Conservation Union. The workshop was held under the auspices of the Eastern Taiwan Strait Sousa Technical Advisory Working Group, an international group of scientists established in 2007 to provide conservation-based scientific advice to recover the Taiwanese white dolphins.<br />
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The Taiwanese white dolphins, which inhabit the nearshore waters of Taiwan’s west coast, number approximately 74 individuals. They face numerous threats, including entanglement in fishing nets, particularly gillnets. Dolphins can drown if they are unable to break free from a net, and such an impact may jeopardize the survival or recovery of the population. <br />
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More than 30% of the dolphins bear the scars of previous entanglements, and some dolphins still have nets wrapped around their bodies. This causes terrible suffering and impairs their ability to feed and reproduce.<br />
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Workshop participants suggested that Taiwan could set a target to increase the number of dolphins to 100 individuals by 2030. This would improve the population from the IUCN ‘Critically Endangered’ listing to the ‘Endangered’ listing.<br />
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“The Taiwanese white dolphins are suffering from terrible injuries
associated with fishing nets. The best hope to reduce this threat, and
recover this critically endangered population, would come from banning
gill nets in their habitat, and encouraging fishers to switch to more
selective fishing gear,” said Dr. Peter Ross, Chair of the Eastern Taiwan Strait Sousa Technical Advisory Working Group and Program Director at the Vancouver Aquarium in Canada.<br />
<br />
Switching to alternative, more selective fishing methods can also bring significant benefits to fishers, with recovering fish stocks leading to increased income for fishers.<br />
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The international expert group welcomed the recent announcement by the Forestry Bureau that it will soon designate Major Wildlife Habitat for the dolphins. <br />
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The expert group encouraged the Forestry Bureau to consider increasing the Major Wildlife Habitat area from Longfeng Harbour (Miaoli County) in the north to Jiangiyun Harbour (Tainan City) in the south, and increasing the offshore boundary to 3 nautical miles from the shore.<br />
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The designation of Major Wildlife Habitat represents a management tool, but it will only be meaningful if accompanied by actions to reduce the threat from pollution, freshwater diversions, noise, habitat destruction and fisheries impacts.</div>
Christina MacFarquharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292184723256420129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-43906749227657301872014-04-18T19:53:00.000+08:002014-04-20T00:56:51.889+08:00Fisheries bycatch must stop to avoid extinction of Taiwan’s humpback dolphins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fishing activities pose the most serious, immediate and obvious threat to Taiwan’s critically endangered humpback dolphins (<i>Sousa chinensis</i>), but can be addressed most easily, according to researchers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v22/n2/p99-114/">study published in the journal Endangered Species Research</a>, </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Dr.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elizabeth Slooten and colleagues say that the impact of fishing gear on the small population of dolphins, also known as the Eastern Taiwan Strait (ETS) humpback dolphins, must be reduced in order to avert their extinction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Taking action to switch to more dolphin-friendly fishing equipment would require short-term investment, but the benefits both for the dolphins and for the fishing industry could be significant and lasting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There are estimated to be fewer than 75 dolphins in the population, and more than 30% show signs of having been caught in or injured by fishing gear. Some can be seen swimming with lines still attached to their fins and around their bodies, while others bear deep, lasting scars from previous entanglement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1Hd7_GL528/U1Kqu6__YvI/AAAAAAAAALw/CRiSYK7S3_g/s1600/Q-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1Hd7_GL528/U1Kqu6__YvI/AAAAAAAAALw/CRiSYK7S3_g/s1600/Q-1.png" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Surveys of fishing activities within their habitat reveal widespread use of the kinds of fishing gear most likely to cause humpback dolphin ‘bycatch’ - death from fisheries interactions. Of most concern are the thousands of gillnets along the west coast of the island, which are designed to catch fish by their gills but are also known to kill humpback dolphins, as well as most other kinds of cetaceans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One kind of gillnet, called a trammel net, consists of multiple (usually three) layers of netting, some more slack than others, which makes it particularly easy for marine wildlife to become entangled. This is the most prevalent kind of gillnet in the dolphins’ range.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Trawling, another kind of fishing that can cause<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Sousa</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>bycatch, has been banned in much of the dolphins’ near-shore habitat, but continues illegally nevertheless, often in plain sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The study shows that, in order for the population to survive and recover, levels of bycatch must be reduced to less than one dolphin every seven years. It is not known how many dolphins are killed or have a reduced lifespan due to fisheries injuries, but photographic evidence and bycatch reports suggest that the mortality rate is higher than this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">To prevent the extinction of this unique population, the researchers recommend halting the use of gillnets and trawling within the humpback dolphins’ habitat. This would include strict enforcement of the existing trawling ban, and adopting alternative fishing methods which are more selective, and less damaging to cetaceans and other marine life and their habitat.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Converting to these methods will cost money in the short term. But in addition to giving the dolphins a good chance of recovery, the benefits for the fisheries themselves could be significant as populations of higher value fish species recover and grow, the entire ecosystem improves, and the fishing industry becomes more sustainable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1c20; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The study notes that bycatch is only one of five major threats to the dolphins: habitat loss from land reclamation, pollution, loss of freshwater flow from rivers, and noise and other disturbance, are also contributing to their decline, and all need to be addressed. But in the short term, argue the researchers, because of the immediacy and seriousness of fishing impacts, stopping the use of certain fishing practices would be the ‘single most effective conservation measure for ETS<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Sousa</i>.’</span></div>
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Christina MacFarquharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292184723256420129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-50511204554156326972013-01-09T12:47:00.000+08:002013-01-09T12:47:10.727+08:00New Taiwan Pink Dolphin paper publishedA new paper on mark-recapture analysis of the ETS <em>Sousa</em> (aka Taiwan Pink Dolphin) by John Y Wang et al has been published in the Bulletin of Marine Science (Volume 88 Number 4). The abstract is given below. To access the full paper see the <a href="http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/bms/index.html">Bulletin of Marine Science website</a> or <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/umrsmas/bullmar/2012/00000088/00000004/art00005">here</a>.<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<br />
<br />
<strong>MARK-RECAPTURE ANALYSIS OF THE CRITICALLY <span style="background-color: transparent;">ENDANGERED EASTERN TAIWAN STRAIT POPULATION OF </span>INDO-PACIFIC HUMPBACK DOLPHINS (<span style="font-style: italic;">SOUSA CHINENSIS</span>): <span style="background-color: transparent;">IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px;">BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE. 88(4):885–902.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent;"><div style="background-color: transparent;">
John Y Wang, Shih Chu Yang, Pedro F Fruet, <span style="background-color: transparent;">Fabio G Daura-Jorge, and Eduardo R Secchi.</span></div>
</span> </div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><strong>Abstract</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"></span> </div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><div style="background-color: transparent;">
<em>Accurate and precise estimates of abundance and survival rates are important for <span style="background-color: transparent;">assessing the conservation status of cetacean populations. Mark-recapture analysis </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">of photo-identification data of the critically endangered eastern Taiwan Strait (ETS) </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765), was </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">conducted on data collected between 2007 and 2010 to refine a preliminary, and the </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">only available, abundance estimate for this isolated population (n = 99; CV = 51.6%), </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">as well as to provide survival rates. About 14,000 good quality photographs (about </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">2100–6300 yr−1) were used to estimate both parameters for marked animals under </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">Pollock’s Robust Design model. The total population size (NT) was determined by </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">correcting for the proportion of the population possessing long-lasting marks (i V ). </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">The annual point estimates were lower, varying from 54 to 74, and had much better </span>precision (CV varied from 4% to 13%) than previous estimates, suggesting that <span style="background-color: transparent;">mark-recapture is a suitable method for estimating abundance of this population. </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">These estimates also further supported the precarious state of the ETS population </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">under another criterion of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. As expected </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">for long-lived mammals, annual apparent survival rate was high at 0.985 (95% CI </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">= 0.832–0.998). Continuing to monitor the ETS population of humpback dolphins </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">with such high precision and accuracy will allow examination of the population’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">trends over time and to better understand its future persistence.</span></em></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-77953586432617149772012-10-12T09:49:00.001+08:002012-10-12T09:49:38.478+08:00Fourth-stage expansion of Central Taiwan Science Park permit revokedYesterday, the High Administrative Court revoked the development permit issued for the Fourth-stage expansion of the Central Taiwan Science Park for Erlin in Chunghua County. The project threatened the tradition way of life of the rural peoples of Erlin. The project also would cause extremely high levels of pollution and environmental damage. According to the Taipei Times, the court said, “The development [in Erlin Park] will cause serious waste of the nation’s land and resources, compromise food safety and affect the nation’s sustainability.” “Revoking the permit will not contradict the public interest. Rather, the ruling would safeguard a major public interest.”<br />
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Read <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/10/12/2003545001/1">Farmers elated as science park’s permit is revoked </a>in today's Taipei Times:<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-23373810602551492552012-10-02T14:36:00.000+08:002012-10-02T14:36:11.263+08:00Toxic Cocktail: who's pickin up the tab?<i>"Taipei Times<br />
<a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/10/02/2003544183/1">Firm under fire over plant blaze</a><br />
<br />
PUBLIC RELATIONS MELTDOWN:Formosa Petrochemical, owner of the Sixth Naphtha Cracker, has faced criticism over suspicious animal deaths after a major fire at the plant"<br />
</i><br />
<br />
<br />
The headline and plurb kind of just sizzle and pop. There's no real bang in this. It looks a little hot but as soon as you get into the text of the article you soon realise there's no spice in it. Probably just a weak attempt to cover the story without rattling the cage of the corporate ogre in the story. The string of fires down at the Formosa Petrochemical Corp’s Sixth Naphtha Cracker in Mailiao, Yunlin County are no secret but the <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/10/02/2003544183/1">article</a> just mentions one fire in July 2010. There were two around then actually but I guess our reporter saw fit not to mention the other fire or the ones which came after. The article waffles on about activists and EIAs and dead ducklings but never really gets down to the issue of Formosa Plastics needing to take responsibility for the toxic landscape it's created down in Mailiao.<br />
<br />
Just over a week ago we were told that <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/09/30/2003544017">Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) would become involved in the disagreement between the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA)</a> regarding an EPA decision that could lead to Formosa Petrochemical Corp’s withdrawal from an investment project. And what might that mean? Is Premier Chen going to smooth the ruffled feathers of the corporate ogre and insure that it will be business as usual for the petrochemical giant asap?<br />
<br />
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that those grey smoke-filled skies around Mailiao aren't healthy. Local folks might lack the funds and resources to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the sudden deaths of fish, ducklings and other animals following fires at Formosa are a result of the toxic fallout from the fires but that doesn't make Formosa right and excuse what is happening down there. <br />
<br />
Lawyers, unethical politicians, rich corporations, corrupt officials. These might keep the debt collector from the door in the short term. But somewhere, sometime in the not too distant future the tab for this toxic cocktail is going to have to be paid! And it will be paid in the currency of poor health, disease and death. It will be paid by the environment and all those who live in it; human and non human. It's legacy will run generations and it will be our legacy. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-82960717429272778712012-09-14T16:00:00.001+08:002012-09-14T16:03:59.632+08:00Another shocking wounded Pink Dolphin photo!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KmpFbvwL2Qg/UFLjbwYyiZI/AAAAAAAACi0/-JESjya5_Ns/s1600/TW-111%2Bwith%2Bfresh%2Binjury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="151" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KmpFbvwL2Qg/UFLjbwYyiZI/AAAAAAAACi0/-JESjya5_Ns/s320/TW-111%2Bwith%2Bfresh%2Binjury.jpg" /></a></div><i>TW-111, seen on 21st July with a new open wound probably from entanglement in a fishing net.*</i> <br />
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<br />
Another shocking Taiwan pink dolphin injury photo has been forwarded to us by researchers. The photo shows dolphin (TW-111) photographed on July 21 with a very serious injury. The injury would likely have been caused while pulling itself free from entanglement in a net. The wound is very deep. You can clearly see where the epaxial muscles (lighter colour in this photo) and the blubber layer (the thin darker layer) are separated. <br />
<br />
This animal was last photographed on July 6 and did not show the wound at that time so the injury must have been between that date and July 21st. <br />
<br />
Another very disturbing thought is the open wound in those nasty waters.<br />
<br />
At the 2007 international workshop on the pink dolphins scientists identified five major threats to the Taiwan pink dolphins: <br />
- by-catch in fishing gear;<br />
- reclamation of estuarine and coastal regions for industrial purposes;<br />
- diversion and extraction of freshwater from major river systems of western Taiwan;<br />
- release of industrial, agricultural and municipal effluent into rivers and coastal waters;<br />
- noise and disturbance associated with construction, shipping and military activities<br />
<br />
There is overwhelming evidence that by-catch and entanglement are happening. If the issues isn't addressed immediately then it would appear that these critically endangered dolphins are doomed to be lost through by-catch and entanglement within just the next few years.<br />
<br />
Also see:<br />
<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2012/07/shocking-truth-fatal-reality-of.html">Shocking Truth: The fatal reality of entanglement and bycatch for the Taiwan Pink Dolphins </a><br />
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*Photo courtesy and copyright Formosa<i>Cetus</i>.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-52022083603924234722012-09-11T14:32:00.002+08:002012-09-11T14:32:50.165+08:00Cancellation of KK gets mention in the IUCN's Species Magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wCkMAIv7Nn8/UE7asiUhHZI/AAAAAAAACic/lNtahYv2CLI/s1600/TEIA%2B2010%2BG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wCkMAIv7Nn8/UE7asiUhHZI/AAAAAAAACic/lNtahYv2CLI/s320/TEIA%2B2010%2BG.JPG" /></a></div><i>The Dacheng Wetlands which was to be the site of the Kuokuang Petrochemical project</i>.<br />
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<br />
The cancellation of the <a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2011/04/ma-sinks-kuokuang-time-to-break-out.html">Kuokuang Petrochemical project </a>in April last year has made it into the the latest edition of the IUCN's bi-annual magazine, <a href="https://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/species_54_final.pdf">Species Magazine issue 54</a>. There is a brief mention in the Cetacean Specialist Group report on page 41. The Kuokuang Petrochemical Project would have seen the Dacheng wetlands (Changhua County) destroyed through a land reclamation project to house the Kuokuang Petrochemical Refinery. The Dacheng Wetlands on the west-central coast are an internationally listed IBA (important bird area). The loss of the wetlands and construction of a petrochemical plant would have effectively divided the habitat of the critically endangered Taiwan Pink Dolphins in two.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-52528469793727448852012-07-31T14:47:00.000+08:002012-07-31T14:47:09.751+08:00And the name games continue...Yesterday, a different version of Friday's post, <a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2012/07/its-all-in-name.html">It's all in a name </a>appeared as a <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2012/07/30/2003538974">letter in the Taipei Times</a>. A copy of the Taipei Times letter appears below. In Friday's post we pointed out how the media can subtly influence the perception of something by their choice of name. The old story of story of what some call hero others call villain. <br />
<br />
On Friday we pointed out how the Taipei Times seems to box anyone who speaks out over, or protests over an issue linked to the environment as an "environmentalist" or "activist" or "conservationist" or some other "ism." Create the impression that just greeny-hippie-bunny-hugger-types are up in arms. The lunatic fringe again! When in fact it is Joe Citizen and it's civic groups, concerned residents, teachers, academics, parents, farmers and so the list could go on. They are people we relate to. They are everyday regular folk. They are us. And they've had enough of polluted skies, fields and waterways. They've had enough of greed and corruption and they want it to stop.<br />
<br />
Yet again today we see another Taipei Times article (<a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/07/31/2003539095">Petrochemical project slammed by protest group</a>) about a protest over the fourth expansion project at Formosa Plastics Corp’s sixth naphtha cracker complex in Mailiao Township, Yunlin County. And once again we learn that was those pesky "local environmental activists" again. There's that subtle boxing to create the impression it's the lunatic fringe again. Yes, they do name some of the groups represented at the protest. And right at the end, almost as a footnote, we learn that there actually were more than 30 civic groups from across the country. But in those all important opening paragraphs we read "protest" "small" "local environmental activists."<br />
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We learn nothing really about what they are protesting about beyond the most obvious. Some of the seemingly dirty underhanded ways the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was passed are touched on but no mention of Formosa Plastics horrendous environmental track record even gets a mention. No mention of all the recent fires. No mention of how they have attacked freedom of speech with their recent SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) where two Formosa Plastics affiliates filed a lawsuit against Professor Tsuang Ben-jei (莊秉潔) of National Chung Hsing University’s (NCHU) department of environmental engineering because they claim that he said emissions from FPG's sixth naphtha cracker plant in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮) resulted in a higher cancer occurrence rate amongst nearby residents which has injured FPG's reputation. Yeah, the criminal suit brought by two Formosa Plastics affiliates that are also investors in the Mailiao off shore facility has been dismissed – i.e., non indictment. FPG can “appeal.” However, a civil suit is still pending.<br />
<br />
None of this makes it into the article. No mention of the threats that the likes of the Mailiao plant pose to local residents both human and non human like the critically endangered Taiwan pink dolphins.<br />
<br />
Why? Why is the article so selective in what it reports? It's obvious that the protesters aren't getting a boost from the media for their cause. So who is? <br />
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<br />
Taipei Times letter- July 30, 2012.<br />
<a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2012/07/30/2003538974">It’s all in the name</a><br />
<br />
What one calls a terrorist another calls a liberator. It is all in the name; how those who hold power or desire power wish the masses to perceive something. The media obviously plays its part in all this.<br />
<br />
Take the Taipei Times article “Environmentalists protest over EIA” (July 26, page 3). Environmentalists? Images of long-haired hippie types stuck in a 1960s mindset rambling on about free love and Mother Earth come to mind. And I am pretty sure that is just what some politicians, developers and corporations want you to think. “Yeah, the lunatic fringe up in arms again causing disruptions!”<br />
<br />
The first paragraph of the article read as follows:<br />
<br />
“Environmentalists yesterday protested against an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for an expansion project at a naphtha cracker complex that failed to include fine particles.”<br />
<br />
You would be forgiven for thinking it was just those pesky environmentalists that have a problem with an environmental impact assessment for the fourth phase expansion project at Formosa Plastics Corp’s sixth naphtha cracker complex in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮). Some group of crazy green bunny-huggers whining about fine particles not being listed.<br />
<br />
Now, let us delete “environmentalists” and give a more accurate description of those that typically are present at these protests against the expansion projects down in Mailao:<br />
<br />
“Concerned local residents, civic groups, fishers, farmers, workers, teachers, academics, parents, lawyers, doctors, conservation and environmental groups yesterday protested against an EIA for an expansion project at a naphtha cracker complex that failed to include fine particles.”<br />
<br />
OK, it is a bit long, but you get the point. It sounds different, doesn’t it? It changes things. We relate to these people. They are us. They do not sound so loony.<br />
<br />
However, the Taipei Times so often boxes these regular folks and organizations as “environmentalists” or “activists” or some other “ism.” I am sure the so-called developers must smile at this subtle eroding of Joe Citizen’s image and credibility.<br />
<br />
You see. It is not just environmentalists that are pissed off with Formosa Plastics and its toxic hell down in Mailiao. After all the pollution, fires, greed and lack of ethics, after soaring cancer rates, dirty air and smokey gray skies, people have had enough. They want to know why the Environmental Protection Agency allows this toxic nightmare to continue.<br />
<br />
However, others would have you believe it is just some nutty environmentalists who have a problem with it.<br />
<br />
T.W. Sousa, Yunlin County<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-29297932029715719852012-07-26T16:17:00.001+08:002012-07-26T16:17:31.541+08:00It's all in a name<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FOGTF__fIf8/UBD7Lgzdq4I/AAAAAAAACiM/bRMC7WGufEg/s1600/FPG%2Bburning%2Boff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="118" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FOGTF__fIf8/UBD7Lgzdq4I/AAAAAAAACiM/bRMC7WGufEg/s320/FPG%2Bburning%2Boff.jpg" /></a></div><i>Formosa Plastics at Mailiao in Yunlin County in all its toxic glory</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
To the Nazis they were terrorists, subversives and a host of other evil sounding names. The Allies called them resistance fighters, partisans, patriots and freedom fighters. And so often through history what one calls a terrorist the other calls liberator. It's all in the name; how those that hold power or desire power wish the masses to perceive something. The media obviously plays its part in all this.<br />
<br />
Take this story from today's Taipei Times. The headline reads "<a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/07/26/2003538679">Environmentalists protest over EIA</a>." Environmentalists? Images of long-haired-hippy-types stuck in a 60s mindset rambling on about free love and Mother Earth come to mind. And I'm pretty sure that that is just what they want you to think. Yeah, the lunatic fringe up in arms again causing disruptions. <br />
<br />
The first three paragraphs of the <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/07/26/2003538679">Taipei Times article </a>read as follows: <br />
"<i>Environmentalists yesterday protested against an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for an expansion project at a naphtha cracker complex that failed to include fine particles.<br />
<br />
The EIA for the fourth expansion project at Formosa Plastics Corp’s sixth naphtha cracker complex in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮) did not list PM2.5 (fine particles less than 2.5 micrometers) as an item in the evaluation.<br />
<br />
Before the impact assessment meeting, environmentalists gathered in front of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and called on committee members to reject a proposal to once again expand the plant</i>."<br />
<br />
You're to be forgiven for thinking it was just those pesky environmentalists that have a problem with an environmental impact assessment for the fourth phase expansion project at Formosa Plastics Corp’s sixth naphtha cracker complex. Some group of crazy bunny-huggers on about fine particles not being listed.<br />
<br />
Now, if you would allow me, let's change a few words in just the first paragraph of the article to read: <br />
"<i>Concerned local residents, civic groups, fishers, farmers, teachers, parents, lawyers, doctors and conservation and environmental groups yesterday protested against an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for an expansion project at a naphtha cracker complex that failed to include fine particles</i>."<br />
Sounds different doesn't it. It changes things. We relate to these people. They are us. They don't sound so looney. <br />
<br />
You see. It's not environmentalists that are pissed off with Formosa Plastics and its toxic hell at Mailiao in Yunlin County. After all the pollution, fires, greed and lack of ethics. After soaring cancer rates, dirty air and smokey grey skies people have had enough. They want to know why the EPA keeps allowing this toxic nightmare to continue. But others would have you believe it was just some nutty environmentalists who have a problem with it. <br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-30772479734409799462012-07-16T14:54:00.000+08:002012-09-14T16:03:14.688+08:00Shocking Truth: The fatal reality of entanglement and bycatch for the Taiwan Pink DolphinsSummer is here and once again researchers are out collecting data on the critically endangered Taiwan pink dolphins. In a few short years we've watched as best estimates have gone well below 99 for the total population with the likelihood of around 70 individuals being where this unique population is now at...or should we be saying, "was" because obviously that data is based on data from previous years.<br />
<br />
At the 2007 international workshop on the pink dolphins scientists identified five major threats to the Taiwan pink dolphins: <br />
- by-catch in fishing gear;<br />
- reclamation of estuarine and coastal regions for industrial purposes;<br />
- diversion and extraction of freshwater from major river systems of western Taiwan;<br />
- release of industrial, agricultural and municipal effluent into rivers and coastal waters;<br />
- noise and disturbance associated with construction, shipping and military activities.<br />
<br />
We know what the threats and problems are. They are obvious and you really don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that unless something is done about these dolphins now they are going to become extinct very quickly. The extinction of the Baiji in 2007 shows just how fast a dolphin species can become extinct. There is more than enough evidence to show that the situation is critical. If we don't act now it will be too late! But the powers-that-be aren't acting. They demand more evidence and data in what can only be seen as a stalling tactic and the only beneficiary of that are those milking the resources of the west coast; heavy industry and fisheries.<br />
<br />
We know that entanglement and by-catch is taking a grim toll on these dolphins. Two dead pink dolphins have washed up on the west coast since September 2009. There are rumors of other instances where dolphins have been killed through by-catch but I hear you say, "Ah, those are rumours! Where's the proof?" But do we need such proof as that of a rotting carcass? We have two. There is overwhelming evidence that by-catch and entanglement is happening. The evidence is there for us to see. Because this occurs at sea there isn't always going to be a rotting carcass washed up on the beach. We can look at the the collected data and see that by-catch is happening and that unless something is done about it these dolphins are going to fall victim to the threat of by-catch so quickly that it would be unlikely they will survive another decade under the current onslaught. And it's happening so quickly that the data isn't going to show the trend until we are well and truly beyond the point of no return. <br />
<br />
Here are some photos from this year: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--IRWFMAD1n0/UAO2qFDwHSI/AAAAAAAACh0/7EVUboj4Lnc/s1600/TW-04%2Bwith%2Bnew%2Bscar%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="119" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--IRWFMAD1n0/UAO2qFDwHSI/AAAAAAAACh0/7EVUboj4Lnc/s320/TW-04%2Bwith%2Bnew%2Bscar%2BA.jpg" /></a></div>TW-04 (aka "Humpy") was seen on 1st July sporting a new large scar on its tailstock (the deepest cut visible) probably from entanglement with gillnet. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KhbMeS_VTZU/UAO2pwejPVI/AAAAAAAAChk/-rgAiisO_ow/s1600/calf%2Bwith%2Bline%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="111" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KhbMeS_VTZU/UAO2pwejPVI/AAAAAAAAChk/-rgAiisO_ow/s320/calf%2Bwith%2Bline%2BA.jpg" /></a></div>This calf was seen in early June with the entangled line and hasn't been seen since). <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wiOV3LxhMVo/UAO2qtHr_JI/AAAAAAAACh8/KZnbS4pbOVs/s1600/TW-88%2Bwith%2Blines%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wiOV3LxhMVo/UAO2qtHr_JI/AAAAAAAACh8/KZnbS4pbOVs/s320/TW-88%2Bwith%2Blines%2BA.jpg" /></a></div>TW-88 was seen in early July in the Yunlin/Chiayi area. The lines on the two animals look like monofilament lines (most likely from gillnets).<br />
<br />
Given these and all the other photos collected over previous seasons do we really need to use collecting more data on by-catch and entanglement as an excuse for not acting now? <br />
<br />
All photos are courtesy and copyright Formosa<i>Cetus</i>.<br />
<br />
Also see:<br />
<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2012/09/tw-111-seen-on-21st-july-with-new-open.html">Another shocking wounded Pink Dolphin photo! </a><br />
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<br />
<br />
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<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-89000036780439814062012-06-26T15:02:00.000+08:002012-06-26T15:03:50.603+08:00Nuclear Safety: Taiwan Dawdles Behind the Philippines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--zeb3IG33s4/T-lclc_MEKI/AAAAAAAAChU/Ig7iXTCHIxo/s1600/IED_Controlled_Explosion+B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--zeb3IG33s4/T-lclc_MEKI/AAAAAAAAChU/Ig7iXTCHIxo/s320/IED_Controlled_Explosion+B.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>(Controlled explosion: <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/IED_Controlled_Explosion.jpg">Wikipedia</a>)<br />
<br />
<i>From the Hanji Chinese Language <a href="http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/index.htm">Liberty Times </a>24 June 2012</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Nuclear Safety: Taiwan Dawdles Behind the Philippines</b><br />
By TSAI Yain<br />
<br />
Recent news reports picked up on Prof. CHEN Zhenghong’s warnings that an eruption of the Datun volcanoes could result in two to three meters of ash falling on the nearby first and second nuclear plants. CHEN, former deputy minister of the National Science Council is currently a professor of geology at National Taiwan University. In response, Atomic Energy Council Minister TSAI Chunhong has said if we really were to encounter such a scenario he has no idea how to handle it.<br />
<br />
CHEN’s warnings bring to mind the 1990 film “Dreams” by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, where the sixth “dream” describes an eruption of Mount Fuji and the resulting molten lava spills onto six nearby nuclear power reactors. As the people flee from the exploding plants, a person cries: “Japan is too small; we simply have nowhere to hide!” Finally they flee to the beach, and with nowhere to escape, they jump into the sea. Even the dolphins can’t escape the disaster. Meanwhile, nuclear power personnel, in their protective suits and ties look on as the sky fills with highly toxic plutonium 239, strontium 90, cesium 137 and other deadly isotopes forming radioactive clouds. They exclaim how the folly of humankind surpasses all imagination. Given their understanding of immense pain and suffering in store for those exposed to high doses of radiation, the “suits” apologize to the people around them before taking their own lives by jumping into the apocalyptic ocean.<br />
<br />
This 20-year-old film is now seen as somewhat prophetic in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. While these words of warning failed to prevent the Fukushima nuclear disaster, perhaps it is not too late for Taiwan to heed the warning? Could Taiwan prevent a nuclear catastrophe if the Datun volcanoes erupted?<br />
<br />
Taiwan’s first and second nuclear plants, with a total of four reactors are built next to the Datun volcanic group. An eruption would surely lead to nuclear disaster; and with Taiwan being much smaller than Japan, we would have even less chance of escape. With the Atomic Energy Council’s minister admitting that he does not know how to deal with such a disaster what are ordinary people expected to think or do?<br />
<br />
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in the Philippines was built close to volcanoes and faults. Although the construction was completed, for security reasons, the plant has never gone into operation. The first and second nuclear power plants in Taiwan lie on active faults near the Datun volcanoes. Their proximity to metropolitan areas means that a serious nuclear incident would affect millions of people. It is absolutely imperative that the government moves now to decommission these plants and remove this insanely cataclysmic threat to the people of Taiwan. <br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Yain TSAI is a lawyer with the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Taiwan and also chairs the Environmental Law Committee of the Taipei Bar Association.<br />
</i><br />
<br />
核安 菲律賓比下台灣 <br />
<br />
◎ 蔡雅瀅<br />
<br />
報載前國科會副主委、台大地質系陳正宏教授警告,大屯火山群一旦噴發,厚達二、三公尺的火山灰,可能會對核一及核二廠造成災害。原能會主委蔡春鴻對此表示,萬一真的碰到這種災害,他也不知道該怎麼辦。<br />
<br />
這 則新聞令人想起一九九○年日本導演黑澤明拍攝的電影「夢」,片中第六個夢「赤富士」,描述富士山岩漿噴發時,核電廠的六座反應爐接二連三地爆炸。民眾紛紛 逃難,其中一人說:日本太小,我們根本無處可逃。最後逃到海邊,發現無處可逃的人們都跳海,連海豚也逃走,穿西裝的核電人員看著空氣中充滿劇毒的鈽 239、鍶90、銫137等輻射雲,感嘆:人類的愚行真是匪夷所思。了解暴露高劑量輻射後果的核電人員,不願忍受未來漫長的病痛折磨,向周遭的人道歉後, 跳海自盡。<br />
<br />
這部二十多年前的老電影,在福島核災後,被稱作「預言」片,可惜警世預言未能阻止福島核災,但能否阻擋台灣核災?能不能讓火山與核災齊發「赤色大屯山」的悲劇,不會在台灣真實上映?<br />
<br />
台灣將核一、核二廠建在大屯火山群附近,一旦火山爆發,可能造成核災;而台灣面積狹小,比日本更無處可逃。連原能會主委都坦承他也不知道該怎麼辦的災難,豈能讓民眾承擔?<br />
<br />
菲律賓的安達巴核電廠,鄰近火山與斷層,興建完成後,基於安全考量,從未運轉。台灣的核一、核二附近有大屯火山群與山腳活動斷層,且位於人口稠密的首都圈,一旦出事便是數百萬人受害,政府實應儘速除役該二座核電廠,不要再讓民眾承受核災風險。(作者為台灣蠻野心足生態協會專職律師、台北律師公會環境法委員會主委)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-45379571911441726752012-06-21T14:41:00.004+08:002012-06-21T14:41:59.665+08:00Update: FPG-Tsuang lawsuitIn what many believe to be a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) where two Formosa Plastics affiliates filed a lawsuit against Professor Tsuang Ben-jei (莊秉潔) of National Chung
Hsing University’s (NCHU) department of environmental engineering because they
claim that he said emissions from FPG's sixth naphtha cracker
plant in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮) resulted in a higher cancer
occurrence rate amongst nearby residents which has injured FPG's reputation. The criminal suit brought by two Formosa Plastics affiliates that are also investors in the Mailiao off shore facility has been dismissed – i.e., non indictment. FPG can “appeal.” However, a civil suit is still pending and this could be different. It is good to see that the courts dismissed the criminal suit where it seemed that the motive was nothing more to silence and scare anyone who dares to speak out against Formosa Plastics. Lets hope the civil suit is seen as nothing more than an attack on academic freedom and the right to free speech.<br />
<br />
Also see:<br />
<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2012/04/formosa-fpg-suppressing-accademic.html">Formosa (FPG) suppressing academic freedom and freedom of speech?</a><br />
<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2012/04/lets-all-pick-fight-with-formosa.html">Let’s All Pick a Fight with Formosa Plastics</a> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-17104043875290808822012-06-19T15:59:00.000+08:002012-06-19T15:59:22.966+08:00Huben Epitaph<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x0QouqOLdgk/T-Apui3BcdI/AAAAAAAACfk/0LL6WkjYds4/s1600/Hushan%2BStream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x0QouqOLdgk/T-Apui3BcdI/AAAAAAAACfk/0LL6WkjYds4/s320/Hushan%2BStream.JPG" /></a><i><br />
Hushan's Yucing valley before it was dug out to make way for the highly controversial Hushan Dam.<br />
</i><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZD5Dzdfs4s8/T-Apu5rq7DI/AAAAAAAACfw/wkP05SVycCg/s1600/Hushan%2BD%2Bj.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZD5Dzdfs4s8/T-Apu5rq7DI/AAAAAAAACfw/wkP05SVycCg/s320/Hushan%2BD%2Bj.JPG" /></a><i><br />
Yucing valley when the earth-movers got busy.<br />
</i><br />
<br />
Pleasantries exchanged on the roadside. “Lunch?” “Yes, that would be lovely.” And so I found myself sitting down to dumplings in a typical Taiwanese dumpling joint making polite small talk. “See anything good at Augu this morning?” “No, it was very quiet. Not much around.” “Don’t know how you can spend so much time looking at those black and white waders. Hit the forests more. Colourful birds there and it’s so much prettier than the West Coast.” And then it happened! “Been to Huben lately?” “Yes, last week.” I feel my blood stirring. In an attempt to gain control of my run-away emotions I blurt out, “Saw two Pitta. Heard a Maroon Oriole.” And at that point the wave of anger held inside broke on the shores of my heart. “Huben’s fucked!” There was no disguising my feelings in the way I spat out those words. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBTacrIX7lo/T-ApvI8bzZI/AAAAAAAACf8/mIrGoYiVRMA/s1600/Hushan%2BDam%2Bcon%2Bst.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBTacrIX7lo/T-ApvI8bzZI/AAAAAAAACf8/mIrGoYiVRMA/s320/Hushan%2BDam%2Bcon%2Bst.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>Yucing valley being put to the grader.</i><br />
<br />
All my intentions to remain calm and not to get emotional went out the window. I could see the look in his eyes; the judgment. He didn’t need to say anything. It was written all over his face. “Too much time in the sun. Irrational. Emotional. Unstable.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WP4kVWpABVE/T-AsvnTjFrI/AAAAAAAACgM/fBW_zJbWKE0/s1600/Hushan%2B4a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WP4kVWpABVE/T-AsvnTjFrI/AAAAAAAACgM/fBW_zJbWKE0/s320/Hushan%2B4a.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>And the forest is cleared to make way for the water demands of heavy industry.<br />
</i><br />
<br />
So smooth. So controlled. And with calmness etched onto his face with perhaps just a hint of a condescending smirk he replied. “That bad? I don’t think it’s that bad. I mean it’s still a good birding spot.” I reply, “Compared to what it was, it’s finished; trashed!” “Oh, I don’t know about that.” And that level of anger within rocketed. “In 2006 there were forty pitta around the village. This year there are four! Four!!! In just six years forty to four. Huben is dead! Everywhere they’re doing the same. They’re concreting every bloody mountain stream they can. Before our eyes they’re destroying what’s left. On Saturday I saw those pitta and it struck me like a hammer. These are very likely the last of Huben’s pitta. What is a certainty is that my infant son will never enjoy seeing a pitta there by the time he’s six.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMJXlWX52tE/T-Asv38jRiI/AAAAAAAACgY/_MaW-tVvDK8/s1600/Hushan%2B1a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMJXlWX52tE/T-Asv38jRiI/AAAAAAAACgY/_MaW-tVvDK8/s320/Hushan%2B1a.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>Stripped and bleeding. The forest is no more.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
My companion then continued calmly. He emphasized the need for a calm balanced approach and how he needed to find his niche in all this. I retorted, “The calm balanced approach has resulted in the loss of Huben. It hasn’t worked. Only when we say enough and get angry and take to the streets is there any hope of the destruction stopping.” For the first time the calm façade of Mr. Calmness showed a hint or irritation. “Taking to the streets has never helped anyone. It’s not going to save Huben.” Indignant I replied, “How would you know? It hasn’t been tried! It’s too late now. Huben is gone!”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dOSHU2mQgAg/T-AvBVFCEAI/AAAAAAAACgk/-cnSbPRx8Iw/s1600/Huben%2B010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dOSHU2mQgAg/T-AvBVFCEAI/AAAAAAAACgk/-cnSbPRx8Iw/s320/Huben%2B010.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>Another stream disappears under concrete. Fairy Pitta nest on stream banks. This spot was a known Fairy Pitta nesting site. <br />
</i><br />
<br />
I had had my say. Mr. Calmness wasn’t looking so calm anymore. It was written on his face. A change of topic. Dignity. A stiff upper lip was what was needed to selvage this most unfortunate lunch. I obliged. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcYw9oAu4Uk/T-AvCJb3XFI/AAAAAAAACgw/ywTKA0-8pY4/s1600/Huben%2B001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcYw9oAu4Uk/T-AvCJb3XFI/AAAAAAAACgw/ywTKA0-8pY4/s320/Huben%2B001.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>Deforestation before our eyes. This happened just a few weeks ago.<br />
</i><br />
<br />
Later as I reflected, I couldn’t help wondering if we’ve been so wired by our present environment and education system that even for people who clearly feel something for the natural world we have been so conditioned, programmed, to put the alleged need for what we’ve been taught is “progress” over that of the natural world. In the case of Huben it translates to, “I care about the Fairy Pitta but I mustn’t let that get in the way of progress.” <br />
<br />
We need to be honest and we need to reflect. What does Huben represent? Huben isn’t just about Fairy Pitta and a dam. It represents the choice of irreversibly proceeding with development of the petrochemical industry at the expense of Taiwan’s natural environment or halting the damage and turning towards a more sustainable future before it was too late. This was about the tipping point on the West Coast. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2I84lZaXGGw/T-AvCVFBu0I/AAAAAAAACg8/aklBpiJZe9g/s1600/Huben%2B008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2I84lZaXGGw/T-AvCVFBu0I/AAAAAAAACg8/aklBpiJZe9g/s320/Huben%2B008.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>And more concrete for the rivers.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
The first thing we need to do is acknowledge that we failed miserably in protecting the Huben-Hushan IBA (Important Bird Area). Huben is lost. At one point there were scores of NGOs under the umbrella of the Taiwan National Coalition against the Hushan Dam. How many remain today? The issue was very much about protecting the Fairy Pittas' globally most important breeding area. There were several other less prominent but equally important other threatened species residing in the Huben-Hushan IBA.<br />
<br />
The reason for the construction of the Hushan Reservoir is largely to supply the water needs for the expansion of heavy industry on the West Coast. Considering the toll that heavy industry takes on the environment it begs the question, “Do we want to go on polluting at even greater levels than we are now?” Apart from the corporations that stand to make even more money in the short term is anyone else going to benefit at all from greater levels of pollution and the destruction of what remains of the natural environment? The Fairy Pitta and Co in Huben aren’t. The critically endangered Taiwan pink dolphins on the west coast aren’t. The farmers aren’t. The fishers aren’t. Our health isn’t. So then why the hell are we doing this then? Because of so called “development!” Because despite all the damage that we know is going to take place we have been conditioned to allow corporations to do whatever they like to make a quick buck. <br />
<br />
So what went wrong? Why have we allowed this? We need to ask these questions. Those scores of NGOs need to look at where we went wrong and how this was allowed to happen. If we fail to do that then not only have we allowed Huben to be lost but then we have also gone and spat on its grave and that of the entire West Coast. Our only redemption is to learn from this. If we don’t then we have failed our children and future generations of Taiwan, human and nonhuman, utterly and entirely. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8D5D1kLUKM/T-Aw-f0QyOI/AAAAAAAAChI/y1bOpCga5gg/s1600/Fairy%2BPitta%2BRY%2BHB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="212" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8D5D1kLUKM/T-Aw-f0QyOI/AAAAAAAAChI/y1bOpCga5gg/s320/Fairy%2BPitta%2BRY%2BHB.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>A Huben Fairy Pitta.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-55270873927508410122012-04-30T15:02:00.000+08:002012-04-30T15:02:48.529+08:00More press coverage of the FPG-Tsuang lawsuitIn addition to the <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/04/30/2003531632/1">article that appeared in this morning's Taipei Times </a>other English articles have appeared in the English-language press.<br />
<br />
See:<br />
<a href="http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201204290017&Type=aTOD">Talk of the Day -- Formosa group sues academic over pollution study<br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSOC&ID=201204290013">Formosa Plastics urged to drop lawsuit against professor</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2012/04/30/339503/Formosa-Plastics.htm">Formosa Plastics urged by academics to drop lawsuit</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Also see:<br />
<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.com/2012/04/formosa-fpg-suppressing-accademic.html">Formosa (FPG) suppressing academic freedom and freedom of speech?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.com/2012/04/lets-all-pick-fight-with-formosa.html">Let’s All Pick a Fight with Formosa Plastics </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-56687632857155823242012-04-30T13:11:00.001+08:002012-06-21T14:43:49.666+08:00Let’s All Pick a Fight with Formosa Plastics<i>We received the following which was circulated before the press conference by academics in support of Professor Tsuang Ben-jei (莊秉潔) of National Chung Hsing University’s (NCHU) department of environmental engineering who is being sued by Formosa Plastics Group for comments he made at an Environmental Protection Administration EIA meeting regarding cancer rates around FGP's Mailiao Plant in Yunlin County.</i><br />
<br />
讓我們卯上台塑吧<br />
文/吳明益<br />
Let’s All Pick a Fight with Formosa Plastics<br />
<br />
WU Ming-yi<br />
<br />
A few days ago I received a letter from JHOU Gui-tian and CHEN Ji-jhong asking whether I could join in a petition against Formosa Plastics for having filed a lawsuit against Professor TSUANG Bing-jie.<br />
<br />
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation and Mai-Liao Power Corporation. On closely reading the civil complaint that was attached to the letter I discovered that the Formosa Plastics affiliates and their lawyers accused Professor TSUANG of having injured the reputations of the companies by having cited or transmitted information contained in a study and report that the [Taiwan] Environmental Protection Administration had retained Chung Hsing University to conduct and produce concerning factory emissions of heavy metals and dioxin. I recalled having seen the news on these reports last year but never guessed that Formosa Plastics, rather than taking to heart the numerous incidents of worker and environmental safety, would instead take this drastic legal action against the professor seeking the unimaginable sum of forty million New Taiwan dollars (approximately 1.3 million US$).<br />
<br />
I was reminded of that book about Diane Wilson; An Unreasonable Woman.<br />
<br />
Diane Wilson lives in Calhoun County on a bay in Texas where fishers and shrimpers are everywhere, a town where there isn’t even a stoplight. She had a fishing operation and had been noticing that the catch was constantly decreasing. Then one day she read a report that said the US EPA ranked her county as the most polluted in all the USA. Then it started to make sense – the dead dolphins, the inedible contaminated shrimp, the wetlands that were choking, and birds gone extinct and all the while the cancer rates shooting up. Something had happened in Lavaca Bay. <br />
<br />
The chemical plants thought Diane. Based on her own observations the pollution coming from the Taiwan-based petrochemical manufacturers in the bay was becoming more and more obvious. <br />
<br />
It was just around this time that the people in Yilan County rejected the Sixth Naphtha Cracker plant, so Formosa Plastics took its three billion US dollars and went to Texas announcing expansion of its plant there into a modern technologically advanced zero pollution plant. When Diane organised environmental groups to stop the expansion plan many local people suspected that she was taking money from people who wanted the plant to locate in their country, or that her data was faulty. There were those who sang the mantra of “high tech” and those who lambasted Diane for speaking out when so many people were out of work. There were even those who said the Formosa Plant would help reduce the incidence of mental illness in the area……. <br />
<br />
In order to attract “The Pearl of Texas” and alleviate unemployment in the area, Calhoun County spent two hundred and fifty million dollars to dredge the bay so that Formosa’s ships could get to their port while extending to Formosa Plastics all kinds of favorable tax treatment. To what end? Well, WANG Yong-cing, according to one reporter mentioned in the book, was just a pirate aristocrat who would get up early in the morning, go for a run, do his pushups and pass the days in relative austerity. In the meantime he basically let all of his factories pollute like crazy, dumping their waste into the harbour or into the ground and emitting vinyl chloride and ethylene chloride poisoning the bodies and souls of the employees and the people living around their plants. <br />
<br />
So why didn’t the officials get to the truth about Formosa’s operations? Because Formosa covered up the test results, falsified records, bought off officials and paid off scholars to produce favorable reports. Diane wrote: “their spokesperson appears to be sincere and so does Formosa, it was as if they thought the dirty air they were emitting, the big stinky fuel warehouse, the transfer pipes, they made it all, just as though they were manufacturing rotten bananas….”<br />
<br />
Diane Wilson was only sued, she also received death threats, her lawyer was bought off, but she fought on for years. She went on several fasts in protest of the plant and was able to force Formosa to sign a “zero pollution” agreement. From this time Formosa Plastics gained enormous negative publicity in the US, while Diane, “the woman who was as unreasonable as the ocean” began winning all manner of awards for her work. Clearly, the Earth had ruled in Diane’s favor. <br />
<br />
So, with all its record of destroying the land, with all its reputation as a louse, now this company is suing Professor TSUANG for “spreading information that is damaging to Formosa Plastics’ reputation”? If Formosa Plastics has any reputation still intact, then surely it must be worth more than a bunch of rotten bananas!<br />
<br />
If it were not for scholars like Professor TSUANG standing up to these giant polluting monsters, these companies without a conscience would be free to go on spinning lies and squeezing the land for every bit of wealth they can leaving behind a legacy of devastation, while all the time making pretensions of being a charitable company. <br />
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No doubt Formosa Plastics will be able to find scholars to support them and they may be able to win a symbolic victory in the courts. But there is no question that Formosa’s substitution of the courts for scientific research and adding such a huge claim of damages, while perhaps only a small symbolic victory, its intended effect is to “chill” any thing that may come out of the academic community that could be construed as critical of Formosa. To be sure Professor TSUANG is a target, but the intention is to instill fear into the hearts of all scholars who might come up with research results that are anything but complimentary to Formosa.<br />
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When Formosa Plastics denies the truth, “they don’t have any guilty conscience,” Diane Wilson says in her book An Unreasonable Woman [called The Woman Who Dared to Stand Up and Challenge Formosa Plastics in Chinese edition]. And the way Yilan County rejected plans by Formosa Plastics to build the No.6 naphtha cracker in their county is a testimony to Taiwanese spirit:<br />
"Three years ago, Shih said, Wang had promised them that his plants would be so clean that goldfish could be raised in the wastewater from his Yilan plants. Wang Yung-Ching said he wanted the wastewater from his plants safe enough to drink. But what have been the results? The Lung De plant in Tapei has received the most fines ever by the government. Every worker in Yilan knows that Formosa emits illegal pollution in the night and that it shuts off its wastewater pipes before inspection by the Public Health Agency. So they could not trust them to deliver what they promise."<br />
(An Unreasonable Woman: chapter 28 “Island of Fire and Solidarity” pg 344.)<br />
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Naturally, I joined the petition and I also decided to return to Taipei to join the press conference on 29 April. We plan to initiate a movement at the press conference that will spur a movement of “I too will stand up to and pick a fight with Formosa Plastics” so as to let Professor JHUANG’s value become 100 million, a billion, ten billion, 100 billion --- to become the incalculable value of a life, the incalculable value of a clear blue sky. <br />
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讓我們卯上台塑吧<br />
文/吳明益<br />
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幾天前我收到周桂田、陳吉仲教授的來信,問我是否願意參與一個連署運動的發起。原因是,台塑控告了中興大學的莊秉潔教授。<br />
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⋯⋯ 提告者是「臺灣化纖」與「麥寮汽電」,我仔細讀了莊秉潔教授寄來的民事庭通知寄達信,看著台塑這個心是塑膠做成的企業聘雇的律師,指控莊秉潔教授以引用環保署委託中興工程的調查報告,所進行相關工廠排放重金屬與戴奧辛煙塵的研究報告,涉及「指摘或傳述足以毀損原告公司名譽」。我記得去年就曾看到這則新聞,沒想到近年屢屢發生工安事故的台塑不但不思檢討,還厚顏地付諸行動,向莊教授求償不可思議的四千萬元。<br />
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這讓我想起黛安威爾森(Diane Wilson) 那本《卯上台塑的女人》。<br />
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黛安威爾森所居住的德州灣卡杭郡到處都是漁夫跟捕蝦人,她和她的朋友都沒有在任何有掛交通號誌的地方開過車,經營一個漁屋頗為自得。只是海灣的漁獲似乎愈來愈少,狀況愈來愈差,有一天她發現,卡杭郡在當年環保單位的報告中,是全美最毒的地方。這裡牡蠣無法食用、捕不到蝦、海豚死亡,濕地上鶴、塘鵝絕跡,居民罹癌率高居不下……絕望的拉瓦卡灣究竟發生了什麼事?<br />
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化工廠。黛安這麼想,隨著她的自主調查,這間來自臺灣化工廠的排放污染物的證據愈來愈顯明。就在此時,被宜蘭反六輕拒絕的台塑,帶著三十億美元來到德州灣,宣稱要擴建高科技無汙染的廠房。黛安組成環保團體出面阻止,只是當地居民或懷疑她收了別郡的錢只為趕走台塑,或質疑她的資料的正確性,或搬出「我們才科學」的咒語,或以高失業率的痛苦來反駁她,甚至認為台塑設廠可以減低罹患精神病的人數…….。<br />
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為了仰賴這個「德州灣之珠」來解決失業的困境,卡杭郡就先花了兩億五千萬來疏浚航道讓台塑船隻可以進入,給予稅務優惠。結果呢?王永慶就像一個「強盜貴族」(書中一位記者的用詞),每天清晨起床健身、慢跑、伏地挺身,節儉度日,然後放任他的工廠把重金屬汙染的汙水倒到海灣,或滲透到土層中汙染地下水,讓氯乙烯、二氯化乙烯飄浮在空氣中,傷害居民與員工的肺跟靈魂。<br />
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那麼為什麼官員查不到台塑汙染的事實?因為台塑會掩蓋偵測井、捏造樣本、買通官員、雇用學者自製完美的觀測報告……。黛安寫道:「佛瑞德(台塑代表發言者)看起來很誠懇,台塑也是,好像他們排出來的髒污廢氣,他們又大又臭的油庫,他們成千上萬根輸送管,他們製造的一切一切,只不過是在製造爛香蕉……。」<br />
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威爾森不只是受到控告而已,她受到死亡威脅,律師被金錢收買策反,仍堅持和台塑纏鬥數年,絕食明志,硬是讓台塑簽下零排放的協議。台塑自此在美國聲名狼藉,而這個「跟大海一樣不講理的女人」則獲獎連連。地球已然判了黛安勝訴。<br />
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這樣傷害土地、形象惡質的工廠,竟然有顏面控告莊秉潔教授「意圖散布於眾……指摘或傳述足以毀損原告公司名譽之事項」?如果台塑仍有名譽存在,那必然是比爛香蕉更廉價的事物吧。<br />
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如果沒有像莊秉潔教授這種挑戰巨大汙染怪獸的學者,這些無責任感的公司只會更從容編織謊言、從土地上榨取財富,甚且擬態成慈善家。台塑大可尋求學界支援,以學術挑戰學術,若官司勝訴取象徵性的賠償即可。但台塑以官司取代研究,加以巨額求償,說穿了目的只有一個,就是引發學術界的寒蟬效應。他們要的不只是莊教授停止研究,更要其他正在默默以專業對抗他們的學者感到恐懼。<br />
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莊秉潔教授以他的專業揭發台塑的廢氣排放可能致癌,對他而言獲得什麼利益?唯有勇氣的名聲而已。台塑這場控告,證明了對抗粗野的、惡質的企業是有價值的,那就是價值四千萬的勇氣。<br />
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黛安威爾森說台塑的人否認真相時,「沒有一點心虛」,在〈熱情團結的島〉這章裡,提到宜蘭如何擊退六輕的,她說那是一種台灣的精神,「存在於他們的靈魂中,那股純粹的熱情,不是因為憎恨王永慶、中油,或是國民黨而產生,這股熱情的源頭和生命,仰賴東北角南雅奇石區中的峭壁險礁和一路延伸至龍洞、鹽寮的岩岸,福隆海灘的海水,蔚藍得讓人忘記其他顏色,彷彿只是簡樸的卯澳漁村上方,另一片晴朗無雲的天空。」(p.361)<br />
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我當然在第一時間就回信加入連署的發起,也決定回台北參加周日(4/29)的記者會。我們希望在之後,能激發出另一個「我也要卯上台塑」的運動,讓莊教授的勇氣增值到一億、十億、百億、千億……乃至無價如你我的生命,以及一片晴朗無雲的天空。<br />
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Also see:<br />
<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2012/06/update-fpg-tsuang-lawsuit.html">Update: FPG-Tsuang lawsuit</a> <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-32115698205950782702012-04-30T12:28:00.000+08:002012-06-21T14:45:31.548+08:00Formosa (FPG) suppressing academic freedom and freedom of speech?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xStBVF-OroE/T54UPMqG4FI/AAAAAAAACfU/EZGu41NDZFo/s1600/FPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xStBVF-OroE/T54UPMqG4FI/AAAAAAAACfU/EZGu41NDZFo/s320/FPG.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Formosa Plastics at Mailiao in Yunlin County. In the foreground is recently reclaimed land in known pink dolphin habitat.<br />
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Has petrochemical giant Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) embarked on a campaign against some of the very principles that define democracy and basic human rights? Whether or not FPG ascribes to these hallowed values of common humanity isn't known. What is known, however, is that FPG has filed a lawsuit against Professor Tsuang Ben-jei (莊秉潔) of National Chung Hsing University’s (NCHU) department of environmental engineering because they claim that in a report that he said emissions from FPG's sixth naphtha cracker plant in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮) resulted in a higher cancer occurrence rate amongst nearby residents which has injured FPG's reputation. <br />
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Lets be honest! What reputation does FPG have? Go ask the good citizens of Taiwan what FPG's reputation is and you'll undoubtedly hear the words "pollution," "fires," and "cancer rates" in the majority of answers; if not all. Lets call a spade a spade. How many fires have they had down at FPG in Mailiao over the past two and a half years which have emitted huge uncontrolled toxic clouds of smoke into the surrounding area? Folks have last count. The latest one was on 17 April, wasn't it? It would seem there's always some drama going on at FPG. Lets face it! The folks at the top of FPG weren't the winners of the infamous Black Planet Award in 2009 for nothing. According to <a href="http://www.ethecon.org/en/793">ethecon</a>, the organisation which presents both the Blue Planet and infamous Black Planet Awards, "the Black Planet Award condemns individuals (people) who have contributed to the destruction and downfall of our Blue Planet in an outrageous way." Thus, many folks must be scratching their heads this morning trying to figure out how last year during a meeting of the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) environmental impact assessment committee in which Professor Tsuang Ben-jei reported that hazardous heavy metals and carcinogenic substances contained in the exhaust gas emitted by the company’s sixth naphtha cracker plant in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township in a higher cancer occurrence rate for nearby residents has so harmed FPG's reputation. Come on? Hasn't the the No.17 Highway which passes FPG in Mailiao been nicknamed the "Cancer Corridor" for years? Didn't FTV do a program on the high rate of cancer around the Mailiao FPG plant in December 2009? Compared to national TV, how many folks watch the proceedings of EPA meeting? Like it or not, isn't FPG's reputation linked to high levels and pollution whether they like it or not. That is the perception folks in Taiwan and a great many other places have of FPG.<br />
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So if what Professor Tsuang Ben-jei is saying is nothing new why has FPG filed a lawsuit against him claiming NT$40 million for damages to its reputation? Could it be that FPG wishes to intimidate? No, surely not! Can you think of another reason? Oh, I'm sure those clever FPG lawyers can think of many. But there are a great many very clever people that aren't buying FPG's reason. They see it as an attack on academic freedom and the right to free speech. FPG using fear to silence criticism. Using the old "kill one and scare a thousand" tactic. A large group of very prominent academics yesterday rallied behind Tsuang pledging their support. Some has even said FPG can sue them, too. <br />
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When a big rich corporation starts attacking basic freedoms it tends to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the average good citizen. Early last year those good citizens made such a fuss about the Kuokuang Petrochemical Project in Erlin just across the Jhoushui River from Mailiao that Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou was forced to step in and cancel the project. Never had the good citizens of Taiwan got quite so worked up over the petrochemical industry as over Kuokuang. And probably a lot of that anger wasn't directly against Kuokuang but rather against the petrochemical industry as a whole. FPG's string of fires likely helped drive the outrage in that one. FPG should note that. Formosa should also not forget the McLibel case. Even with money and lawyers things don't always go your way. <br />
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See <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/04/30/2003531632/1">Academics rally to support defendant </a>in today's Taipei Times.<br />
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<a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.tw/2012/06/update-fpg-tsuang-lawsuit.html">Update: FPG-Tsuang lawsuit</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-86634408191986802692012-03-18T09:28:00.002+08:002012-03-18T09:42:48.096+08:00New paper on the problems faced by the Taiwan Pink DolphinsA new paper has been published on the problems faced by the ETS <em>Sousa</em> (aka Taiwan pink dolphins) in the <a href="http://www.oers.ca/who_we_are/who%20we%20are%20new.html">Oceanographic Environmental Research Society</a>'s Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology. The paper is titled <strong>A review of the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the critically endangered eastern Taiwan Strait Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (<em>Sousa chinensis</em>) </strong>by Sarah Z. Dungan, Kimberly N. Riehl, Ashley Wee, John Y. Wang. The paper can is available in the online version of <a href="http://www.oers.ca/journal/journal.html">Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology</a>.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.oers.ca/journal/volume4/issue2/Duggan_Galley.pdf">A review of the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the critically endangered eastern Taiwan Strait Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (<em>Sousa chinensis</em>)</a> to read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-22856558477647982802012-02-15T12:33:00.002+08:002012-02-15T13:03:22.518+08:00EPA's new system to tackle illegal dumping; is anything really going to change?Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced it has established a new Illegal Dumping Management System to combat the ongoing problem of illegal dumping in Taiwan. This hi tech system will use GPS on garbage trucks, security cameras on waste treatment facilities and satellite remote sensing technologies to combat the illegal dumping problem.<br /><br />Sounds like a step in the right direction but is this just more tech about nothing? Illegal dumping is a major problem in Taiwan. It happens everywhere. It's so common that much of it happens in plain sight. Is the root of this problem not the lack of enforcement? If this is happening in plain sight why aren't the police seeing it? The answer is simply they are but don't do anything about it. The will to tackle the issue is simply not there. There are cameras all over but how often does the footage actually get checked? Obviously not that often.<br /><br />Taiwan's police are still caught up in the government thug mentality from the Marshal Law era. Until the police are made to start actually policing as officers of the peace, illegal dumping and all those other countless social and environmental issues are not going to be solved with hi tech band aids.<br /><br />See <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/02/15/2003525535">EPA inaugurates system to impede illegal dumping </a>in today's Taipei Times.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-91404436825995950732012-02-14T22:05:00.003+08:002012-02-14T22:20:57.807+08:00Any hope for cross-party environmental protection?Today's Taipei Times editorial comments on the rarely seen spirit of cross-party cooperation between three legislators over environmental protection of wetlands. The environment should be one area where parties should be able to find common ground. But as the editorial notes, it's more likely going to be cooperation on "secret opposition to environmental policies to protect the corporate interests of their constituents."<br /><br /><blockquote><strong><a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2012/02/14/2003525415">Taipei Times Editorial: Cross-party spirit only goes so far</a></strong><br /><br />The rarely seen spirit of cross-party cooperation made its presence felt in the legislature on Sunday when lawmakers concerned about protecting the environment joined forces despite their otherwise insurmountable mutual antipathy.<br /><br />Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Wen-yen (邱文彥), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) and People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chang Show-foong (張曉風) led by example as they called on their peers to quit bickering along party lines when it comes to the environment.<br /><br />The main focus of the lawmakers was the remaining wetlands along the west coast and coastal areas that have not yet been concreted over.<br /><br />Their call for cooperation was admirable, but given the track record of lawmakers, whether they be pan-green or pan-blue, the public should not expect a new era of eco-detente to be embraced any time soon.<br /><br />What seems more likely is that a small number of legislators, such as Chang of the PFP, who is noted for opposing — but not stopping — the construction of a biotechnology center in Taipei City’s Nangang District (南港), will make regular calls on their peers to put aside partisan interests in the name of protecting the environment for future generations.<br /><br />Such a call cannot be completely ignored, because it is generally accepted by the public, if not by politicians and corporate bosses, that protecting the environment is a good idea. However, most lawmakers are likely to remain silent when Chang and her colleagues call for huge infrastructure projects on wetlands or coastlines to be halted.<br /><br />They will agree wholeheartedly when called on to do their civic duty and keep the nation clean, but then most likely vote down any proposals that might hurt their corporate constituents, while working to undermine any cross-party agreements made by Chang and like-minded lawmakers.<br /> <br />This is probably one of the few issues that could unite pan-green and pan-blue politicians — secret opposition to environmental policies to protect the corporate interests of their constituents.<br /><br />Chang is a true environmentalist and appears determined to push policies that protect what is left of the nation’s already besieged natural environment. However, it is doubtful that she can achieve much on her own in the Legislative Yuan.<br /><br />If, by some miracle and collusion of interests, Chang does get lawmakers from the KMT and DPP to agree to rules that keep developers away from wetlands and coastal areas, the rest of Taiwan will owe her a huge debt of gratitude because no other lawmaker has focused on the goals she has set out for herself.<br /><br />It is a huge task. She would have to change the legal code regulating industry in those zones, amend the Land Expropriation Act (土地徵收條例), strengthen the Environmental Protection Administration so that it is not simply a rubber stamp for corporate interests, and stop local politicians and business leaders from simply ignoring central government decisions. It would also be necessary to ensure rules were enforced nationally and not just for photogenic famous wetlands like those near Wugoushui Village (五溝水) in Pingtung County’s Wanluan Township (萬巒).<br /><br />Chang is going to need a clear idea of the challenges that lie ahead if she is to protect Taiwan’s environment for the use of future generations.<br /><br />Taipei Times, 14 February 2012</blockquote><br /><br />Also see:<br /><a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.com/2012/02/lawmakers-seek-multi-party-push-to.html">Lawmakers seek multi-party push to protect wetlands</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888343659190148795.post-17136529767805084262012-02-13T14:56:00.004+08:002012-02-14T22:22:47.406+08:00Lawmakers seek multi-party push to protect wetlandsToday's Taipei Times reports that three lawmakers are seeking a multi-party push to protect Taiwan's wetlands. Such news is always welcome and it is encouraging to see that one of the lawmakers is Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) who does have a pretty good track record in helping with coastal issues that threaten the Taiwan pink dolphins.<br /><br />Taiwan urgently needs concrete legislation to protect its fragile coast and wetlands. Lets hope this is a genuine effort to do something and not just another "green-washing" gimmick.<br /><br />See <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/02/13/2003525364">Lawmakers seek multi-party push to help wetlands </a>in today's Taipei Times.<br /><br /><br />Also see:<br /><a href="http://taiwansousa.blogspot.com/2012/02/any-hope-for-cross-party-environmental.html">Any hope for cross-party environmental protection?</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0