When wilderness volunteers patrol the adopted land on a regular basis, they find that the state-owned forest land has been abused by unknown people, and report to the competent authority urgently.

(Courtesy of Wilderness Conservation Society)

[Reporter Chen Jiayi/Report from Taipei] Tianliao Mountain in Hsinchu is rich in ecology, and blue-bellied pheasants and other protected animals are common. Last year, the Wilderness Conservation Association adopted about 8 hectares of state-owned forest land in this area, and carried out ecological records and regular inspections, but found that this state-owned forest land Unknown people illegally cultivated it, and urgently notified the State-owned Property Administration. At present, the police have arrested the perpetrator, detained the strange hand, and transferred it to the District Prosecutor's Office for investigation in violation of the Soil and Water Conservation Law.

Sun Bofu, deputy director secretary of the Hsinchu Branch of the Wilderness Conservation Association, said that the Wilderness Conservation Association officially adopted the state-owned forest land in the Hsinchu Mountains of the National Forestry Administration in April last year, and began to conduct biological resource surveys, environmental education, and regular inspections. Research and judgment is not simply land preparation, so the frequency of patrolling is strengthened.

Unexpectedly, during the patrol again in January this year, the felling of the privately-owned forest land sporadically invaded the state-owned land adopted by the wilderness.

He believes that this time proves that private forces can effectively block the development of state-owned land and assist the public sector in guarding state-owned land.

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Since no matter public or private hillside land or forest land preparation, it is necessary to apply in advance according to the regulations, and using strange hands to excavate the land without authorization may violate the law.

Sun Bofu said that the police have caught the perpetrator and detained the culprit, and will transfer it to the local prosecutor's office for investigation in accordance with the violation of the Soil and Water Conservation Law.

As for the perpetrator's occupation of state-owned land and the part that committed the crime of embezzlement, further actions must be waited for by the National Development Administration.

Sun Bofu mentioned that these undeveloped shallow mountain areas are the habitat of many wild animals. They have recorded Taiwan's endemic blue-bellied pheasant, crab-eating mongoose, and wild animals such as white-nosed heart and pangolin. However, once the land is destroyed Indiscriminate land reclamation will destroy the integrity of the habitat, compress the living space of wild animals, and reduce the biodiversity of the forest.

The Wilderness Conservation Association appeals to the public not to regard unused forest land as worthless land, and even turn the natural environment and resources shared by the people of the country into a tool for private profit. It is hoped that the public sector and the public should work together to protect and value Taiwan's precious forests resource.

The state-owned forest land adopted by the Wilderness Conservation Association has recorded that the blue-bellied pheasant, a unique species in Taiwan, often forages under the forest.

(Courtesy of Wilderness Conservation Society)