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The Trust in Nature Foundation has called for a robust coastline protection policy after a decade-long survey revealed that Taiwan's coastlines are increasingly threatened by man-made structures causing severe erosion.
The foundation began monitoring Taiwan's coasts ten years ago, identifying nine priority areas for protection. However, a follow-up survey conducted this year found that only 23.3 per cent of the sites within these areas remain free of artificial structures, Taipei Times reported. "The original survey documented 383 locations across 15 counties and cities, highlighting issues such as marine waste, artificial coastlines, and improper recreational activities," said Chen Tzu-jung, director of the foundation's environmental issues department. Nine key coastal areas were selected for focused protection, and these were revisited this year to assess changes and provide recommendations. The recent survey covered 103 of the original sites, spanning 300 kilometres of coastline, reported Taipei Times. The nine priority areas include reefs in Taoyuan's Guanyin District, Taoyuan's Caota Sand Dunes, Yuanli Beach in Miaoli County, Sishu to Shuangchun in Tainan, Changhua County's coastal wetlands, Manfeng to Nanren Fishing Harbor in Pingtung County, Jhuan Village to Nanao Township in Yilan County, Shiti Harbor in Hualien County to Changbin Township in Taitung County, and the coast between Nanren Fishing Port and Nantian Village in Taitung County. The survey revealed troubling findings: 37.9 per cent of the sites were affected by concrete installations like wave-dissipating blocks, seawalls, and fishing ports; 35 per cent were occupied by transportation and recreational facilities; 3.9 per cent were used for green energy facilities. "Wave-dissipating blocks were traditionally used to mitigate erosion, but recent studies show that they can actually make the problem worse," said project manager Chou No-heng. The blocks also incur high maintenance costs, Chou added, recommending ecological solutions such as offshore reefs to reduce damage. Foundation director Sun Hsiu-ju emphasised that halting development alone cannot address these threats. "Stagnation is regression, so although these coastlines remained mostly the same, there was also no improvement," Sun said, urging the government to work with the public to eliminate coastline loss, Taipei Times reported. Sun called for a comprehensive review of the Coastal Management Act, pointing out inconsistencies across agencies. "Different government agencies are doing different things: Some are restoring coastlines, while others, along with private entities, are causing damage," said Chou. He added that authorities must establish professional auditing and accreditation standards for coastal structures. (ANI)
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