Yilan County Government Plans to Downsize Wujiajia Wetland by 60%, Landowners Protest Falling Land Prices

Yilan's Wujiajia Wetland is ecologically rich and has been designated a "national-level wetland," but of the wetland's total area of 298 hectares, more than 90% is privately owned. After being designated as wetland, land use has been restricted and land prices have fallen, prompting many landowners to push back. On the 21st, several landowners petitioned the Yilan County Government, hoping the government would reduce the wetland to 100 hectares or expropriate the land. The Yilan County Government responded that it would relay the matter to the central government, shrink the wetland area, and establish a wetland park.

However, de-designating the wetland has also raised concerns from outside. The Yilan Branch of the Society of Wilderness does not support shrinking the wetland. A specialist surnamed Yang said, "Some landowners hope they can sell their land, build houses, and some are even keen on development. After the land is rezoned, large buildings will be built for sale." This would affect the wetland ecology. Yilan's Wujiajia Wetland is well protected now, with excellent birdwatching and rich ecology, but in other non-wetland protected areas, where flocks of birds once gathered, now only a few birds remain.

Sun Boyu: The wetland should be protected, but landowners' rights should also be protected

Sun Boyu, a young man who previously ran for legislator in Yilan and has settled in Yilan, said the wetland is basically not a specific bounded area, and the entire region is habitat for birds and other creatures, "so how can it be shrunk?" The government has lacked proper communication with farmers about the ecological significance of the wetland, as well as the legal restrictions, rights and obligations involved. Most farmers' impression is that once designated as wetland, many things cannot be done, land values drop, development is restricted, houses cannot be built, "but this place was originally low-lying and prone to flooding, hard to develop, and that is why it became a wetland ecological space, not because the government designated it as a wetland."

However, Sun also said he agrees the government should expropriate part of the wetland, though expropriating all of it would create fiscal difficulties for the government, so an ecological compensation approach could be taken: as long as friendly use is maintained and there is no excessive development, compensation would be given. "If the government encourages maintaining the ecology, and there is no buying or selling, then land price is not the point."

In addition, Sun pointed out that some landowners have reported that because their land was designated as wetland, land prices fell and they could not get loans when mortgaging land to the farmers' association. "If they cannot get loans, the Yilan County Government should solve this. When land becomes wetland, their rights should not be harmed because of it. The government must help and allocate a budget."