Taiwan macaques among 8 species removed from protected status; Taiwan rosefinches among 17 species upgraded to protected status

Whether the Taiwan macaque should be removed from the protected species list was highly controversial. The Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture held the "Wildlife Conservation Advisory Committee Meeting of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan" on the 25th. It was originally expected to end at 5:30 p.m., but due to disagreements, a press conference was not held until 7:30 p.m. to announce that the Taiwan macaque, masked palm civet, and Formosan Reeves's muntjac would be reclassified from protected to general wildlife.

17 species upgraded to protected species, 8 species downgraded to general wildlife

According to the results of today's meeting adjusting the list of protected wildlife, 17 species were upgraded from general to protected wildlife, including the Buttonquail, Taiwan rosefinch, Swinhoe's pheasant, Far Eastern curlew, Collared bush robin, Yellow-chested babbler, White-eared sibia, Black-headed munia, Taiwan yuhina, Alpine accentor, Watercock, Black-tailed godwit, Great knot, Red knot, Grass snake, Baer's pochard, and Yellow bunting.

Another 8 species were downgraded from protected to general wildlife, including the controversial Taiwan macaque, as well as the Formosan Reeves's muntjac, masked palm civet, Pintail snipe, Pointed-scaled pit viper, Many-banded krait, Chinese cobra, and Short-limbed japalura. Forestry Bureau Director-General Lin Hua-ching emphasized that the Taiwan macaque population is on the rise, which is why it was reclassified as general wildlife, and that this was not done to solve the problem of agricultural damage. Moreover, even after being downgraded to general wildlife, it remains regulated under the Wildlife Conservation Act; within protected areas, any arbitrary hunting can result in a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000.

Forestry Bureau: Taiwan macaque population is on the rise, reclassified as general wildlife

Lin further explained that wildlife protection has different levels of intensity, such as habitat protection, species protection, and individual protection, and that all wildlife receives different levels of protection. After discussion among experts and scholars, based on the Taiwan macaque's population distribution and long-term trends, it could be reclassified as general wildlife without causing immediate major impact.

Whether the Taiwan macaque causes agricultural damage and whether it should be reclassified as general wildlife are not causally related. Lin Hua-ching specifically explained that the reclassification of the Taiwan macaque did not take into consideration solving the problem of agricultural damage. When the Taiwan macaque was listed as a protected species, farmers could already, through reporting, take immediate necessary measures against macaques in accordance with the law.

Scholar: Habitat protection is more important than species protection

"Habitat protection is more important than species protection." Lin Liang-kung further explained that some endangered animals in Taiwan, such as otters and leopard cats, are endangered because of habitat loss. "Don't think that just because a protected species is downgraded to general status, it can be hunted without limit. In fact, habitat protection is more important than everything else."

According to the Wildlife Conservation Act, in wildlife protected areas and national forest areas, no hunting is allowed regardless of whether the animal is protected or general. These areas account for 45 percent of Taiwan's total area. Lin Liang-kung stated that these 45 percent habitat protection areas coincide with the distribution of the Taiwan macaque, with habitat protection from north to south. However, Lin Liang-kung also said that habitat-related development assessments must be maintained, and no man-made development can be carried out, otherwise habitat restoration will be affected.

After the Taiwan macaque is downgraded from protected to general status, does it still receive the protection it deserves? Hsia Jung-sheng, section chief of the Conservation Division of the Forestry Bureau, explained that in addition to the prohibition on hunting animals in wildlife protected areas and national forest areas, under Article 17 of the Wildlife Conservation Act, general wildlife may not be arbitrarily hunted, otherwise a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 will be imposed.

For protected animals, the regulations stipulate that they may not be arbitrarily hunted or killed, otherwise the offender faces imprisonment of six months to five years, and a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$1 million.

If they harm agricultural or forestry crops, public safety, or human life, protected animals may be directly hunted or killed under emergency circumstances; general animals may be directly hunted or killed.

Pei Chia-chi: The list of protected wildlife should be adjusted regularly

Pei Chia-chi, dean of the College of Environmental Studies at National Dong Hwa University, stated that the list of protected wildlife should be adjusted regularly. The last review was in 2009, and at that time experts and scholars had already determined that the Taiwan macaque was general wildlife. However, there was a consensus at the time that to avoid major impact, a species should not be downgraded by two levels at once, so the Taiwan macaque was then only downgraded from rare and valuable protected species to general protected species.

Pei pointed out that a shrinking conservation list is a cause for celebration internationally. "The longer the list, the more problem species there are. Everyone's efforts are aimed at having fewer protected species."

As for the possible negative effects of downgrading to general status, Pei believes it could happen, but it also might not. What matters is the actual response measures and regular monitoring. Taiwan has not conducted monitoring in the past, so it has no idea what changes actually occur. It must be able to detect changes in population trends in a timely manner and make corresponding adjustments. "If the Taiwan macaque population declines after a year, then it should become a protected species again."

Forestry Bureau: Establish a monitoring team and adjust based on data

To prevent a rapid decline in the Taiwan macaque population after it is downgraded to general status, the meeting also resolved to establish a monitoring team. Lin Hua-ching explained that if it is indeed downgraded to general status in the future, a monitoring plan will be launched to observe whether there are obvious changes in population trends. "With clear data, adjustments can always be made. It won't be that once it's reclassified as general, it stays general forever." Lin Liang-kung also pointed out that reviews will be conducted every two years, and any abnormality will be raised immediately, allowing dynamic adjustment.

Lin Liang-kung stated that the Taiwan macaque has no natural enemies and can survive as long as it gets past its juvenile period. "The outside world is overreacting a bit. Many farmers actually don't want to kill macaques." Moreover, conservation awareness in Taiwan is growing. "If you casually kill a macaque, you'll probably ruin your reputation."

Lin Hua-ching also believes that with improved civic literacy in Taiwan and a widespread attitude of caring for wildlife, cases of animal cruelty to cats or dogs are reported, and civil society as a whole has a restraining force, so this can also have a certain effect on the Taiwan macaque.

The downgrade of the Taiwan macaque from protected to general status will be announced for 60 days starting today to broadly collect opinions from all sectors.