Over 150 coral species at Jihui Coast in crisis; Baosheng recreation area to begin construction without monitoring

The "Baosheng Aquarium Ecological Recreation Area" at Jihui Coast near Sanxiantai in Taitung is about to begin construction without conducting any coral reef monitoring! The "Baosheng Aquarium Ecological Recreation Area" will begin physical construction on March 1, with the project approaching the coastline and seriously threatening the coral reef ecosystem.

Jihui Coast is the second-largest coral reef area on the Taitung coast and is an extremely rare habitat for the first-class protected "Formosa false filigree coral" (Pseudoaspidosiphon formosa). However, when Baosheng passed its environmental impact assessment in Year 98 of the Republic of China (2009), it did not conduct any coral reef monitoring in accordance with the Environmental Protection Administration's "Technical Specifications for Marine Ecological Assessment," and local residents believe the project damages the environment and shows no respect for the tribe, leading to continuous protests.

Today (the 26th), the Citizen of the Earth Foundation, the Taiwan Environmental Information Association, and Chen Chao-lun, a research fellow at the Biodiversity Research Center of Academia Sinica, jointly issued a statement sternly demanding that the relevant authorities, including the Environmental Protection Administration, the Construction and Planning Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ocean Conservation Administration of the Ocean Affairs Council, the Council of Indigenous Peoples, and the Tourism Bureau, take action to save the coastal crisis.

How to solve the immediate problem? Environmental groups call for an environmental impact investigation report

Is there a way to balance the preservation of the coral reef ecosystem with the development of the Baosheng project? Chen Chao-lun stated that the first step should be to conduct a survey and understanding of the entire marine ecosystem, that is, to produce an "Environmental Impact Investigation Report," and to clarify with the local Amis indigenous people whether the land for the development project has indeed obtained consent from the tribal council; next, it is recommended that Baosheng not build any structures within five hectares of the sea, and even evaluate moving the entire recreation area further inland to ensure the project does not impact the coral reef ecosystem.

With construction of the Baosheng development project imminent, the Taiwan Environmental Information Association, the Citizen of the Earth Foundation, and research fellow Chen Chao-lun reiterated their demands, calling on the Environmental Protection Administration to order the Baosheng developer to submit an "Environmental Impact Investigation Report" and conduct supplementary coral reef surveys; regarding the coastal authorities, they demand that the Construction and Planning Agency immediately announce the "Special Coastal Area" of the Hualien-Taitung region as having incorporated improper development under management, and that the Ocean Conservation Administration establish a complete coral reef protection system; and that the Council of Indigenous Peoples clarify whether the Baosheng development project has obtained tribal consent, and respect indigenous peoples' rights to use their traditional territories.