Taiwan Leopard Cat Ecological Pilot Program: 30,000 yuan per hectare in incentives for farmland under friendly farming practices
Last week, the Miaoli County Council rejected the "Leopard Cat Conservation Autonomous Ordinance," saddening many people. However, it also made more people aware that the leopard cat is an animal in urgent need of conservation. On the 11th, when Premier Su Tseng-chang visited leopard cat habitat in Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, to inspect the current state of leopard cat conservation, he directed the Council of Agriculture to formulate regulations related to leopard cat conservation, and said the central government should provide more incentive resources to local areas to reward various measures friendly to leopard cats. After an inter-ministerial meeting this week, the Council of Agriculture decided to increase the incentives, launching a pilot "Leopard Cat Ecological Service Payment" measure in Tongxiao, Miaoli, and Zhongliao, Nantou. Those who adopt friendly farming methods within leopard cat habitat can receive 20,000 to 30,000 yuan in incentives per hectare of farmland.
The "Leopard Cat Conservation Autonomous Ordinance" was killed in the Miaoli County Council last Tuesday. More than 830,000 netizens signed a petition calling for stronger protection of leopard cat habitat. On the 11th, Su Tseng-chang went to inspect the leopard cat rice fields in Fengshu Village, Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, and instructed relevant ministries to immediately carry out leopard cat habitat conservation plans, including: making all existing road projects friendly, requiring prior ecological surveys and friendly ecological design for new roads or projects, and implementing friendly leopard cat ecological payment measures.
At present, among the units under the Council of Agriculture, the Forestry Bureau and the Endemic Species Research Institute are the most involved in leopard cat conservation. The Forestry Bureau said it has already held inter-ministerial meetings on leopard cat conservation. In addition to existing conservation measures, the Council of Agriculture will pilot a "Friendly Leopard Cat Ecological Service Payment" measure for Tongxiao Township in Miaoli County and Zhongliao Township in Nantou County, where known leopard cat populations are relatively stable. Those who use friendly farming methods within leopard cat habitat will receive 20,000 to 30,000 yuan in incentives per hectare of farmland; for non-farmland areas, another incentive plan will be drafted. In addition, for communities that assist with leopard cat monitoring and habitat patrols, the Forestry Bureau will issue incentives based on the results, encouraging residents to protect leopard cats together.
Leopard cat conservation faces many difficulties because leopard cat habitat is in low mountain areas, and they live around human settlements. Those lands are mostly privately owned, and the agricultural activities that may be carried out there include farming and chicken raising. Chickens are regarded by leopard cats as food, so leopard cats are seen by humans as "pests." However, the number of leopard cats is now so low that they have been listed as an endangered species and are an object in urgent need of protection. The Forestry Bureau said that not only leopard cats will benefit; when the habitat environment is healthy, all wild animals will benefit.
Even without the "Leopard Cat Conservation Autonomous Ordinance," various developments can still proceed with a leopard cat-friendly attitude. The leopard cat-friendly passage and collision-prevention netting on County Road 29 in Miaoli, built last year through cooperation between the Forestry Bureau and the Miaoli County Government, have produced good results, and friendly facilities can continue to be built on other road sections in the future. For new roads and projects, for any road located within 1 km or more of leopard cat habitat, or any development project of 1 hectare or more, the Council of Agriculture will subsidize ecological surveys, and environment-friendly construction methods will be adopted from the initial planning stage and during construction.