Solar power clashes with leopard cat habitat again, and this time the area is even larger! A 7.6-hectare shallow-mountain development project in Miaoli could mean tree cutting and could block the leopard cat's ecological corridor.
Solar power development is once again seizing leopard cat habitat, and this time the area is even larger! Conservation groups recently revealed the shocking sight of trees being cut on Miaoli hillsides for solar power. Now, in Zhusen Village, Tongluo Township, a shallow-mountain area of 7.6 hectares has been targeted by a solar developer for a development application. The Taiwan Leopard Cat Conservation Association is worried that the location of this project will block the leopard cat's ecological corridor, shrink its habitat and could cause more roadkill. The association is launching a petition starting today and is demanding that the county government hire ecological experts to review it strictly.
Regarding this case, the Miaoli County Government admits that it has so far conducted only one field survey. It will incorporate opinions from the Forestry Bureau and the Department of Agriculture, ask the developer to include them in the development plan, and then review the case strictly.
Solar development under 2 hectares requires ecological review, but 7.6 hectares does not?
Although the Council of Agriculture stipulates that solar development applications filed after August 1 last year must obtain central approval for land-use change if the agricultural land involved exceeds 2 hectares, this solar project in Zhusen Village, Tongluo Township, Miaoli County, was submitted as early as May 26 last year. Therefore, even though it covers as much as 7.6 hectares, it can still be reviewed directly by the local government.
Miaoli pioneered the country's only "three-stage review system," bringing in ecological experts to assess the environmental impact of solar projects after development. At present, more than 200 projects of under 2 hectares are undergoing review. However, the larger Tongluo solar project does not have to undergo the above three-stage review; instead, it follows the non-urban land development review system. But this system has no mechanism for dealing with ecological and environmental issues, nor any commissioners with ecological expertise. If it passes, how great the impact on leopard cats will be is worrying.
The solar project will block the leopard cat's ecological corridor and could cause more roadkill.
The Taiwan Leopard Cat Conservation Association points out that the Zhusen Village case is located right on an important ecological corridor for the leopard cat population. Within the project site there is a natural stream gully that is an important passage for leopard cats crossing between eastern and western habitats. Once solar panels are installed, besides shrinking the area of leopard cat activity and making the habitat more fragmented, it will also force leopard cats to cross Provincial Highway 13 directly, causing more roadkill.
Chen Meiting, chairwoman of the Leopard Cat Association and known as "Leopard Cat Mom," points out directly that this natural stream gully lies between Miaoli City and Tongluo Township. It was originally woodland with more scattered residents and also more leopard cats. In addition, there are already many roads or development barriers around the project site. If this stream gully is blocked as well, besides increasing the tragedy of roadkill, it will also affect exchanges between individual leopard cats and populations (genes), which is extremely unfavorable for leopard cat conservation.
