Wild Talk Lecture Series Opens on Wednesday in October: I Come Riding the Waves
[Wilderness Lecture Series] I Come Riding the Waves - Coastal Taiwan Lecture Series
Organizer: Taiwan Wild at Heart Ecological Association
Venue: 3F, Rice Revolution Eco Kitchen (No. 9, Hengyang Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei)
Transport: MRT NTU Hospital Station Exit 1 through 228 Peace Memorial Park, or MRT Ximen Station Exit 4, near the Huaining Street entrance to 228 Peace Memorial Park
**We will hold seats for online registrants until 7 PM; after that, priority seating goes to on-site attendees. We apologize for any inconvenience, and welcome any feedback at [email protected].
**Free registration, donations welcome to support our work
**Please bring your own eco-friendly cup/water; no outside food please
[Text by the Wilderness Editorial Team]
Starting from the strange rocks of Shen'ao in the Northeast Coast, passing through Bitou Cape, Longdong, Fulong, Daxi in Yilan, Nan'ao, Qingshui Cliff, the Hualien-Taitung Coastal Highway (Provincial Highway 11), the Alangyi Ancient Trail, Jialeshuei, the coral reef coast of Kenting, Sizihwan in Kaohsiung, the Qigu Lagoon in Tainan, Aogu Wetland in Chiayi, Chenglong Wetland in Yunlin, the Dacheng mudflat wetland in Changhua, Gaomei Wetland in Taichung, Xiangshan Wetland in Hsinchu, the algal reefs of Taoyuan, and on to Tamsui and the North Coast, most of the journey brings into view dense clusters of fishing harbors and wave-dissipating blocks. How much natural coastline does Taiwan have left?
Taiwan, though small in area, has particularly sensitive and fragile diverse landforms and topography, in stark contrast to foreign countries where a single landform often extends for a hundred kilometers or more. As a people of the ocean, Taiwanese have not only long neglected maritime culture for decades, but have also concreted over natural coastlines to the greatest extent. The Coastal Taiwan lecture series first provides an overview of Taiwan's current coastal situation, then separately discusses the significance behind the popular Alangyi Ancient Trail and the Taoyuan algal reefs, and finally addresses the right to return to the people the freedom to be close to the ocean, hoping to inspire us as a maritime people to rediscover matters related to the sea.
Registration URL:http://ppt.cc/EBOi
2014/10/01 (Wed) 7-9 PMAn Overview of Taiwan's CoastlineSpeaker: Lin Yu-chu (Project Manager, Trust Center, Taiwan Environmental Information Association)Years ago, on a sudden impulse, she entered the Institute of Oceanography at National Taiwan University, spending three years of her master's program immersed in the seas of the south, then working at the Penghu Marine Biology Research Center, and from 2010 onward overseeing the preparation of Taiwan's coral reef check at the association, forging an unbreakable bond with Taiwan's oceans. From late 2012 to early 2013, as part of a Taiwan Environmental Information Association project, she traveled all around Taiwan's coastline, deeply realizing the inseparability of land and ocean, and in September 2013 she went to Great Britain, further realizing Taiwan's deficiencies in coastal management. She currently runs the association's action plan for protecting the ocean and coast, covering coral reef check, marine debris monitoring, marine environmental education, and more, hoping to bring about change through long-term citizen-led monitoring or education.
2014/10/15 (Wed) 7-9 PMCoastal Scenery and CultureSpeaker: Chen Po-chuanSharing how to care about this land and thereby develop an interest in Taiwan's coast. An observation and status report from Taiwan's surrounding coastline all the way to the completely natural, man-made-structure-free Alangyi Ancient Trail. A freelance visual and text worker, he moved from the virtual online world toward the land for independent publishing, beginning to pick up many fragments of imagery across Taiwan and piece together his own complete picture of the land. He makes a living through photography and writing, striving to find a crack to survive in between ideals and reality. His works include "India. Drifting" (2010), "Yunlin Has Everyone" (2012), and "I Take a Deep Breath at Alangyi" (2014).
2014/10/22 (Wed) 7-9 PMAlgal Reef Coastal ConservationSpeaker: Liu Jing-yu (Associate Researcher, Endemic Species Research and Conservation Center)Coralline algae are widely distributed in the ocean, are calcifying algae, and are reef builders, but in seas worldwide, large biogenic reefs built by coralline algae are not common. In Taoyuan, Taiwan, however, 27 km is algal reef coast, and although the North Coast and East Coast also have algal reefs of varying sizes, Taiwan currently has less than 50 km of coastline with algal reef distribution. Curiously, with Taiwan's main island having 1,139 km of coastline, plus the outlying islands' coastlines for a total exceeding 1,600 km, why are algal reefs distributed only in these few places? What special environmental conditions allow algal reefs to form? When did algal reefs begin to form? How important are algal reefs? What crises do algal reefs face?On the evening of October 22, I will take everyone on a mental journey around Taiwan's coast, and look at how this long-ignored ecosystem has been ravaged and its difficult conservation journey...... Stay tuned!
2014/10/29 (Wed) 7-9 PMReviving Sailboat Culture, Sailing Toward the Blue Sea and Sky! ~ Lifting Coastal Restrictions, Returning to the People the Right to Be Close to the OceanSpeakers: Five-Meter Lè Vehicle Research and Building AssociationHuang Ling-hsiaoChen Ming-chungBai Mu-shui*Those who register for the 4th session and ask a question will have a chance to receive a lovely small gift!This forum invites members of the Five-Meter Lè DIY Boatbuilding Association: former chairman Huang Ling-hsiao and members Chen Ming-chung and Mr. Bai Mu-shui, to share stories of Taiwan's sailboat culture, building one's own boat, setting sail, and the struggle for lifting coastal restrictions. Everyone is welcome to listen.Mr. Huang Ling-hsiao: Speaking on sailboat cultureFormer chairman of the Five-Meter Lè DIY Boatbuilding Association, he loves the ocean and sailing, has participated in the building of several handmade boats, and owns several replica antique boats himself. During the period of martial law, he imported Taiwan's first ocean kayak from the US, and was told by Taiwan Customs to either send it back to the US or destroy it on the spot; he personally witnessed two female students paddling a kayak, exhausted and wanting to enter a harbor to rest, being refused by Coast Guard officers and sent back on the spot. In the struggle for lifting coastal restrictions, he was often ticketed by the Coast Guard and was a frequent guest referred for prosecution.Mr. Chen Ming-chung: Speaking on sailboat building and European coastal managementA member of the Five-Meter Lè DIY Boatbuilding Association, he has built two Western-style sailboats by himself, sailing around Xiaoliuqiu, Guishan Island, and more. He personally encountered being stopped by Coast Guard officers when trying to launch via a fishing harbor ramp, and was told that as long as he didn't launch from the fishing harbor, whether he climbed over a wall or launched from the wave-dissipating blocks, it was none of the Coast Guard's business...Mr. Bai Mu-shui: Speaking on sailing journeys and humorA member of the Five-Meter Lè DIY Boatbuilding Association, before the age of 40, because he was not a good swimmer, he nearly drowned several times and was nearly swept away by currents; after overcoming his fear, he came to understand and love the ocean even more and care about ecology. He enjoys diving and sailing, imported Taiwan's first trimaran, and once encountered pirates on the Tamsui River. True to his name, he is like the beach naupaka (scaevola) plant found everywhere along the coast; not a law graduate, but he studies relevant regulations diligently, which gives officials quite a headache...
[Lecture Introduction]
The Call of the Ancestors: Taiwan's Sailboat Culture
There are often reports abroad of girls under 20 sailing solo around the world, yet for most people in this country, it is just a piece of news, with nothing to do with themselves!
As early as 5,000 years ago, our ancestors set out from Taiwan, relying on DIY canoes and simple small sailboats, with their wake spanning more than half the globe. From Taiwan in the north, to Easter Island in the east, to Madagascar in Africa in the west, and to New Zealand in the south, the population is roughly estimated at about 200 million people, not the 23 million population mentioned in textbooks. Native Hawaiians and New Zealand Maori are our relatives.
Our distant relatives in the South Island, although many live in smaller places than we do, live happier and more dignified lives, because their boats can freely go out to sea and come ashore, free from unreasonable restrictions. Yet under the long high-pressure rule of martial law, most Taiwanese have long been tamed; a people of an island nation who should be brave in adventure, instead face the ocean with such fear and unfamiliarity, as if living in a water prison. They have forgotten the smell of the sea, and cannot imagine the thrill of sailing freely: without the noisy sound of engines, relying on sails and riding the breeze, quietly and elegantly enjoying the glow of the setting sun.
Whose Is the Sea? Whose Are the Harbors?
Europeans, facing their own boats, whether a hundred-meter-plus cargo ship, a tourist ferry carrying one or two hundred people, an ordinary 20-foot boat, or an unpowered rowboat, amidst the vast waters all humbly consider themselves but a single ladle, respecting and coexisting with one another on the water. The Rhine is no wider than the Tamsui River, the Maine River is the same width as the Keelung River, and the North Sea cannot compare to the Pacific. Taiwan has water areas for nothing, yet the users and the government with the power to allocate use are thoroughly uncivilized.
So-called marina harbors are merely the government, under the guise of maritime leisure, enclosing land and sea for the rich. Once the harbor is handed over via BOT, those who love boats and the sea but lack economic means are shut out. As for the small sailboats and canoes that ordinary people use, which can hardly be called yachts, has the government taken care of them? Ordinary sea lovers can only secretly carry small boats down to the water from beaches and rocky shores. When coastal restrictions were lifted, the government tacitly allowed them to do so. Then marina harbors were built, and yacht users naturally came to regard the beaches and reefs as their own turf. The harbor? Not for you! For the group quietly playing with small boats, no one asks: why must I go to sea in such a dangerous place? Why can't I use the harbor?
The 80 km coastline from Tamsui to Sandiaojiao in northern Taiwan has 33 fishing harbors, and at least 3 marina harbors; when fishing boats can't catch fish and marina harbors can't fill their berths with yachts, can't small boats have a safe way to enter and leave the sea? Legally use fishing harbors!
The Struggle for Lifting Coastal Restrictions
Although Taiwan lifted martial law long ago, coastal controls are much the same as under martial law. In 2008, President Ma issued the campaign promise of "lifting coastal restrictions," which remains unfulfilled to this day. Fortunately, in our blood there still remains the genes of our ancestors, calling to us at every moment; more and more pioneers who dare to confront authority and take the lead, risking fines and prosecution, have one after another completed canoe circumnavigations of the island, and even embarked on round-the-world feats!
Heroic epics and moving stories are almost inseparable from the ocean; stories about the ocean can never be fully told! Returning to real life, is DIY boatbuilding possible? How to make a safe and happy voyage? What conditions are needed? Is it legal? Do you need to apply? Will the police arrest you? What should you prepare? Is it safe? What to do if the boat capsizes? Do you need to know how to swim? What to do if you encounter a shark? Has the space above your head been occupied by question marks? Now let us share with you from our own personal experience! Sit tight, put on your life jacket. We are about to bravely sail toward the other end of the horizon! Set off!!
"Rice Revolution Eco Kitchen" uses vegetables and fruits grown through environmentally friendly farming to cook delicious vegetarian dishes one by one, and begins serving dinner at 5:30 PM. You are welcome to come for dinner before the lecture, supporting farmland revitalization, small farmers' livelihoods, and social enterprise through the power of "eating."