Economic and ecological win-win
In late 2010, Highway 26 passed its analysis of environmental change, and the go-ahead for development was conditionally granted.
Yet in January 2011, as a consequence of the efforts and appeals of environmentalists, the Pingtung County Government, citing a clause in the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act that reads “If any site of natural landscape value is discovered in the course of a construction project or other development project, ... the discovery shall be reported to the competent authority,” forestalled construction by temporarily designating Alangyi as a “natural landscape protected area” for two six-month renewable terms.
Alangyi’s temporary protected status expired on January 18, 2012, bringing advocates of conservation and development to loggerheads. That day, the county government held a committee meeting on the Xuhai–Guanyinbi Nature Reserve. Thirteen out of the 14 committee members present voted in favor of preservation, and the resolution passed. Six years of disputes between advocates of completing the highway and advocates of preserving the Alangyi Historic Trail were thus ended.
However, the land falling under this particular nature reserve plan includes 155 hectares of private Aboriginal land, and according to the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law, the government has to respect the opinions of tribespeople in its policies toward Aboriginal reserve land. That day, many Aboriginal landowners, concerned that their private land would be designated part of the nature preserve, thereby limiting economic development, arrived on the scene to express their opposition. In the end, the county government designated these private lands as a buffer zone to reduce the effect on the landowners.
Pingtung County deputy commissioner Chung Chia-pin notes that the only member of the committee not to vote affirmatively held that the local residents had strong needs for local facilities, but the county government had no plans for them, therefore he voted against. Regarding this, Chung says that the county government will work to enhance local eco-tourism, hot-spring hotel and public transportation resources, thereby satisfying residents’ expectations for business and economic livelihood.
Great reefs created by coastal slumping are visible everywhere along the trail, making it an excellent classroom for studying Taiwan’s geology.