Taipei march to demand ecology-friendly policies

Wildlife conservation groups yesterday urged the government to incorporate ecological considerations into policymaking rather than responding only after environmental harm has occurred, ahead of the Walk for Wildlife march, which is to be held in Taipei on Saturday.

The march, organized by Taiwan Walk for Wildlife (TWW), is to be held outside the Legislative Yuan and is scheduled to begin at 2pm on Saturday under the theme: “Wildlife cannot wait, incorporate ecology into public policy.”

At a news conference in Taipei, TWW chairman Lee Tsung-chen (李宗宸) said this year’s campaign builds on calls from the previous two editions in 2023 and 2024 for better management of stray dogs and cats, and stronger legal tools to address ecological conflicts.

Wildlife campaigners hold placards at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times

“We eventually realized that the problem was not simply that one measure was missing, but that different policies were operating independently, with ecological concerns only addressed after the damage had already been done,” Lee said.

The problem extends beyond animal protection, with ecological concerns often left out of decisionmaking by central and local governments on issues such as land use, energy and public works, he added.

Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association researcher Kuo Chia-wen (郭佳雯) cited the endangered Taiwanese humpback dolphin as an example of ecological concerns being sidelined in development policy.

Taiwan has invested substantial resources in researching the species, but coastal industrial development, offshore wind farms and land reclamation projects have continued along the west coast — the dolphins’ only habitat — without adequately taking their ecological impact into account, Kuo said.

“We’re not saying Taiwan should stop developing, nor are we saying people should stop using electricity,” she said. “The question is how we can truly achieve coexistence.”

Among TWW’s demands for the march is the establishment of a biodiversity committee jointly by central and local governments, with authority to coordinate across agencies and track implementation.

“Any policy that could affect the environment should be subject to review, with scientific data and expert opinions considered before decisions are made,” Lee said, outlining the committee’s role.

Saturday’s event is to run from 11am to 5:30pm, with conservation groups operating booths from the morning.

Following the about one-hour march through streets near the Legislative Yuan, participants are to return to the event site for a series of talks on wildlife and conservation issues.