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REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (RAP), BANGKOK FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS January-March 2007 Regional Quarterly Bulletin on Wildlife and National Parks Management Vol. XXXIV : No. 1 Featuring Vol. XXI : No. 1 Contents Taiwan’s Industrial Development and Environmental Crisis... 1 Small Indian Civets (Viverracula indica) Facing Danger In Jammu District……………………………………..… 4 Ophiophagus Habit of Common Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosus) of Sri Lanka…………………………………………....... 6 Manipur Brow-Antlered Deer: Red Alert…......................... 8 Study of Vegetation and Grazing Impacts on Pheasant In Pipar Reserve, Nepal………………………………..... 12 A New Approach to Conservation By Analyzing Natural Resource Legislation....................................................... 17 REGIONAL OFFICE Survey of Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Similipal Tiger Reserve, Orissa, India…………………… 27 TIGERPAPER is a quarterly news bulletin dedicated to the exchange of information relating to wildlife and national parks Sustainable Forest Management…Putting Your Money management for the Where Your Forest Is!.................................................... 1 Asia-Pacific Region. Reshaping Forestry to Benefit the Poor……………............ 3 Philippines Initiates Update of National Community-Based ISSN 1014 - 2789 Forest Management Strategic Plan........………………… 5 Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study Meeting of Address National Focal Points for Asia…………………………… 5 Regional Workshop to Develop a Plan of Activities for TIGERPAPER Forest Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting..............… 7 FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Development of Community Forestry in Mongolia............... 8 Maliwan Mansion, Phra Atit Road FAO Forestry Staff Movement........................................... 9 Bangkok, 10200, Thailand International Conference on The Future of Forests in Asia Tel: (662) 697-4000 Facsimile: (662) 697-4445 and the Pacific: Outlook for 2020..................................... 10 E-mail: [email protected] Asia-Pacific Forestry Chips and Clips................................. 12 New Forestry Publications..................................................14 FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Calendar……………….............16 Editor: Janice Naewboonnien Advisors: M. Kashio and P. Durst TIGERPAPER is dependent upon your free and voluntary The opinions expressed by the contributions in the form of articles, news items, and announcements in contributing authors are not the field of wildlife and nature conservation in the region. In order to necessarily those of FAO. The better serve the needs of our readers please write to us and send in the designations employed and the information you have or let us know if there is any information that you presentation of the material in the need. We appreciate receiving your letters and make all efforts to TIGERPAPER do not imply the respond. expression of any opinion on the part of FAO concerning the legal or Cover: Formosan macaques at Mt. Longevity constitutional status of any country, Photo: G. Agoramoorthy territority or sea area, or the delimitation of frontiers. Vol. 34: No. 1 Jan-Mar 2007 | Taiwan’s Industrial Development and Environmental Crisis| Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second largest city, advancing towards Mt. Longevity forest (Photo: G. Agoramoorthy) TAIWAN’S INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS by Govindasamy Agoramoorthy and Minna J. Hsu Introduction natural resources. In this paper, we have outlined how Taiwan’s rapid economic and industrial aiwan lies on the Tropic of Cancer and is sepa- development has contributed to environmental Trated from the mainland China by a narrow strait, problems that affect the natural resources and the narrowest portion of which is only 130 km wide. biodiversity. It covers an area of 36,000 km2 with a population of 23 million people. The landscape is dominated by Taiwan’s biodiversity resources rugged mountains with a remarkable diversity of fauna and flora. The island rose from the sea floor More than a century ago, naturalist Alfred Russel of the Asian continental shelf approximately 4 Wallace was impressed with the ecological beauty million years ago. Taiwan has grown from of Taiwan and he wrote, “Among recent agricultural backwater status to global technological continental islands there is probably none that giant over the last few decades. One of the serious surpasses in interest and instructiveness the negative consequences of Taiwan’s development Chinese island named by the Portuguese, has been increased pollution and degradation of Formosa” (Wallace, 1880). Taiwan certainly is a 11 Vol. 34: No. 1 Jan-Mar 2007 biological microcosm and one can travel from a as birds, fish, snakes, frogs, turtles, insects and mountain peak to coral reef within just a day. monkeys are being captured from the wild by Taiwan harbors about 4,000 species of vascular plants, hunters, or purchased from local markets, to be 61 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 92 released around the island’s rivers, mountains, species of reptiles, 30 species of amphibians, 140 forests, lakes, and reservoirs. species of freshwater fish and an estimated 50,000 insect species, including 400 species of butterflies (Hsu Although Taiwan enacted the wildlife conservation & Agoramoorthy, 1997). Six national parks, 18 law in 1989, the enforcement of law has been weak nature reserves and 24 protected areas have been and there is no policy to end the practice of designated to safeguard the biodiversity and the religious freeing of animals, which at present is protected area covers 440,290 ha, which is 12.2% unregulated. The indiscriminate release of of the total land area. However, Taiwan’s rapid animals will certainly lead to alien invasions of economic and industrial growth has put heavy non-native species, which could be catastrophic pressure on the natural environment, especially over to the ecological food chain. The authors have the last three decades. recorded about 75 species of exotic birds that are presently found in the wild in Taiwan. This Threats to wildlife and nature could lead to the extinction of endemic species, hybridism and the irreversible alteration of the Taiwan’s Industrial Development and Environmental Crisis| | The only mega bat – the Formosan flying fox – was genetic makeup of biological communities in previously abundant on Taiwan’s Green Island, but Taiwan. The invasion of fire ants and golden apple became extinct in the 1990’s due to hunting, snails in Taiwan has already created a crisis. deforestation and habitat alteration (Hsu, 1997). The Taiwan must act quickly to counter the island’s largest cat – the Clouded leopard -– has not unmonitored release of wildlife that has been been sighted for two decades and is presumed extinct. ignored for decades. The Formosan black bear is seldom seen in the wild (Hsu & Agoramoorthy, 1997). The sika deer that once Rapid development leads to pollution roamed the coastal plains became extinct in the wild in the 1960’s due to intensive hunting and habitat Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration destruction. The mangrove forest is considered to be (EPA) estimates that only about 43% of hazardous highly endangered in Taiwan. Despite the existence industrial waste is properly treated. Much of the of national parks and nature reserves to protect untreated waste ends up contaminating soil and biodiversity, pressure on the natural habitat is still water via illegal dumping. Based on recent data intensifying. from 1,000 large industrial firms, the EPA estimates that Taiwan produces over 18 million To make things worse, large numbers of wildlife have tons of technological solid waste annually – 1.47 been lately released into the wild by Buddhist and million tons of which are considered hazardous. Taoist religious groups, which has alarmed even animal Only 600,000 tons are treated, while the rest ends welfare groups. People in Taiwan are estimated to up in rivers and landfills. spend about USD5,914,490 a year to set free 200 million wild animals (ranging from insects to About 50,000 tons of toxic solvents are produced monkeys) for religious reasons (China Post, 2004; annually. In July 2000, 100 tons of toxic solvents Agoramoorthy & Hsu, 2005). Taiwan’s two major were dumped into the second longest river – traditional religions, Taoism and Buddhism, stress Kaoping – which left 3 million residents in and the importance of doing good deeds during a around Kaohsiung city without drinking water for person’s life and returning animals to nature is one five days. In Taiwan’s largest environmental of the ways to garner good karma to earn an crime case, prosecutors charged the waste individual’s salvation in the afterlife. The followers handler of the Kaoping affair for dumping tons of these religions comprise 93% of the total of toxic solvents into river systems across the population of Taiwan. Temples usually provide island, a classic example of corporate greed and religious services to release animals. Since there is technological nightmare. Since Taiwan doesn’t a huge market for this trade, various animals such 2 Vol. 34: No. 1 Jan-Mar 2007 | have enough secured landfills, it does not have and wood products from overseas, including mega Taiwan’s Industrial Development and Environmental Crisis| the ability to handle all the toxic waste it produces. biodiversity countries in Southeast Asia. Rapid development put heavy pressure on the Taiwan’s economic growth environment even in the United States,