After 20 years of afforestation, Taiwan Sugar plans to cut down 200 hectares of trees and change it into a "rural power park". Folks of Wanluan: putting the cart before the horse.

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The beautiful Pingtung mountain highway, located at the foot of Dawu Mountain, has been successfully afforested in the past 20 years, and is a proudly eco-tourism section in the south from Hengliao to Gaoshu in the south. Recently, landlord Taiwan Sugar is expected to cut down 200 hectares of trees and change it into a "special area for rural electricity," sparking strong local protests.

The first public hearing was held yesterday (18). The Taiwan Sugar Company said that in order to develop green energy, "camp-type optoelectronic", the maintenance of agricultural land under photovoltaic panels will not impact the existing environment. On the other hand, the villagers of Wanluan hold the opposition, believing that afforestation for 20 years already has the value of containing water, purifying air and living organisms, and that cutting down trees and planting electricity is not in line with the value of energy transformation. When it was stated that it would end in a stalemate without a consensus, the Taiwan Sugar Company said that it would collect opinions and reformulate it, while Lin Guoshun, the head of Wanluan Township, asked the Taiwan Sugar Company to give up, needless to say.

Lin Guoshun, the head of Wanluan township, was the first to express his local opposition. (photo / Lin Jiyang) the mountain road is so green that the previous efforts of 20 years of afforestation may be wasted.

Highway 185 in Pingtung County, also known as "mountain highway", winds through the wilderness, passing through Minnan village, Hakka village and native tribes, becoming a famous road travel route, and the place has even formed a mountain road tourism strategy development alliance to promote community eco-tourism.

The success of the mountain highway can be attributed to the success of the movement to protect agricultural land in the past. during the period of Cao Qihong, in order to avoid the arbitrary development and loss of fine agricultural land of Taiwan Sugar along the route, under the suggestion of a non-governmental ring group, he coordinated the afforestation and planting of trees on flat land, thus achieving today's green highway scenery.

In order to meet the energy policy of the Executive Yuan and the demand for electricity growth, Taiwan Sugar has planned to launch a number of optoelectronic zones in Pingtung since the end of last year. Among them, on 650 hectares of agricultural land owned by Taiwan Sugar in Wanluanxiang, excluding 200 hectares leased to farmers to grow pineapples, the Taiwan Sugar Company expects to select 200 hectares of forest-poor land from the original forest land to launch several agricultural optoelectronic zones.

On February 18, Taiwan Sugar held its first local presentation meeting at the Wanluan Township Government Office. Liang Yaoguang, head of the Biomass Energy Assessment and Development Group of the Taiwan Sugar Renewable Energy Group, and the planning unit briefed the plan, which met with opposition from villagers and local groups. it is believed that the beautiful green highway will be wasted because of the green energy development project.

Bike lanes are also set up in the afforestation area to become a green highway (Photo / Lin Jiyang) Taiwan Sugar: camp-type optoelectronic will maintain agricultural land and will not impact the existing environment.

Yuan Shu-mei, manager of Liyi Company, which was commissioned by Taiwan Sugar to plan the case, pointed out in a brief report that in the past, in order to retain agricultural land and grow economic forests, the purpose of operating agricultural optoelectronic zones was to restore agricultural land and operate green energy at the same time, which was a blessing to environmental protection. Yuan said that the original economic forest has reached the cutting age, due to poor growth conditions and planting Casuarina equisetifolia, white thousand layer, olive plum, water yellow bark and other windbreak tree species is also not economic benefit.

She stressed that if the photoelectric park is developed in the future, the environmentally friendly forests and bike paths on both sides of the highway will be retained, and only areas with poor forest appearance will be selected to develop special areas. The optoelectronic area of farming type is to restore afforestation land to agricultural use rather than destroy agricultural land, and will cooperate with young farmers or farmers' groups to promote agricultural development.

Yuan Shu-mei said that the management and maintenance of photovoltaic panels over a 20-year period will also employ local residents to operate the place forever. She stressed that the existing tourism and leisure functions and flood control functions will be implemented in future plans. at the same time, agricultural optoelectronics will also become the field of environmental education in the future.

Taiwan Sugar Company attended to represent Liang Yaoguang (photo / Lin Jiyang) of the Renewable Energy Group: to cut down trees and plant electricity, the cart was put before the horse, and the residents were harmed before they benefited.

Lin Guoshun, head of Wanluan Township, said that in the past, local villagers were mobilized by the Forestry Bureau to participate in afforestation on flat land for 20 years, and they had emotional investment in this large area of forest. now the forest is graceful and graceful, and the local value of the forest is regarded as an asset for the development of community tourism. will never accept felling and development plans.

Lin Guoshun said: "the land of Taiwan Sugar is state-owned and owned by the whole people. Land use must respect the villagers. Cutting down trees and planting electricity is putting the cart before the horse. Wanluan people suffer from it before they benefit." He also questioned that Taiwan Sugar is only a custodian state.