Saturday, June 30, 2007

Time to send another letter-Our Letter of Response to the Council of Agriculture’s Letter

Clearly, the Taiwan Council of Agriculture’s response to our letter of concern doesn't address our concerns over the plight of the Taiwan population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins at all. Their letter only gives a brief outline of cetacean conservation efforts in Taiwan since 1981 and doesn't address any of the threats facing the Taiwan population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.

Please assist us in our campaign to save the Taiwan population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin by sending the following letter to the Taiwan Government requesting that they do address the problem.


How to send:

Please feel free to write your own letter or cut and paste the following letter and add your name, location and organization (feel free to add your own comments), and email it to Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian.

To: oop62@mail.oop.gov.tw , abian@mail.oop.gov.tw

cc to:
eyemail@eyemail.gio.gov.tw , ylhga001@mail.yunlin.gov.tw , comment@wildatheart.org.tw , keephushanwild@gmail.com , coa@mail.coa.gov.tw , service@forest.gov.tw , faadmin@ms1.fa.gov.tw , dois@moea.gov.tw , foreign@dpp.org.tw , epm@epa.gov.tw

For your information the cc recipients are: Premier Chang Chun-hsiung(Confirmation email will be sent--respond by clicking the left icon), DPP-Frank Hsieh, Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen, Department of Investment Services, Council of Agriculture, Forestry Bureau, Fisheries Agency, Environmental Protection Administration, Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Taiwan National Coalition Against the Hushan Dam.
_________________________________________________


RE: The Council of Agriculture’s response to our letter of concern over the plight of the eastern Taiwan Strait population of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.


The President of the Republic of China:
President Chen Shui-bian.

Cc: Premier Chang Chun-hsiung; Democratic Progressive Party Presidential Candidate, Frank Hsieh; Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen; Department of Investment Services; Council of Agriculture (COA), COA Forestry Bureau, COA Fisheries Agency, Environmental Protection Administration, Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Taiwan National Coalition against the Hushan Dam.

Dear Sir,


Thank you for tasking the Council of Agriculture to respond to our letter of concern over the plight of the eastern Taiwan Strait population of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. However, after reading the Council of Agriculture’s response, we are even more concerned over the plight of Taiwan’s Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis). The Council of Agriculture only gives a brief outline of cetacean conservation efforts in Taiwan since 1981 in their letter and doesn’t address our concerns over the plight of the Taiwan population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins at all.


The letter received from the Council of Agriculture only serves to further our fears that the plight of Taiwan’s Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins isn’t being taken seriously by the Taiwan Government and that this unique population of a particularly vulnerable species is being sacrificed for more heavy pollution-generating industrial development along Taiwan’s west coast that will only serve to increase Taiwan’s carbon emissions at a time when nations should be focusing on decreasing them, and that the further development of the west coast will only be of short-term financial benefit to a select few and have no long-term benefit for the people of Taiwan.


We urge the Taiwan Government to act responsibly and take immediate action to safeguard this unique population that is only found in Taiwanese waters and protect what little remains of West-Central Taiwan’s natural heritage by halting projects such as the Hushan Reservoir and the further planned development of heavy industry along the west coast, and make a stand on the need for clean emission-reducing development and give priority to the protection of Taiwan’s remaining natural resources. We understand that your Council of Economic Planning and Development has given the preliminary go ahead on a number of wind turbines in the areas including those where the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins have been seen most often, in fact, according to news reports the majority of the prospective wind turbines will be placed in the middle of the main distribution of these dolphins. This indicates that either your government is violating its own law (Basic Environmental Act) by not considering the dolphins at this stage of planning, or that there is a disturbingly high level of ignorance as to the existence of and dangers to these animals.


Yours sincerely,

(Name)

(Location)

(Organization, if applicable)




No comments: