SWS leaders wrote a Letter of Comment to Mayor Chu Chen of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan about their concern for the Jiading Wetland area. The local government recently approved construction plans for Road 1-4 that will disturb the wetlands:
Mayor CHEN, Chu
Mayor of Kaohsiung City Government
Taiwan
5 October 2016
Dear Mayor Chen:
On behalf of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), we would like to express our concern about the recent plans for the construction of Road 1-4 through the Jiading Wetland area. The Society has a world‐wide membership of more than 3,000 wetland professionals from 58 countries, whose mission is “to promote understanding, conservation, protection, restoration, science-based management, and sustainability of wetlands’’ (see www.sws.org). It has come to our attention that the Kaohsiung City government has decided to move ahead with plans to construct Road 1-4, which would reduce traveling time through the Jiading Wetland by only 90 seconds. The construction would dissect Jiading into two separate hydrologic units and endanger the natural functions and services of this wetland. We also understand that this is a deviation from the earlier established understanding that Jiading could be designated as a Taiwan Wetland of International Importance, using the Ramsar definition of designating wetlands of International Importance (see below) and be allowed to remain wholly intact. We hope to make you aware of the current services and benefits provided by the wetland to the people of the region and the potential impacts any change to the management/protection of this area might incur. Continue reading.