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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 National land plan lacks transparency: groups
Environmental groups hold a rally outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday to protest its non-transparent review of a national land plan. Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
OPAQUE REVIEW PROCESS: The Executive Yuan did not publish details of its meetings to discuss the plan before announcing its final version, environmental groups said
By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
Environmental groups yesterday called on the Executive Yuan to review its national land plan, which they said has been largely simplified and could lead to further loss of agricultural land.
The Ministry of the Interior on April 30 published the final plan approved by the Executive Yuan, saying it is to serve as the directive for land rezoning by local governments and is to take effect 90 days after its announcement until 2036.
The plan states that to protect environmentally sensitive areas, local governments can rezone municipal land into four categories: national conservation, marine resources, agricultural development and urban development, the ministry said.
With the 90-day deadline approaching, environmental groups asked the Executive Yuan to re-examine what they said was the plan’s questionable review process.
Despite some flaws in the ministry’s draft, it at least encouraged civic participation and open data in the plan’s drafting process, Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan chief executive Lee Ken-cheng （李根政） told a news conference in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei.
However, the Executive Yuan has not been transparent about the review process, Lee said.
Although it had formed an ad hoc committee to review the plan in April, it did not publish details of its three meetings until his group asked it to, Lee said, adding that the group had to go to its archive room to request copies.
The group found that the plan has been reduced from 286 to 116 pages not on the recommendation of committee members, but on the order of the committee chairman, Minister Without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen （張景森）, Lee said.
The compressed plan might lead to further loss of agricultural land, as the principle that “agricultural land should be used for agricultural purposes” was crossed out in the section about sustainable land development goals, Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan researcher Wu Chi-jung （吳其融） said.
Given the Executive Yuan’s opaque reviewing process, the plan should be rewritten , Taiwan Environmental Information Association secretary-general Chen Jui-pin （陳瑞賓） said.
The ministry later yesterday issued a statement saying that its principles on protecting agricultural land and food security was not altered, despite some adjustments in the final plan.
As the nation needs to secure between 740,000 and 810,000 hectares of farmland to guarantee basic food supplies, the plan requires that local governments clarify the locations and areas of agricultural land in their municipalities, the ministry said.
Certain details not listed in the plan would be included in other regulations or guidelines for local governments, it added.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
