Integration of the Environment and Resources: Environmental Governance Perspectives in Taiwan

1. Integration of the Environment and Resources: Environmental Governance Perspectives in Taiwan Shin-Cheng Yeh, Ph.D. Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection Administration Taiwan

2. Taiwan: a beautiful island with high disaster risks • An island ecology which breeds abundant fauna and flora • Situated in an area prone to natural disasters • Extreme weather conditions already happened • Exploitation of natural resources in many areas has • surpassed the carrying capacity of the environment • disrupted the ecological balance • damaged the natural landscape • and threatened the extinction of species

3. Environmental load • Sources：http://www.prb.org (population), http://faostat.fao.org (land area), http://faostat.fao.org • Notes： Land area information – 2009 data . Vehicles information – US, Germany: 2007 data; Japan – 2008 data. Pig information – Taiwan’s data is until November 2010, the rest 2009 data

4. EPA Established in 1987 • To improve environmental quality, the EPA was established in August 1987, setting a milestone in Taiwan’s environmental protection efforts.

5. The natural environmental systems are the basics • The earth’s environment is composed of four circles—air, water, land, and biology. These circles are closely related and mutually influential. • Effective environmental management should take into account the subsystems, their linkages, and interrelationships. • Other governance mechanisms should be used to support sustainable development of a country.

6. Need for integrated environmental governance Environmental protection Water Air Natural resources P&M Integrated environmental management and governance sustainable development Biology Soil Water resources P&M Landscape conservation

7. Example: river basin management • Watershed management • Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture • Creek management, flood prevention, and slope land soil and water conservation • Soil and Water Conservation, Council of Agriculture • River management • Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs • River water quality protection • Environmental Protection Administration • Sewage construction • Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior

8. Integration: a watershed is a system • integrate tasks of water, soil, and forest into one ministry • The minister or deputy minister direct, negotiate and supervise the tasks • Interface integration of the upstream, midstream, and downstream fields, integration management of water quality and quantity, prevention of soil and water disaster, and the best utilization of water resources in order to attain the goal of water basin management.

9. Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MENR) • Main mission: planning, supervising, instructing, reviewing, inspecting and implementing the protection, conservation and control of the environment and natural resources. • Basic philosophy: • the horizontal integration of water, soil, forests, air, and ecosystem • the vertical division of professional expertise • solving existing problems of government organizations

10. Main functions to be enhanced • Pollution control • Climate change response • Water basin management • Disaster prevention • Natural conservation Corresponding agencies and organizations will be set up

11. Visions of MENR • Environmental planning and management • Climate change mitigation and adaptation • Pollution control • Nature conservation • Resource recycling • Water resource protection • Soil and water conservation and natural disaster prevention

12. Targets of MENR for land use as an example • Establishing integrated land planning and management system to mapping out the low carbon and energy saving land using mode • Strengthening land conservation to establish green ecological corridor for ecosystem rehabilitation and protect environmentally sensitive areas • Implementing a coastal utilization which put into consideration of conservation and protection so that the ratio of natural coastline will not decrease further.

13. Targets of MENR for biodiversity conservation as an example • Enhancing the biodiversity preservation at gene and species level, and protecting the natural environment to maintain the ecological balance; • strengthening forest protection to increase protect the forest and increase the forest cover; promoting forestry recreation to improve citizens’ health

15. Low-carbon and Sustainable Homeland Promotion ProgramFrameworkGreen Economy, Resource Recycling, Social Welfare A comprehensive framework project of EPA before MENR

16. 2011 50low carbon communities 2014 6 low carbon cities 2020 4 low carbon living spheres Low-carbon and Sustainable Homeland Vision • 2009/4/15~16 “3rd National Energy Conference” resolution Policy Goal Off-shore wind power Low carbon business Solar power plant Eco-wetland Low carbon industry and society Low carbon power Coal/gas CCS Core Issues Low carbon building Solar power Energy pricing and open market Energy technology industrial development Sustainable development and energy safety Energy management and efficiency upgrade Low carbon living and low carbon travel Hybrid buses Battery charge station/bio-fuel station High efficiency low carbon green building Vehicle fuel transfer to electric power/bio-fuel Sustainable agriculture

17. Benefits and Targets Low-carbon and Sustainable Homeland Improve Energy Efficiency & Saving Increase Investment & Jobs Win-win Reduce Energy Demand Encourage low-carbon Industries to further economic growth Follow international trends & Ensure sustainable development Cut Fuel Cost

18. Renewable energy • Promoting wind power, solar energy and optoelectronics • Promoting biomass energy applications • Energy saving • Energy saving equipment/efficiency improvement • Energy saving lighting • Energy saving appliances Resource recycling & reuse • Green production/consumption • Reduction at source/Recycling • Reuse and refurbishing • Water saving and wastewater recycling • Rainwater collection/reuse Low carbon transportation • Promoting low-carbon mass-transportation • Battery swap and recharge system for electric vehicles • Building and connecting bike paths Low-carbon Community;carbon reduction measures Low-carbon building • Green building/material • Green Construction Techniques Low carbon lifestyles • Promoting, educating low-carbon lifestyles and green consumption • Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction 10 No-regrets Measures Greenery • Tree planting, green fencing, garden embellishment Mapped out 7-facets of low-carbon measures to be implemented based on local traits

19. Path to environmental governance: Find the wise way to manage the environment… as possible • Systematic thinking • Follow natural systems and their interactions • Strategic thinking • Identify objectives and the constraints • Find optimized or non-inferior solutions • Sustainable thinking • Sustainable development is the first priority • Never loose the future because of the present