TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Predicting that some people would want to get out in nature during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Taitung Forestry District Office on Tuesday (Jan. 19) reminded the public not to hike in the Dawushan Nature Reserve (大武山自然保留區) without a permit to avoid getting a fine of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,950).
The forest district office issued a press release Tuesday, stating that the office’s Dawu Workstation and a contingent of police will step up patrol in the Dawushan Nature Reserve during the Lunar New Year holiday. The office said that the public or research institutes interested in visiting the reserve must apply in advance in the “Nature Reserve Entry Application System" and obtain permission before going.
The Dawushan Nature Reserve covers a vast area of 47,000 hectares, which is larger than Yangmingshan National Park or Kenting National Park, and is the largest nature reserve in Taiwan, according to the office. Its protected objects include wild animals, their habitats, virgin forests, and alpine lakes, which include the Great Ghost Lake and the Little Ghost Lake, the office said, adding that the undamaged natural landscape in the area often attracts people.
According to regulations, camping, cooking, burning fires, setting up tents, swimming, riding bicycles, or driving motor vehicles are prohibited in the reserve.
According to Article 108 of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, “Entering a natural reserve zone without the approval of the competent authority” will be fined NT$30,000-NT$150,000.
The Little Ghost Lake. (Wikimedia Commons photo)
