Governance of Biodiversity Conservation in China And Taiwan

activities, grassroots activities dominated the movement. Huang Fuxin, who is
President of the Association for Promotion of the Qigu Lagoon National
Scenic Area, contends that the targets of movement pioneers (who opposed the
mammoth Binnan petrochemical and steel plant construction proposed in Qigu
[see Chapter 8 for a full description]) were: ‘1) The masses were the first
priority; 2) Local and central legislators; and 3) Mass media’.^5
Political considerations and calculations of politicians were the catalysts for
environmental mobilization at the grassroots level. Professor Huang Mingqin
of the National Chengkung University in Tainan was among the first pioneers
advocating lagoon protection and the preservation of black-faced spoonbills (a
globally endangered species) in the Qigu area. Huang argued:

‘The villagers at the grassroots level do not have the necessary knowledge about

environmental protection. They only have a vague idea to protect their homeland

from external penetration. They have enthusiasm, passions, but no professional

knowledge. They are subject to political manipulation’.^6

For some pro-development residents in the Qigu area, political mobilization
by ENGOs conflicted with local interests. They criticized mass movements
organized by ENGOs and local politicians as an irrational attempt to replace
the institutional deliberation of public policy making. Wu Zhongchang,
Executive Secretary of the Greater Qigu Development Commission (a pro-
development body) believed that the purpose of grassroots movements was to
reverse accumulated professional analyses and opinions. The most appropriate
channel for deliberation, he opined, was through institutional mechanisms
such as the Village Representative Council. The use of demonstrations and
other forms of direct action would hurt the general investment environment,
discourage foreign investment, and eventually have adverse impacts on
people’s livelihoods. He believed that politicians and intellectuals, without an
understanding of people’s needs, manipulated movements to their own
advantage.^7
Since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) became the ruling party in
2000, ENGOs have entered a transition period. For instance, mass
mobilization (used in the mid-1990s) no longer dominates Taiwan wetlands’
activities. Qiu Yiren, President of the Tainan Chapter of the Wetlands
Association, indicates:

‘According to my past experiences, the real impact of grassroots activities is still

limited in the current situation. In the long run, we need key individuals to endeavor

in grassroots education and to mobilize bottom-up dynamics. In order to educate the

public and maintain good relationships with the mass media, an “elite line” is

necessary for the next stage of development’.^8

In reality, even at the early stage of Taiwan’s environmental movement,

ENGOs, civil society and biodiversity conservation 163