Preserving Kinmen River for posterity

Wuchiang River (浯江溪), known locally as the Mother of Kinmen (金門母親河), is located on the western side of Kinmen. Until March of this year, Kinmen County Government was engaged in building a road that would connect the northern side of the commercial port to the main highway. However, ten days into the construction work residents discovered that the project had neglected to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

After it became clear that the project threatened serious environmental damage and the destruction of important cultural heritage sites residents raised “Save the Mother of Kinmen -Wuchiang River,” a series of activities to oppose the construction project.
Ecology expert Zhuang Xi-jin (莊西進) said that there are other ways of reducing costs while at the same time ensuring such projects are environmentally sound.

He added that in recent years the commercial port has seen a steady decline in the number of tourists. In reaction to the storm of protest from local residents Kinmen County Commissioner announced an immediate halt to construction work and promised that the area would be restored to its original condition. Today, however, with high construction boards still erected on one side of the site it appears that things remain unchanged; the area has quite clearly been the scene of environmental damage.

In fact, the diverse ecology of Wuchiang River is an important habitat for the million-year-old horseshoe crab, a true ‘living fossil’. “If we fail to properly protect the horseshoe crab’s habitat, we may well lose it for ever,” said Hong De-shun (洪德舜), head of the Wuchiang River Horseshoe Crab Task Force (浯江溪鱟巡守隊).

Preserving Kinmen River for posterity
URL:http://www.peopo.org/news/113701

(以下為中文對照)
【留給下一代的海灣，一同守護金門母親河】

照片

浯江溪位於金門本島的西部，擁有「金門母親河」之稱。但今年三月，金門縣政府在此動工建設「水頭聯外道路工程(水頭商港北側聯外道路工程)」。在施工逾十日後，被民眾發現該工程「未經過環評」且「嚴重破壞生態環境與文化資產」，並展開一連串的「搶救浯江溪，守護金門母親河」的活動。

金門生態專家莊西進表示，聯外道路可以有其他減少經費支出、保護生態的方案代替，且目前水頭商港的旅客數根據數據近年來都是在減少的。經過民眾大力反彈後，金門縣長立即宣布停工並承諾將堆土移走，但至今施工看板依舊高高豎立在一旁，周遭的環境也已遭受到破壞，因為浯江溪的沿岸，是「活化石」鱟重要的棲息地，在這裡也擁有多樣化生態。浯江溪鱟巡守隊隊長洪德舜說：「如果不好好的保育這塊鱟的棲地，鱟就有可能消失。」