英文摘要 |
The 2009 Typhoon Morakot was a serious disaster for Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. The indigenous Rukai-inhabited Wutai Township bore the brunt of the damage: of Wutai’s eight villages, five were relocated from the mountains to the lowlands. For the southern Rukai this sudden and turbulent socio-cultural change is a serious matter, potentially resulting in the collapse of Rukai society. Recently, extreme climate change has severely impacted the sustainable development of indigenous culture across the world, resulting in this issue gradually becoming a part of the international community’s agenda. Many studies have shown that when discussing the relocation and reconstruction of communities, not only must peoples’ lives and property along with national land restoration be considered; even more attention must be given to cultural heritage, the intactness of tribal institutions and societies, and the aspirations of tribespeople regarding community development. We believe that at the present stage, maintaining the relationship that the Rukai have with their land and directly involving the tribespeople in natural resource restoration and management work, in the process keeping in mind the expectations that all involved parties may have for the forests, is crucial in successful post-disaster reconstruction. In light of this, the Wutai Township Office recruited 18 local Rukai tribesmen to receive mountain forest patrol training, the monitored areas including village peripheries and traditional tribal territories. Besides demarcating many traditional points of cultural relevance, identifying wild plants and animals in the area, and detecting the precise zones of collapse post-typhoon, patrol team members also played a significant role in detecting the illegal felling of five great trees and suspicious activity. This illustrates the effectiveness of the mountain patrol; in addition to monitoring forest resources and providing scientific information, they can also strengthen local authorities, contribute to soil conservation and disaster prevention. Implemented by the Council of Indigenous Peoples and the township office, unlike past instances where the Forestry Bureau, National Park Services, or other environmental management agencies dominated, this effort not only allows ethnic characteristics to emerge, but also highlights the feasibility of putting co-management of the region into practice. Our study found that the keys issues of concern when initiating an indigenous forest guard system include the incorporation of traditional knowledge, tribal capacity building, cultivation of individuals at high-level management positions, cooperation between public sectors, counsel from specialized experts, and the support and participation of local tribespeople. |