Tayal's Skaru River Basin Tribal Communities and National Forest Management Agencies Establish Co-Management Committee for the Preservation of Sustainable Mountains and Forests

The Tayal Skaru River Basin Tribal Communities, the Hsinchu Forest District Office, and the Shei-Pa National Park headquarters established the “Natural Resources Co-Management Committee of the Tayal Skaru River Basin Tribal Communities and National Forest Management Agencies” at the Zhudong Workstation today (7th). The committee will work together to manage natural resources and preserve the sustainable operation of mountain forest environments.
The reconciliation between the Hsinchu Forest District Office, Shei-Pa National Park headquarters, and Skaru River Basin Tribal Communities of the Tayal People stems from historical disputes and a conflict resistance incident. On July 23, 2016, the Tayal Skaru River Basin Tribal Sovereignty Action Coalition, together with the Tayal National Assembly, called on tribesmen to hold a protest to demand that the Shei-Pa National Park and the Forestry Bureau recognize and return the sovereignty of their traditional territories. In addition, they regarded the veterans’ memorial monument in front of the Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area Visitor Center as a symbol of plundering of forest resources from the indigenous people’s traditional territories during the authoritarian regime, and demanded that it be removed immediately and replaced with a monument to the ancestors of the Skaru tribe who protected the mountains and forests. After several rounds of mediation, the public authorities and the tribe agreed not to remove the veterans’ memorial monument but instead to also erect a monument to the ancestors of the Skaru tribe, in order to demonstrate the diversity of historical values and perspectives, while presenting historical facts and paying respect to different ethnic groups.
The Hsinchu Forest District Office listened to the needs and opinions of the tribe and discussed the design direction together over many sessions. After more than three years of communication, coordination, and mediation, the establishment of the Tayal Ancestral Spirit Memorial Plaza was completed on December 31, 2020. Following this event, the “Sbalay Reconciliation Ceremony between the Tayal Skaru River Basin Tribal Communities and National Forest Management Agencies” was held on April 23, 2021. During the ceremony, a joint management mechanism was proposed for the future and a memorandum of understanding was signed.
Subsequently, the Hsinchu Forest District Office and Shei-Pa National Park headquarters actively invited the Co-Management Committee of the Tayal Skaru River Basin Tribal Communities to convene a number of meetings to discuss the co-management regulations, the composition and number of committee members, the mode of meeting, and the scope of co-management for the establishment of the co-management committee. It was decided that a tripartite co-management committee would be set up in compliance with the existing regulations, as to facilitate the promotion of future co-management.
Through the establishment of the tripartite co-management committee, the Hsinchu Forest District Office and Shei-Pa National Park headquarters are looking forward to learn and share rights and responsibilities with the Tayal Skaru River Basin Tribal Communities, based on the principle of equality, reciprocity and sharing. They will work together to pass on the traditional environmental wisdom and culture of indigenous people and pursue the sustainable development of forest management and ecological conservation. By working closely with each other, they will create a favorable model of sustainable management for both local industries and forest resources preservation.