Green Island Struggles To Balance Booming Tourism With Environmental Protection
After shedding its Alcatraz-like reputation as an island for political prisoners, tens of thousands of visitors now flock to Taiwan’s outlying Green Island. While enjoying the economic benefits, locals are struggling to find the delicate balance between protecting the ecosystem and promoting tourism.
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00:00About 30 kilometers off Taiwan's southeastern coast, Green Island is a popular diving spot
00:09thanks to the warm weather brought by the corrosive current and its abundant marine
00:13life.
00:14Locals have been creating more attractions like artificial reefs and the deepest working
00:19mailbox in the world.
00:21And three artificial reefs shaped like Moai statues have also been installed.
00:25There are more places to explore on Green Island, including scenic landscapes and cultural
00:49landmarks to remember the White Terror era.
00:52Since martial law was lifted in 1987, tourism began flourishing here.
00:57The number of tourists surged from around 60,000 in 1991 to about 400,000 in 2004.
01:04Nowadays, approximately 300,000 people visit the island annually.
01:09The influx of tourists has been a boost to the island's economy, but it's also impacted
01:15the environment.
01:16The island suffers from inadequate infrastructure, which causes problems like trash piling up.
01:22According to local media reports, in 2020, there were 71 guest houses, 65 diving shops
01:29and 4,000 scooters on this 16-square-kilometer island.
01:34And when factoring in illegal operations, the numbers are even higher.
01:38The chair of the local fishermen's association is the eighth generation of his family to
01:43live on Green Island.
01:45His family used to run one of the very first guest houses.
02:04To protect the local environment, the Transportation Ministry has long proposed limiting the number
02:09of daily visitors to the area.
02:12However, most islanders oppose that idea, as over 80 percent of them rely on tourism
02:18for their livelihoods.
02:42The idea of transforming the tourism industry has caught the imagination of one guest house
02:53owner.
02:54During the pandemic, a unique hotel opened, standing out from others.
02:58Its colors blend with the landscape, and the materials like stone and wood match the environment.
03:04Designers also took into account the island's vulnerability to typhoons when building the
03:08facilities.
03:12The colorful chairs in the dining area are inspired by the island's coral reefs.
03:33All in all, the hotel cost more than US$6 million to build.
03:38The hotel manager says the owner was willing to invest that much even if they take a loss.
03:56To help visitors learn more about the area, the hotel uses local ingredients like tuna
04:01paste, seaweed, and roselle in its food and drinks.
04:05The tuna paste, developed just last year, uses local recipe, crafted from yellowfin
04:10tuna caught with the island's traditional fishing methods.
04:21The traditional fishing method, known as ipanzuri, dates back to the Japanese colonial period.
04:28Skilled fishermen used a single line to catch tuna one by one, reducing the risk of overfishing.
04:35Some local fishers have combined their traditional fishing practices and tourism.
04:56Other forms of eco-friendly tourism are also flourishing on land.
05:07Tour guide Miki Zhen shares her knowledge and passion for the island while taking visitors
05:11hiking on trails.
05:13A native of Taitung County, Zhen has lived here for over a decade.
05:18Driven by her love for the island, she not only rehabilitates hermit crabs, but also
05:23takes care of the island's sewage treatment facilities.
05:40Sustainability is something everyone on the island agrees on, and they're working to ensure
05:45economic growth and environmental preservation can work hand-in-hand to make a better Green
05:50Island.
05:51Scott Huang, Peter Zhuang and Yvonne Yang for Taiwan Plus.