Civic Groups Protect Qiaotou Sugar Refinery Forest, Urge Inclusion in National Urban Forest Plan
Multiple civic groups petitioned the Presidential Office to include the 180-hectare Qiaotou Sugar Refinery firefly forest in the "National Urban Forest Plan" and halt new town development. The forest is highly valued for its ecology and history, with conflicts arising from urban development.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 17:38
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TAIPEI (Central News Agency reporter Wang Shu-fen) — Multiple civic groups today petitioned the Presidential Office, calling for the 180-hectare Qiaotou Sugar Refinery firefly forest to be included in the "National Urban Forest Plan" and for new town development to be stopped.
Chuang Chieh-jen, chairman of the Forest City Association, said that the hundred-hectare Qiaotou Sugar Refinery forest is the only urban forest in Taiwan where nearly a thousand fireflies can be observed by taking the MRT. It is home to endangered ring-necked pheasants, has a century of sugar refinery history, and old tree clusters. The surrounding flood-prone areas, with the Dianbao River, also provide about 1.75 million tons of flood retention capacity, and it is a core green space in the technology S-corridor.
Chuang Chieh-jen and others called for the 180-hectare Qiaotou Sugar Refinery firefly forest to be included in the "National Urban Forest Plan" for preservation, emulating New York's Central Park, to leave Taiwan with its first "National Firefly Urban Forest."
Liu Ching-wen, co-initiator of the "Save Qiaotou Sugar Refinery Hundred-Hectare Forest" alliance, said that while President Lai Ching-te is actively promoting the national urban forest plan, the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery hundred-hectare forest is facing the Ministry of the Interior's Kaohsiung New Town Plan, which is a major policy contradiction. Kaohsiung's population has seen negative growth for nine consecutive years, and Qiaotou has a population of 43,000. There are still about 350 hectares of idle land around the sugar refinery forest that can accommodate 200,000 people. "Does it make sense to turn 180 hectares of state-owned sugar refinery forest green space into construction land?"
Pan Han-chiang, secretary-general of the Taiwan Tree People Association, pointed out that there are many Taiwan Sugar Corporation's afforested lands in urban planning areas nationwide, and the dispute is not limited to Qiaotou Sugar Refinery. He suggested that a comprehensive inventory should be integrated, and forests should be uniformly preserved as national urban forests during urban development planning.
The petitioning groups gathered 51 civic organizations and 4,000 people to jointly support the inclusion of the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery forest in the "National Urban Forest Plan." (Edited by Chang Ya-ching) 1150430
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Chuang Chieh-jen, chairman of the Forest City Association, said that the hundred-hectare Qiaotou Sugar Refinery forest is the only urban forest in Taiwan where nearly a thousand fireflies can be observed by taking the MRT. It is home to endangered ring-necked pheasants, has a century of sugar refinery history, and old tree clusters. The surrounding flood-prone areas, with the Dianbao River, also provide about 1.75 million tons of flood retention capacity, and it is a core green space in the technology S-corridor.
Chuang Chieh-jen and others called for the 180-hectare Qiaotou Sugar Refinery firefly forest to be included in the "National Urban Forest Plan" for preservation, emulating New York's Central Park, to leave Taiwan with its first "National Firefly Urban Forest."
Liu Ching-wen, co-initiator of the "Save Qiaotou Sugar Refinery Hundred-Hectare Forest" alliance, said that while President Lai Ching-te is actively promoting the national urban forest plan, the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery hundred-hectare forest is facing the Ministry of the Interior's Kaohsiung New Town Plan, which is a major policy contradiction. Kaohsiung's population has seen negative growth for nine consecutive years, and Qiaotou has a population of 43,000. There are still about 350 hectares of idle land around the sugar refinery forest that can accommodate 200,000 people. "Does it make sense to turn 180 hectares of state-owned sugar refinery forest green space into construction land?"
Pan Han-chiang, secretary-general of the Taiwan Tree People Association, pointed out that there are many Taiwan Sugar Corporation's afforested lands in urban planning areas nationwide, and the dispute is not limited to Qiaotou Sugar Refinery. He suggested that a comprehensive inventory should be integrated, and forests should be uniformly preserved as national urban forests during urban development planning.
The petitioning groups gathered 51 civic organizations and 4,000 people to jointly support the inclusion of the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery forest in the "National Urban Forest Plan." (Edited by Chang Ya-ching) 1150430
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.