President Lai Directs Development of National Greenery System, Emphasizing Public Participation and Specialized Legislation
President Lai Ching-te has instructed the "Climate Adaptation Green Shade Doubling Plan" to treat urban forests and green spaces as resilient infrastructure for public health. He called for the establishment of a professional, long-term, and participatory governance system, considering the enactment of a special law alongside regulatory amendments to solidify the "National Greenery" system.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 22:29
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 23:02 (32 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 08:22 (9h 20m after Collected)
President Lai Ching-te stated that the "Climate Adaptation Green Shade Doubling Plan" should view urban forests and green spaces as resilient infrastructure safeguarding public health, and called for the establishment of a professional, long-term, and participatory governance system. To ensure the plan's long-term stability, he urged the Ministry of Environment, along with the Council of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Interior, to perfect the "National Greenery" system. This includes reviewing and revising relevant regulations and exploring the feasibility of enacting a special law to facilitate the plan's smooth implementation and sustainable promotion. He emphasized referencing international experiences, incorporating future climate scenarios into long-term planning and resource allocation, and steadily advancing this cross-ministerial, cross-generational national endeavor.
Lai noted that urban forestry is a professional and extensive national adaptation project. He requested Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan, the vice convenor of the committee, to oversee the Ministry of Environment's coordination with relevant ministries to establish specialized organizations, allocate professional personnel, secure stable financial resources, and collaborate with local governments to collectively "double the green shade." This initiative should be integrated into local governance priorities, with corresponding resources and maintenance personnel gradually allocated.
On the foundation of professional governance, Lai stressed the need to gather profound humanistic and social energy. He asked the Ministry of Environment to continuously invite participation from experts, scholars, and private enterprises to gain valuable experience. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Financial Supervisory Commission, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and National Development Council, he called for the development of relevant incentive mechanisms to guide private enterprises in systematically investing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) resources into green public welfare.
Lai expressed the desire to deeply embed this force into villages and communities, establishing diverse and stable networks to form sustainable and scalable social collaboration and business models.
Additionally, regarding the action plan completed by the Executive Yuan's "Cross-Ministerial Task Force for River Basin Management," the President stated the need to further implement systematic governance and create resilient corridors that coexist with water and possess natural regulation capabilities.
President Lai demanded that the Ministry of Economic Affairs take the lead in coordinating relevant ministries to follow evidence-based governance principles, precisely allocate resources, and invest in the systematic resilience construction of river basins. Concurrently, he urged guiding local governments to strengthen local management responsibilities and invest in maintenance capabilities to ensure that every project achieves maximum overall governance benefits.
He believes that river basin governance should further integrate "Nature-based Solutions (NbS)" as a core policy, building upon existing hardware engineering. Lai requested the Ministries of Economic Affairs, Agriculture, the Interior, and Environment to jointly implement watershed conservation, riverbank ecological restoration, and integrated hydrological system development, connecting river blue-ribbons with forest green-belts to enhance overall ecological resilience.
President Lai also mentioned that governance outcomes should be integrated with people's lives. Through urban flood detention and public space transformation, and based on regional conditions, composite resilient spaces with functions for evacuation, recreation, and cooling should be created.
Finally, Lai asked the Ministries of Economic Affairs, the Interior, and others to inventory disaster-prone areas, potential slopes, and monitoring data. This information should be incorporated into national land spatial planning and land use management applications. He also called for gradual promotion of information transparency and enhanced communication and advocacy for society from a precautionary protection perspective, further safeguarding people's lives and property and consolidating social confidence in national adaptation policies.
Lai noted that urban forestry is a professional and extensive national adaptation project. He requested Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan, the vice convenor of the committee, to oversee the Ministry of Environment's coordination with relevant ministries to establish specialized organizations, allocate professional personnel, secure stable financial resources, and collaborate with local governments to collectively "double the green shade." This initiative should be integrated into local governance priorities, with corresponding resources and maintenance personnel gradually allocated.
On the foundation of professional governance, Lai stressed the need to gather profound humanistic and social energy. He asked the Ministry of Environment to continuously invite participation from experts, scholars, and private enterprises to gain valuable experience. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Financial Supervisory Commission, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and National Development Council, he called for the development of relevant incentive mechanisms to guide private enterprises in systematically investing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) resources into green public welfare.
Lai expressed the desire to deeply embed this force into villages and communities, establishing diverse and stable networks to form sustainable and scalable social collaboration and business models.
Additionally, regarding the action plan completed by the Executive Yuan's "Cross-Ministerial Task Force for River Basin Management," the President stated the need to further implement systematic governance and create resilient corridors that coexist with water and possess natural regulation capabilities.
President Lai demanded that the Ministry of Economic Affairs take the lead in coordinating relevant ministries to follow evidence-based governance principles, precisely allocate resources, and invest in the systematic resilience construction of river basins. Concurrently, he urged guiding local governments to strengthen local management responsibilities and invest in maintenance capabilities to ensure that every project achieves maximum overall governance benefits.
He believes that river basin governance should further integrate "Nature-based Solutions (NbS)" as a core policy, building upon existing hardware engineering. Lai requested the Ministries of Economic Affairs, Agriculture, the Interior, and Environment to jointly implement watershed conservation, riverbank ecological restoration, and integrated hydrological system development, connecting river blue-ribbons with forest green-belts to enhance overall ecological resilience.
President Lai also mentioned that governance outcomes should be integrated with people's lives. Through urban flood detention and public space transformation, and based on regional conditions, composite resilient spaces with functions for evacuation, recreation, and cooling should be created.
Finally, Lai asked the Ministries of Economic Affairs, the Interior, and others to inventory disaster-prone areas, potential slopes, and monitoring data. This information should be incorporated into national land spatial planning and land use management applications. He also called for gradual promotion of information transparency and enhanced communication and advocacy for society from a precautionary protection perspective, further safeguarding people's lives and property and consolidating social confidence in national adaptation policies.
FAQ
What is the main goal of the "Climate Adaptation Green Shade Doubling Plan"?
The plan aims to treat urban forests and green spaces as resilient infrastructure for public health and to establish a professional, long-term, and participatory governance system for their development.
What legislative measures are being considered to support the "National Greenery" system?
The government is considering reviewing and revising existing regulations as well as exploring the feasibility of enacting a special law to ensure the smooth implementation and sustainable promotion of the "National Greenery" system.
How will the government ensure the long-term stability and professional execution of urban forestry projects?
Specialized organizations will be established, professional personnel will be allocated, stable financial resources will be secured, and collaboration with local governments will be fostered. International experiences and future climate scenarios will also be incorporated into planning.
How will private sector involvement and ESG resources be integrated into the greening initiatives?
The government plans to develop incentive mechanisms to guide private enterprises in systematically investing ESG resources into green public welfare, fostering social collaboration and business models.
What is the approach to river basin management?
The approach emphasizes systematic governance, integrating "Nature-based Solutions (NbS)" with existing infrastructure. This includes watershed conservation, riverbank restoration, and connecting river and forest ecosystems to enhance ecological resilience.