Slopeland Utilization & Management - Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, MOA

Management and Supervision of Utilization of Slopelands

⑴ Review of Range of Slopelands and Assessment of Land Availability Limit

The range of slopelands shall be determined according to Article 3 (3) of the Soil and Water Conservation Act and Article 3 of the Slopeland Conservation and Utilization Act. The range of slopelands in Taiwan province was announced on February 6, 1980. In addition to an overall review of the slopelands, the public or organizations can put forward suggestions for review at any time. After the acceptance of the Township Office, the county and city government shall conduct the preliminary examination. After the review of COA, it should be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval before making a public announcement. In 2019, a comprehensive review of slopelands in Yilan County, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Miaoli County, and Taitung County has been announced. According to the investigation, there are one million hectares of the slopelands defined by the Slopeland Conservation and Utilization Act in Taiwan.

To regulate the agricultural utilization of slopelands, according to Article 16 of the Slopeland Conservation and Utilization Act, land utilization limit classification should be implemented when the slopelands are used by agricultural users, and 656,521 ha (excluding the six municipalities directly under the central government) has been reviewed in total.

⑵ Review and Supervision of the Soil and Water Conservation Plan

Actions, as specified in each paragraph of Item 1 of Article 12 of the Soil and Water Conservation Act, were performed on slopelands. The obligor of soil and water conservation should prepare the plan for soil and water conservation. For soil and water conservation with a certain variety or scale, a visa should be issued by a professional technician. The plan should be implemented after being reported to competent authorities for review to reduce and avoid sediment disasters during land development and ensure development safety.

⑶ Construction inspection for soil and water conservation in slopelands

According to the Soil and Water Conservation Act, Review and Supervision Measures for Soil and Water Conservation Plan, Technical Specifications for Soil and Water Conservation, and Prevention and Rescue Business Plan for Debris flow Disasters, the “Implementation Plan for the Temporary Disaster Prevention Measures for Slopeland Development Cases by SWCB shall be strengthened. In the meanwhile, it also conducted field inspections by which were responded central government agencies for the review and supervision of the soil and water conservation plan in order to strengthen the drainage system maintenance, temporary erosion control, and emergency response measures during construction, reduce the movement and loss of sediment during construction, and maintain the safety during the slopeland development and remediation.

According to Article 26 of the Review and Supervision of the Soil and Water Conservation Plan, the inspection during construction of the soil and water conservation plan shall be implemented. There were a total of 3,112 inspections. 2,890 of them were qualified and 222 were unqualified. Unqualified items shall be dealt with according to law.

In order to strengthen the temporary disaster prevention measures of the Soil and Water Conservation Plan in the slopeland development cases and the functions of the disaster rescue team, the county (city) governments were required to supervise the competent individuals of soil and water conservation to organize disaster rescue teams in accordance with Article 206 of the Technical Specifications for Soil and Water Conservation. During the flood season or typhoon, or when the torrential rain warnings are issued, the teams shall strengthen temporary disaster prevention measures. In Taiwan area, 38 field inspections were carried out, and 12 field visits were conducted for soil and water conservation plan cases under construction by the competent agencies of the central government.

⑷ Investigation and banning of illegal slopeland use

In accordance with the Soil and Water Conservation Act, the county (city) governments were required to handle the investigation and banning of illegal slopeland use, provide notification channels for illegal slopeland development, and assist in the notification of suspected violations. In addition, according to the reward method for slopeland conservation and use management, the annual assessments for the county (city) governments were implemented.

⑸ Delineation and management of specific soil and water conservation areas

According to the Paragraph 5 of Article 3 of the Soil and Water Conservation Act, the competent agencies shall strengthen the treatment and maintenance of specific soil and water conservation areas. Therefore, according to Paragraph 1 of Article 18, the regulatory agencies shall prepare a long-term soil and water conservation plan. However, in order to ensure the implementation effectiveness, other interferences shall be excluded. Therefore, the Paragraph 2 of Article 19 stipulates that any development behavior is prohibited in the areas classified as specific soil and water conservation areas.

A total of 74 specific soil and water conservation areas (including ten totally-abolished areas and one partially-abolished area) have been announced over the years, and the long-term soil and water conservation plan of 72 areas was approved. In the mean while, the long-term soil and water conservation plan of 65 areas was reviewed.

⑹ Counseling on afforestation for over-use of slopelands

To strengthen the afforestation of overuse slopelands, SWCB guided the overuse doers to correct according to law and promoted rational land use. SWCB supervised the governments of municipalities and counties (cities) to handle the afforestation and tending test of over-utilized slopelands, with an area of 772.92 ha, of which 645.78 ha was awarded. So as to promote afforestation of slopelands, accelerate vegetation restoration, avoid disasters caused by overuse, and guide the rational utilization of slopelands.