NGOs protest Taichung Port project over dolphin habitat fears

非政府組織抗議台中港開發案 憂危及白海豚棲地

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Environmental groups on Wednesday accused Taichung Port Authority of bypassing environmental impact assessments for a reclamation project that they say threatens the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.

NGOs held a press conference outside the Cabinet, pledging to file an administrative lawsuit to halt the project. The groups allege the reclamation area was defined as within existing breakwaters, allowing it to avoid a full environmental impact assessment, per UDN.

Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association lawyer Tsai Ya-ying (蔡雅瀅), however, said the project involves more than 50 hectares of reclaimed land, which she said should trigger a second-stage EIA under current regulations. NGOs had submitted a citizen notification to the Ministry of Environment in July, arguing that the project should undergo an EIA.

However, the ministry subsequently found no violation and maintained that an EIA was not required. The dispute centers on Taichung Port South Reclamation Area, where construction is underway, and the government plans to use soil from construction projects for reclamation.

The Society of Wilderness described waters around Taichung Port as an important habitat for Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, citing surveys that have recorded dolphins, including mothers and calves, in the area. Their population is estimated at fewer than 50, leading to a critically endangered classification by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, per PTS.

Environmental groups say reclamation would reduce available shallow-water habitat and increase pressure on an already declining population. The Ocean Affairs Council said in June that it would continue monitoring the project using scientific data and supervise coastal and offshore development under the Wildlife Conservation Act.

It noted that Taiwan adopted an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin conservation plan in 2021. The legal dispute is now expected to focus on whether the reclamation project qualifies for an EIA exemption and whether authorities properly considered its potential impact on the dolphin's protected habitat.