Mooring buoys to help protect Xiaoliuqiu coral reefs

繫泊浮筒幫助保護小琉球珊瑚礁

Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration installed mooring buoys to try to stop boats dropping anchor on delicate coral reefs off Xiaoliuqiu


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Mooring buoys have begun to be installed in waters around the island of Xiaoliuqiu (小琉球) in an effort to protect the island's unique coral reefs from damage.

The buoys, which have already been set up in the waters off Shanfu Fishing Harbor (杉福漁港), Duozaiping (多仔坪) and Beauty Cave (美人洞), are intended to provide boats with a place to moor safely. The hope is that the buoys will stop boats from dropping anchors, which have been damaging the reefs around the island.

Hsu Chu-lung (許主龍), director of the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration, which manages Xiaoliuqiu, and which arranged for the new buoys to be installed, confirmed that they would be installed at further locations around the island if the initiative proved successful.

Mooring buoys are already installed in the waters around Kenting National Park and have proved effective in helping to protect the coral reefs off that part of Taiwan. They were installed to cope with a surge in tourism to that part of Taiwan, with water sports and underwater activities both leading to a surge in the number of boats in the sea around Taiwan’s most southerly coastline.

But in recent times, there has been a similar surge in the popularity of underwater sports, especially diving, around Xiaoliuqiu as well. This has been promoted by the government, with underwater photographers being invited to the island last October to photograph the spectacular subaquatic environment.

Those photographers were among a whole host of people who said that Taiwan needed to enhance their marine conservation strategies in the region. The new buoys have therefore been widely welcomed, with agencies including the Pingtung County Government, the Liuqiu Fishermen’s Association and the Liuqiu Township Office voicing support for the new measure.

Another group to welcome the move was Xiaoliuqiu Ecological Preservation, a volunteer organization which helps to clear underwater rubbish from sites around the island. Their job has become much tougher as tourism to Xiaoliuqiu has taken off, but they have long argued that protecting the area's coral reefs should be prioritized.

There is much more that can be done to help balance Xiaoliuqiu’s delicate environmental needs with the islands booming tourism industry. But the new mooring buoys are an important step and the way that government agencies, local interest groups, and local volunteers have worked together to deliver them bodes well for the future.