Taijiang’s youth protect Taiwan’s endemic cicada through “Youth Night Walk”

Close to 100 high school students from Tainan’s Taijiang District took part in the recent “Youth Night Walk” activity, in which they followed the Mountain-to-Sea Canal Greenway Bike Path (山海圳綠道), passing through Lu-er River (鹿耳溪) and the Old Zengwen River Path (曾文溪舊河道), circumnavigating Taijiang on foot. On the journey, which covered a distance of thirty kilometers, the students appealed on the public, Taijiang National Park and Tainan City Government to jointly protect Taiwan’s endemic cicada, Taiwanosemia hoppoensis.

Endemic to Taiwan, the main habitat of Taiwanosemia hoppoensis is the western windbreaks inside the territory of Taijiang National Park. Unfortunately, Tainan City Government’s Environmental Protection Agency plans to build a landfill site inside Taijiang National Park, which will require cutting down seven hectares of the windbreak area. The plans sparked all-round condemnation and protests from Taijiang NGOs, river protection groups, ecologists, environmental groups, Tucheng residents and local councilors. As a direct result of the objections, the city government announced a suspension of the plans last year. Youngsters participating in the event said that over the course of the walk they witnessed the destruction of many parts of the natural environment. They stressed that the natural environment is our homeland, and that we should take good care of it.

Taijiang’s youth protect Taiwan’s endemic cicada through “Youth Night Walk” 
URL：https://www.peopo.org/news/300959 

(以下是中文對照)

守護台灣暗蟬，台江青年「青春夜行」
 
近百位台南市台江地區的高中青年，參與青春夜行的行動，以走路的力量，沿著山海圳綠道、鹿耳溪、曾文溪舊河道，繞著台江走一圈，全程三十公里，呼籲市民、台江國家公園、台南市政府，一起守護珍貴的台灣暗蟬。

台灣暗蟬為台灣特有屬、特有種，台江國家公園境內的城西防風林，為台灣暗蟬最大的棲地。但是，台南市政府環保局計畫要在台江國家公園內興建垃圾掩埋場，將會砍除七公頃台灣暗蟬的防風林棲地，引起台江NGO、河川守護團體、生態學界、環保團體以及土城居民、在地議員齊聲的反對，因此，市政府在農曆年前宣布暫緩執行。參與活動的青年說，走完這趟青春夜行，發現許多自然環境，遭到破壞，這些環境都是我們的家園，呼籲大家應該要好好保護。