Environmental Management Administration

When it comes to Taiwan's coastal environment, we have abundant marine resources and a diverse ecosystem. However, due to factors such as human activity, terrain, and tides, the coast is often troubled by driftwood, abandoned fishing nets, and other debris, which spoils the beautiful coastal landscape. To ensure that our beaches remain clean at all times, we need to clearly define the responsible parties for coastal cleaning, establish an effective cleaning mechanism, and reduce waste generation from the source, continually reviewing and improving our practices.

The "Salute to the Seas, the Coastal Cleaning and Maintenance Project" introduces five main aspects to promote a friendly ocean environment: cleaning, reduction, removal, transparency, and education. We need to build a system and ensure its implementation, creating concrete, feasible, and persistent plans to guarantee that every inch of the coast is properly managed, keeping our shores clean and making Taiwan a truly beautiful island.

Specifically, we should clearly designate a coordinating body for coastal cleaning and maintenance, with a reasonable division of labor to ensure that every inch of the coast is properly cleaned. Additionally, through source reduction, we should decrease the amount of coastal debris needing cleanup each year. After natural disasters, driftwood and debris should be cleared within seven days to ensure the rapid restoration of the coastal environment.

With the establishment of the Taiwan Marine Debris Governance Platform in 2017, the Coastal Cleaning and Maintenance Project was launched through public-private collaboration. The "Salute to the Seas" initiative includes the five main aspects of cleaning, reduction, removal, transparency, and education, and coordinates efforts across various departments. After 2020, coastal cleaning efforts have shown results, reducing coastal debris by 60%. Therefore, in 2023, the Executive Yuan approved the second phase of the "Salute to the Seas, the Coastal Cleaning and Maintenance Project," which continues the original focuses including clear division of responsibilities, source management, strengthening recycling channels, establishing a transparent information platform, and enhancing educational outreach. These measures ensure that each department maintains the coastal environment based on the principles of "scheduled, immediate, and urgent cleaning," promoting sustainable development of the ocean.

• A. Cleaning Efforts:
  • Scheduled Cleaning: coastal management entities conduct regular cleanups based on crowd levels. Between 2020 and 2023, 230,000 tons of coastal debris were removed.
  • Immediate Cleaning: for reported cases of coastal pollution, cleaning personnel were dispatched immediately, with an average response time of about 3 days. 1,516 reports were handled.
• B. Coastal Cleanliness Monitoring:
  • National Coastal Cleanliness: regular monitoring commissioned by the Ministry of Environment shows that coastal debris in 2023 decreased by 60% compared to 2019.
• C. Fishery-Related Measures:
  • Real-Name Registration for Gill Nets: implemented on July 1, 2021, with 100% compliance by the end of 2023, and a total of 101 reports received.
  • Aquaculture Waste Management: established 24 temporary storage sites, processing approximately 14,551 tons of waste.
  • Alternative Floats: subsidized 176,695 alternative, non-styrofoam floats between 2020 and 2023, covering about 93% of all styrofoam floats.
  • Recycling of Discarded Fishing Nets and Gear: by the end of 2023, over 799 tons of discarded fishing nets and styrofoam were recycled, with a reuse rate of nearly 75%.
• D. Land-Source Pollution Control:
  • Removal of Upstream Driftwood: established 34 temporary storage sites and removed 20,778 tons between 2020 and 2023.
  • River Waste Interception: between 2020 and 2023, 39,505 tons of river waste were intercepted, reducing the flow of land-based waste into coastal areas.

In September 2023, the Executive Yuan approved the second phase of the "Salute to the Seas, the Coastal Cleaning and Maintenance Project." From 2024 to 2027, nearly NT$5.9 billion will be allocated, focusing on the five aspects of "cleaning," "reduction," "removal," "transparency," and "education," establishing a coastal cleaning and maintenance mechanism from mountains to rivers, ports, and seas so relevant works are integrated into and implemented through policies long term in order to comprehensively strengthen marine development affairs, ensure sustainable ocean development, and encourage citizens to "clean, know, approach, and enter the ocean," working toward the policy vision of "every inch of coastline managed, and every inch of land kept clean."