Boosting tribal economies cut illegal logging cases by 80% in Taiwan: Agency

Taipei, July 29 (CNA) Illegal logging on Taiwan's national forest land has dropped by 80 percent over the past decade, thanks in part to the rise of tribal forest-based economies, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said Tuesday.

Illegal logging cases dropped from 290 in 2013 to 58 in 2024, a decline the agency attributed to support from indigenous communities in developing sustainable "understory industries" like beekeeping, shiitake mushroom farming and eco-tourism.

The key is tackling the issue at its root, Forestry Director Lin Hua-ching (林華慶) said at a press conference.

"When tribal communities benefit legally from forest resources, they're far less likely to turn to or tolerate illegal logging," he said.

These efforts have not only improved local incomes and reduced poverty, but also encouraged young people to return home and take part in forest protection, Lin added.

So far, 91 communities have joined forest patrol and protection programs, with some areas reporting nearly zero illegal logging, agency data showed.

At the same press conference, National Taipei University associate professor Chen Shiang-fan (陳湘繁) shared research based on interviews with 92 convicted illegal loggers. She found most lived within 20 kilometers of the forests they targeted.

Chen said that poverty, poor education, and gang recruitment were major drivers. Some middle school dropouts were drawn into logging rings, making up to NT$100,000 (US$3,366) a day and spending large sums on drugs to reward accomplices.

Community elder Gen Chih-you (根誌優) said that when he returned to his village in 2018, many residents viewed forest resources as free for the taking.

However, after partnering with the agency in 2019, they began to understand the law and learn how to coexist with nature. They started raising bees and cultivating mushrooms to earn a living, he said, and with more stable incomes, his fellow tribe members became increasingly willing to protect the forest.