Indigenous people groups are to be given freer use of forestry resources in the areas where they live. That’s according to the head of the forestry bureau on Friday.
The announcement comes in the same week that President Tsai Ing-wen issued an unprecedented apology on behalf of the government for the injustices meted out to Taiwan’s indigenous peoples since the beginning of Han Chinese settlement of the island.
Taiwan’s indigenous tribes have traditionally made use of resources such as plants, fungi and vines in their daily lives. But their right to do so has been heavily proscribed and limited by national forestry laws.
Forestry bureau head Lin Hua-ching said Friday that the new plan will allow indigenous peoples to make greater use of these resources, though certain categories of plants would remain off limits. He also said that groups would need to submit detailed applications regarding their planned use of the resources.
Furthermore, Lin said areas of national forest would be allocated for the use of indigenous groups local to the area. The relaxations on the use of the resources would therefore not apply to indigenous groups from outside the area or non-aboriginal members of the public.