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Hunting Formosan Black Bears violates indigenous hunting tradition, custom, and cultural taboo

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  • Online Date:2023/02/02
  • Modification Time:2023/02/03 15:46:43
  • Hits: 826

In response to recent reports about Formosan black bear hunting, the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) has stated that it violates indigenous hunting traditions and customs, and is a cultural taboo. Those illegally hunting the endangered species shall be punished in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Act.

The CIP highlights that the Constitution protects indigenous peoples' right to hunt, and they shall abide by the core values of indigenous hunting culture. Each indigenous group has their hunting taboos, passed down from generation to generation according to their traditions and customs. These taboos effectively control hunting behavior. Therefore, hunting based on indigenous peoples' traditions keeps the ecosystem in balance. To follow and pass down the gradually disappearing hunting culture in tribes, the Forestry Bureau, the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, and the CIP have helped establish 12 hunters' associations in recent years, such as the Chiayi County Cou Hunter Association in Ali Township, Chiayi County, which stipulates a self-discipline convention, requesting members to obey traditional "einu", and self-disciplinarily protect the holy balance and harmony of biodiversity within the traditional territory, and manifest the Cou's determination for hunting culture and environmental conservation. Based on the hunting self-management trial project, public power is able to revive traditional regulations with indigenous hunters. Furthermore, tasks such as species monitoring and environmental investigations can be carried out through hunting activities to better protect the environment and the ecosystem.

In the future, under the premise of protecting the right of indigenous hunting culture and ensuring wildlife conservation, the CIP and the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, along with indigenous tribes, wildlife conservation groups, and the general public will review and amend the regulations regarding indigenous hunting to determine an effective form of administrative that aligns with the spirit of indigenous tradition and culture, intensify the hunting mechanism under traditional regulations, prevent indigenous hunting from excessively invading wildlife sustainability and disrupting the ecosystem balance, and realize the spirit of constitutional interpretation.