Beach buggy management & regulations has once again sparked conflicts. On the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung, beach buggy activities have been prevalent, damaging coastal areas, windbreak forests, ecological concerns, and tourist safety issues. Beach buggy activities are prohibited throughout the Kenting National Park.
In order to regulate the longstanding practice of sand-driving at Gangzai Beach over the past 30 years, the Manzhou Township Office recently proposed autonomous regulations for managing beach buggy operations, seeking approval from the county government.
However, this effort coincides with the central government’s release of management guidelines in May. The Forestry Bureau’s Pingtung division has already set up barriers at the beach entrances, causing frustration among operators who have lost their livelihoods overnight. They hope for an alternative solution. The county government mentioned that they are currently formulating county-level autonomous regulations to establish designated areas for legal beach buggy activities.
Between Jiupeng Village and Gangzai Village in Manzhou Township, there is a coastline spanning over 2 kilometers, forming a unique desert-like sand dune landscape. Local residents recognized the business opportunity of sand-driving early on, and during its peak, there were over 200 beach buggies, check our map place called Gangzai Desert as well.
However, the forestry authorities closed the entrance with barriers seven years ago due to negative issues such as damaging coastal security forests and legal disputes over compensation for injuries to tourists. They cooperated with the police for strict enforcement.
Operators petitioned the township office, and the former township chief, Yu Zengchun 余增春, negotiated with the Forestry Bureau’s Pingtung division to lease land for a trial operation.
At the beginning of the year, the Manzhou Township Assembly passed the autonomous regulations for managing beach buggies in coastal areas. These regulations include safety standards such as requiring tourist insurance, driving on designated routes, and transforming sand-driving into ecotourism activities.
The regulations were submitted to the county government for approval. However, this move has been criticized for potentially allowing the revival of sand driving under a different guise. Additionally, the central government’s release of beach buggy management guidelines in May has created obstacles on the path of transformation.
The guidelines from the Ministry of Transportation prohibit beach buggy activities in 12 major categories of areas, including national parks, state-owned forests, security forests, wildlife protection zones, and coastlines protected by the Ministry of the Interior. County and city governments can designate suitable locations and, under certain conditions, allow for beach buggy operations.
The newly established Forestry Division of the Agricultural Department, following those guidelines, has placed concrete barriers at the entrances to the coast. However, in order to sustain their livelihoods, some operators have covertly removed the barriers or found alternate routes to enter. The Forestry Bureau issued warnings and reported the incidents to the police, intending to pursue charges for damaging public property and violating forest laws. This situation has led to heightened tensions between the two sides.
After putting so many years of effort into transformation, I don't want it to be in vain!
In recent years, they operators cooperated with the Forestry Bureau by participating in security forest patrols, developing ecotourism-guided services, and organizing beach cleaning activities.
The township assembly also passed autonomous regulations, and everything was ready. However, the process was abandoned halfway due to the central government issuing management guidelines.
Manzhou Township Chief Gu Rongfu 古榮福 said that the central government’s move caught everyone off guard and has trapped operators’ livelihoods. He has requested the county government to coordinate the transfer of land to the township office for security forest reorganization.
Manzhou Township Chief Gu Rongfu 滿州鄉長古榮福
This is aimed at promptly bringing beach buggy activities onto the right track, generating a win-win situation. The county government’s Department of Transportation and Tourism explained that the ban on beach buggy activities is in line with the central government’s guidelines.
The county government is currently formulating autonomous regulations for beach buggy management. In the future, appropriate locations will be selected to guide beach buggy operations legally within designated areas.