Hiking Accidents on the Rise: Taiwan Government Considers Implementing User-Pay Rescue System

The Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China has announced its efforts to strengthen responsible mountain climbing and reduce the risks of mountain accidents. The Ministry has proposed the “Enhancement of National Park Mountain Management and Mountain Area Rescue” to the Executive Yuan for discussion across ministries, and is considering the implementation of a user fee mechanism.

In a press release on the 13th, the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China stated that recent mountain accidents have highlighted the lack of safety consciousness among the public, including negligence of weather changes and inadequate personal preparation, leading to the use of search and rescue resources and violations of regulations such as the National Park Act and local mountain climbing or mountain area accident rescue management ordinances. From the opening of mountain forests in 2019 until 2024, there were a total of 195 violations of local mountain climbing management ordinances, resulting in fines exceeding NT$201 million; and 781 cases of violations of the National Park Act related to mountain climbing, with fines totaling NT$1.5981 million.

Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior stated that due to the responsibilities and regulations regarding mountain climbing activities, mountain area management, mountain accident assistance, it involves different government agencies such as the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education, the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation, the Forestry Bureau and the Nature Conservation Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the Fire Administration, the Police Administration, the National Park Administration, and the Airborne Service of the Ministry of the Interior. The National Park Administration has held two meetings on “Consistency Norms for Mountain Area Activities”, inviting representatives from various government agencies, mountain climbing clubs, and mountain climbing experts to exchange views.

The Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan stated that all participants agreed on the need for a consistent national norm for mountain area activity management. Issues related to national mountain area activity management, such as the user fee mechanism, dispatch of search and rescue services, mountain climbing insurance, penalties for violations, mountain area management, mountain climbing activity norms, mountain climbing safety education, etc., will be submitted to the Executive Yuan for discussion in a cross-ministry meeting to improve the overall mountain climbing and mountain area management mechanisms.

“The National Park Administration will continue to strengthen the management services for entering parks and mountains, develop a park entry mobile app, push the latest weather information, trail maps, safety check-ins, earthquake evacuation information, and distribute mountain climbing safety education knowledge cards, automatically send back the coordinates of climbers to a safety platform at regular intervals, and enhance rescue efficiency based on the latest coordinates in the event of an accident,” said the Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan.

In addition, Wang Chengji, the director of the National Park Administration, emphasized that the government’s goal is not to strictly limit mountain climbing, but rather to use technological means to serve and ensure the safety of mountain enthusiasts, and reduce mountain accidents and risks.

The Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan also mentioned that penalties will be imposed for significant violations such as arbitrarily changing routes, illegal camping, individual behaviors that affect park and mountain climbing safety, consuming social resources, or other serious offenses, with the most severe penalty being a 3-year ban on entry permit application.

The Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan emphasized that the opening of mountain forests is an important policy to promote the public’s closeness to nature, but openness does not mean allowing a free-for-all. Everyone should engage in responsible mountain area activities with an attitude of respect for nature and cherishing life.