Pingtung's Green Iguanas 'Increasing Despite Capture Efforts'? Councilor Points Out Prevention Loopholes, Calls for Farmer Rewar

Hung Tsung-chi further pointed out that since the central government cannot include agricultural losses caused by green iguanas as natural disaster subsidies, farmers should be allowed to capture them for reward. He couldn't understand why farmers could exchange captured green iguanas for agricultural products at fire stations before 2024, but after training hunters starting in 2024, farmers no longer enjoy any benefits for capture. This leads to farmers discarding captured green iguana carcasses randomly, causing environmental pollution, and some even resorting to driving them away instead of capturing them to save trouble, none of which are good signs. In response, Li Yung-wen, Director of the Agriculture Department, stated that the removal of organisms goes through a growth phase, a plateau phase, and a declining phase. From 2020 to the present, Pingtung County has captured over 320,000 green iguanas, with more than 130,000 captured last year. This year's numbers are expected to be no less than last year's, but according to surveys by the Forest and Nature Conservation Agency, the growth of green iguanas has slowed down, indicating the policy's effectiveness. Regarding whether to allow farmers to capture green iguanas for rewards, Li Yung-wen said that farmers can capture green iguanas, but it is not encouraged for them to make a job out of it. Farmers have not received training and may face risks when using tools, so it is still encouraged for farmers to remove green iguanas through the reporting system. He emphasized that he will communicate with the vendor again to improve the reporting system. Furthermore, currently, 52% of captured iguanas are adults and 48% are juveniles, indicating no situation of catching the small ones and letting the large ones go.