生態旅遊發展與社區參與──以高雄縣美濃鎮為例

Abstract

近年來臺灣在本土文化的風潮之下，社區意識逐漸抬頭。許多小鎮在追求現代化時，並沒有在全球化的潮流之中引退，反而默默的凝聚了一股社區的力量，將其地方性透過不同的形式表達出來。近幾年來美濃恰是這樣一個在臺灣頗受關注的小鎮。從一座水庫的興建構想開始，到2000年政府正式決定暫時擱置興建美濃水庫為止，美濃從凝聚社區共識、堅持反對美濃水庫的興建，逐漸發展成今天結合了以客家族群認同、文化資產保存、生態保育及文化生態旅遊發展為宗旨的各種社區活動。本研究回溯近十年來美濃的社區發展歷程，介紹美濃的發展軌跡與社區運動，尤其結合了社區參與與社區力量的「美濃黃蝶祭」是關注的重點之一。透過參與觀察行動研究以獲得資料，來評估在社區參與之下的美濃發展生態旅遊的可能性。本研究發現，以社區為基礎的生態旅遊，雖然為目前臺灣農村的發展帶來契機，但是不同的社區有其獨特的文化脈絡，需要更細緻的被處理，而對於地方文化特色的再定義以及社區凝聚力的整合，也是在推動以社區為基礎的生態旅遊時會面臨到的矛盾。此一研究結果除了是從事城鄉永續發展的研究以及響應政府單位發展生態旅遊的一個案例，並為未來臺灣的社區永續發展提供可能的發展方向與藍圖。

This study investigates community-based ecotourism in a rural township in Southern Taiwan. The Meinung township in Kaohsiung county is an agricultural community well-known for its tobacco production and cultural landscapes. It has preserved its Hakka culture more than any than any other township in Taiwan as a result of its former physical isolation. Despite this isolation, the conservative community has been forced to adapt to socio-economic changes in Taiwan by out-migration of its population and more recently, since Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), by the decline of tobacco as a staple source of income. Most recently, however, the proposed construction of a dam in the pristine Yellow Butterfly Valley has been met with resistance from the local people who organized themselves into various action groups and, in 2000, succeeded in halting dam construction. This study uses a participant-observation approach and action planning methodology to study the history of community building and the political empowerment of Meinung, focusing on the social force behind tobacco production, the Anti-Dam movement and Yellow Butterfly Festival activities. Together with the environmental movement, Hakka culture is expressed through local cultural landscapes that mark the history and livelihood of the people. The major issue facing the Meinung Community today involves building a consensus on eco-tourism between the various local groups and preventing mass tourism in order that environmental conservation and cultural preservation are not sacrificed. While Meinung is in many ways unique, this case study has significant implications for generating policy for the future sustainable development of other rural townships in Taiwan facing environmental change and negative local impacts of Taiwan’s entry into the WTO. While ecotourism is defined in many ways. This paper suggests that the cultural elements of a place deserve more attention than is usually given because they focus on the idiographic rather than the nomothetic, emphasizing the individual character that survives the impact of globalization.