Dakan Cape turned into a stunt practice site; mushroom rocks ravaged by motorcycles

▲ The beautiful and unique landforms of Dakan Cape being used as an off-road motorcycle stunt area. (Photo provided by Lin ?-Ming)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

When we marveled at Taiwan’s beauty through the documentary “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above” and exposed semiconductor giants polluting the environment, many were advocating for “loving Taiwan” and cherishing this land. Yet, there are those who treat the stunning erosional landforms of Dakan Cape as a stunt practice ground for their off-road motorcycles, completely disregarding the severe damage these high-traction bikes inflict on the fragile eroded terrain.

Dakan Cape, located at Ruifang’s Dakan Fishing Harbor, has retained numerous unique erosional landforms such as mushroom rocks and honeycomb stones due to its history as a coastal defense stronghold. Veteran photographer Lin ?-Ming considers it a hidden gem of the Northeast Coast that remains largely unknown to mass tourism and in need of protection—ideally, the fewer people who know about it, the better.

However, not long ago, when Lin ?-Ming brought a group of photography enthusiasts to Dakan Cape, they discovered a group of off-road motorcyclists using the site as their personal stunt training ground. The riders drove their motorcycles up the fragile grassy slopes, onto mushroom rocks, and across unique eroded landforms, showing no regard for the serious damage caused to the terrain and natural ecology by their high-grip vehicles.


▲ Is it okay to ride motorcycles here along the coastal landscape? (Photo provided by Lin ?-Ming)

Some participants asked the riders on the spot, “Is it allowed to ride here along the coast? Isn’t this destroying nature?” To their surprise, the riders responded, “No, it’s fine. No one’s stopping us. People do this abroad too.” This prompted Lin ?-Ming to question, “Really? Just because no one’s stopping us, does that mean we can destroy it? Does that mean it’s not harming the ecology? Then what does count as destroying natural ecosystems?” Lin ?-Ming is calling on riders to stop such behavior and urges the government to first designate the area as a protected zone before properly planning and managing the conservation of this natural treasure.

However, Wang Chaohua, Director of the Fisheries and Fishing Port Management Division under New Taipei City Government’s Agriculture Bureau, pointed out that since most of Dakan Cape consists of privately owned land with complex land designations, it is difficult to enforce direct management. For now, barriers have been set up at the entrance to prevent motorcycles from entering, along with signs warning that the area is private property. Additionally, although current fisheries-related laws do not specifically prohibit such actions, discussions are underway with the Ruifang Precinct to explore potential regulations or methods to ban this behavior. There are also plans to ask the Coast Guard and police to increase patrols and remove unauthorized off-road motorcycles from the area.


▲ Does this not cause damage? Then what does count as destroying natural ecosystems? (Photo provided by Lin ?-Ming)