Taiwan River Ambassador

January 19 was an extremely interesting and important day for me. I was invited to Taichung to receive an appointment as Taiwan's River Ambassador by the Central Government's Ministry of Water Resources (WRA), and to participate in a symposium about river ecology.
對我來說一月十九是個非常有趣及重要的一天，我受中央政府水利署(WRA)邀請到台中擔任台灣河川大使，並參與河川生態有關的座談會。

It was an honour to be introduced by WRA Director Chen Shen hsien, as we share the same passion for rivers. Rivers have long been at the heart of my musical activism because, as Director Chen expressed, they truly are the life's blood of an ecosystem. They have touched every living thing within their watersheds. They support complex freshwater ecosystems, which support shoreline ecosystems, which support river valley ecosystems and so on.
當水利署署長陳伸賢介紹我的時候我感到很榮幸，我們有著對河川一樣的熱情。長期以來河川是我音樂的主軸因為，就像陳署長所表態的，它們在生態環境裡真的是生物們的血液。在它們的流域中它們接觸到了所有在流域裡的生物。它們扶持著複雜的淡水生態環境，也扶持著河谷的生態環境等等。

And when we consider all the life they support, this in turn means they have supported the evolution of both the local ecology as well as the traditional and aboriginal cultures which have thrived there.
並且當我們認為它們正扶持著所有的生命時，反過來這還意味著它們扶持著地方的生態演變並興旺了當地的傳統何原始文化。

One of the most important barometers of a region's ecological wellbeing are its rivers. This is why I co-founded the Annual Yukon Wildlands Concerts in 1994 which involved bringing artists, photographers and musicians on river expeditions to create multimedia concerts. These concerts raised awareness about the issues which threaten river ecosystems.
一個區域生態學最重要的晴雨表是河川帶來的福利。這是為什麼我在1994年創辦了一年一度的育空荒野音樂會裡面包含了藝術家，攝影師及音樂家一起遠征河川來創造多媒體音樂會。這些音樂會提升了對河川生態威脅議題的警覺性。

Taiwan is lucky to have so many magnificent rivers. But Taiwan's rivers are facing tremendous challenges due to overdevelopment, water management, pollution, and a dense population which uses the water for consumption, energy, and pollution drainage.
台灣很幸運有許多壯觀的河川。但是台灣的河川正面對著巨大的挑戰就因為過度開發、水管裡、污染和大量人口把水用在消耗，能源及汙水處理設備上。

Taiwan also has an extreme topography resulting in volatile and powerful rivers, creating flood concerns compounded by unwise construction habits within river flood plains.
同時台灣還有極端的地形形成強力且有爆發力的河川，因為有在河床上建築的習性而產生出擔心洪水的因素。

Taiwan's population base puts a great strain on water supplies, as only about 10% of Taiwan's rainfall is in the most populous regions. Efforts to control flooding and create water reserves have caused serious damage to Taiwan rivers and have become a growing concern among environmental groups.
台灣的人口基本在供水上投入了巨大的張力，大約只有10%的台灣降雨量在人口密集的區塊。努力的控制河川氾濫及建設儲水設備已對台灣河川造成嚴重的傷害並且在環境組織裡成為發展上所擔心的因素。

There are also cultural issues to contend with, such as the Amis aboriginal riverside village of Sanying in Taipei County which is facing forced relocation due to water safety policies and land ownership disputes.
相對也有對於文化方面的問題，例如台北縣三鶯部落的阿美族，正面對著因為水安全政策及土地擁有權的爭執而被迫遷居。

I hope to use my position as River Ambassador to inspire people about the importance of rivers and the ecosystems and cultures they support, and to encourage local and central governments to consider new approaches to river management in additional to protecting original river habitat.
我希望能夠用我河川大使的頭銜去引發人們，對於他們支持河川生態環境及文化的重要性，並且去促進當地及中央政府考慮新的親近河川管理方式，另外保護河川原本的生態環境。

It has long been my dream to produce songs -- stories of sound -- by recording each river's culture and nature from the headwaters to the sea, and in this way create an album for the largest rivers in Taiwan. My last project like this, called "A Journey of Water," focused on one county of Taiwan. I hope a project for all of Taiwan's major rivers would raise greater awareness and appreciation for the rivers of Taiwan.
製作歌曲已經是我很久的夢想--聲音的故事--經過紀錄每條河流從上游到海洋的文化及大自然，以這樣子的方式來為台灣的各大河川創造一張專輯。我上一個像這樣的計劃，叫"水事紀,"針對台灣的其中一個縣市。我希望有個對所有台灣主要的河川計劃，可以引起更多對台灣河川的認知及感恩。