The Shanshui Story of Shanshui Nature Conservation Center
The eyes of the jungle that protect wild animals 24 hours a day
Location: Changqing National Nature Reserve, Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province, giant panda habitat, upper reaches of Han River, area 300 square kilometers;
Methods: Training and implementation of infrared camera monitoring;
Changes: Changqing National Nature Reserve was established in 1996 to protect wild giant pandas and their habitats. One of the important daily tasks of protected areas established in forestry logging areas is patrolling and daily monitoring. Most of the field workers in the reserve are forestry bureau employees who were previously engaged in logging, and generally lack training in biodiversity monitoring methods. The monitoring method used in the past was a trace recording method based on transects, and the quality of the data relied heavily on the performance of the monitoring personnel. Competence and responsibility. Since March 2008, we have introduced infrared camera monitoring technology and conducted multiple trainings for field personnel. In 9 months of 2008, we conducted surveys at 139 sites, with a cumulative workload of 4,307 sites. During the working day of the camera, more than 2,000 animal species distribution records were obtained, including 21 species of mammals and 13 species of birds. These include a definitive record of the large carnivore leopard, and a new record of the bird eagle eagle. While obtaining high-quality monitoring data, the monitoring capabilities and enthusiasm of field workers have also been greatly improved. Based on the monitoring results in 2008, the protected area expanded the scope and categories of monitoring in 2009. The monitoring system was further improved and the level was greatly improved.
Support/Cooperation: Evergreen National Nature Reserve, Conservation International, HSBC Charitable Foundation, Peking University Nature Conservation and Social Development Research Center
Cultivation of local “scientists”
Location: Baiyu, Wayu and Suorima Township, Guoluo Prefecture, Jiuzhi County, Guoluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province, watershed at the source of the Yellow River and Yangtze River, covering an area of about 2,000 square kilometers;
Method: Community Protection Fund small grants, rural green leader training program, Rural Eyes participatory image production, pastoral rural area research and monitoring;
Change: Tashi Sang'e is a member of the Baiyu Temple in Goluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province Named Khenpo (Tibetan Buddhist scholar). He has loved nature since he was a child and started observing and recording birds at the age of 13. In 2007, Tashi Khenpo established the "Nianbao Yuze Ecological and Environmental Protection Association" in his hometown. At that time, he had never known any other environmental protection organizations from the outside. Since 2008, Tashi has received support from the Community Conservation Fund to research and protect the Tibetan bunting, a rare bird unique to the Bayan Har Mountains, and established a private Tibetan bunting protection community. Through the network of the community fund, Tashi had the opportunity to participate in training on conservation knowledge and methods in the provincial capital Xining. The documentary filmed through "Village Eyes" also participated in exchange activities such as the "South of the Clouds" documentary video exhibition held in Kunming. Tashi met many like-minded rural conservation leaders and was inspired to broaden his thinking. He then organized a variety of activities in his hometown such as white-eared pheasant protection, plateau flower surveys, and primary school students' bird watching. At the end of 2008, "Shanshui" director Dr. Lu Zhi, a professor at Peking University, and famous zoologist Dr. George Schaller came to Tashi's hometown to help him analyze in detail the existing Tibetan bunting protection methods, put forward many useful suggestions, and Tashi was invited to participate in the International Conservation Biology Conference held in Beijing in July 2009 to introduce his conservation work to scientists and conservation workers around the world. As of July 2009, Shanshui has supported more than 50 community conservation leaders like Tashi Sang'o. Local "scientists" are stationed for a long time and can do detailed work that researchers cannot. Participating in these scientific works, in turn, allows rural people to have a deeper understanding of their hometowns, judge the relationship between changes in the ecological environment and life, and view their development with more pride and confidence.
Support/Cooperation: Baiyu Township Nianbao Yuze Environmental Protection Association, Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department, Qinghai Sanjiangyuan Protection Association, Conservation International, Yang Yuanlong Esquel Education Foundation
Green Leaders in the countryside
Location: Liziba Village, Wen County, Gansu Province, southern end of Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve, Gansu Province, giant panda habitat, water source in Qingchuan County, Sichuan, area
65 square kilometers;
Method: Agreement protection;
Change: Liziba community, which is closest to natural resources, was originally a natural protector, but because it cannot Instead of benefiting from protecting the environment and pursuing short-term profits, local forests were severely cut down, destroying the small environment and causing the quality of tea, the main source of livelihood, to continue to decline, entering a vicious cycle. At the same time, although the government and protected areas have the responsibility to protect the ecology, their human and material capabilities are insufficient. How to effectively guide communities to sustainably utilize resources has become a difficult problem. With the support of Conservation International, Shanshui organized multiple rounds of negotiations in Liziba Village and supported the protected area and Liziba Village in signing a protection agreement. The protected area authorized the village to patrol the mountains and regularly inspect the effectiveness of the protection. As encouragement, we will help communities with funds and policies, improve people's livelihoods, and make ecological protection a new focus for rural profitability, restoration of self-confidence, and strengthening of culture. Forest destruction in Liziba Village has been greatly reduced, and the village's farmer forest patrol team also won the Excellence Award in the 2009 SEE.TNC Ecological Award. The case of Liziba has greatly inspired other protected areas in panda habitats. As an effective idea, the protocol protection project implemented by Shanshui is being carried out in 17 villages like Liziba Village.
Support/cooperation: Liziba Village, Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, International Conservation Agreement Protection Project, Lanzhou University Biodiversity Conservation Center
Promote market initiative as water source Pay for protection
Location: Yujiashan County Nature Reserve, Pingwu County, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, Pingwu County water source; area: 10 square kilometers;
Method: Ecological paid services, Water Source Protection Fund, Private Reserve;
Changes: In recent years, my country has carried out a series of pilot projects on ecological compensation in river basins to adjust the interest relationships between providers and beneficiaries of ecological system services and reflect " Who develops, protects; who destroys, restores; who benefits, compensates; who pollutes, pays" principle. When these pilot projects are carried out, the government pays the bill in most cases. Although this approach has certain financial guarantees, the "one size fits all" policy often blurs the interest relationship between ecological benefits or "products" and financial repayment. . Shanshui's attempt is to better leverage the role of the market in watershed ecological compensation so that providers of ecological services (i.e. protectors) can continue to benefit. Shanshui helped the Pingwu County Government establish the country's first privately managed nature reserve at the county's water source and panda habitat Yujiashan, and then launched a pilot project for ecological paid services in the watershed, threatening the ecological services of the water source. After conducting a scientific assessment, a compensation model was proposed to promote alternative livelihoods and soil and water conservation work in the Yujiashan community based on the water fees of county water users. The Pingwu County Government has adopted this policy recommendation and has established a Pingwu County Ecological Compensation Special Fund managed by multiple departments to implement the project. In addition to the Yujiashan pilot project in Pingwu County, Shanshui and Conservation International also implemented a paid ecological service project based on the tourism market in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province. On the other hand, Shanshui has also carried out research on watershed ecological paid services in 10 cities and prefectures in Sichuan Province through cooperation with the Policy Research Office of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee, and will support the implementation of 2-3 of the research projects. These are the few examples of market-based ecological compensation mechanisms in China.
Support/Cooperation: Sichuan Provincial Party Committee Policy Research Office, Sichuan Provincial Forestry Department, Pingwu County Government,
Pingwu County Forestry Bureau, Yujiashan Nature Reserve, Conservation International, 3M Company, Alcoa Corporation
Protect the Sanjiangyuan
Location: Cuochi Village, Qumalai County, Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province, the core area of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, snow leopards, wild yaks, Habitat for blue sheep, Tibetan wild ass and other endemic and endangered species on the Tibetan Plateau, the source of the Yangtze River, covering an area of 2,500 square kilometers; Methods: Agreement protection, community monitoring, community conservation fund small grants, rural green leader training program ;Village Eyes participatory image production;
Change: Ecological monitoring is extremely important for the Sanjiangyuan area where the ecology is very fragile and sensitive. However, due to the limited power of the protected area, it has not been carried out systematically for a long time. Cuochi Village, located in the core area of the 150,000-square-kilometer Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, has an excellent conservation tradition. What they lack are scientific methods and instruments, as well as effective organizational structures and management systems. After scientific design and multiple rounds of negotiations, the Sanjiangyuan Reserve Management Bureau and the Cuochi Support Reserve signed a protection agreement. Relying on the Wild Yak Watcher Association established by local villagers, they supplemented ecological monitoring capabilities, equipment and management systems, and established The monitoring database has gradually made Cuochi Village a new force in ecological monitoring in the Sanjiangyuan region. Combining science and local traditional knowledge, Cuochi Village carries out monitoring activities with fixed lines, timings and personnel under the monitoring management system, including monitoring of Tibetan wild ass, wild yak and other wild animals and six monitoring of local climate change, enriching the source of the Three Rivers. Regional ecological monitoring data. At the same time, in the past two years, the Cuochi Village Government has prevented outsiders from going to Cuochi for hunting, surveying and mapping activities five times. Let scientific protection methods enter the community, combine the natural advantages of the community, and jointly protect the beautiful homeland. Ecological monitoring also allowed the villagers of Cuochi, who rely on animal husbandry for a living, to have a deeper understanding of the wild yaks that are closely related to their livelihoods, and built a sense of pride in their hometown. In 2007, the whole Cuochi village held a horse racing meeting and ecological ecology event. Relevant government departments from townships, counties, and provinces came to participate in the cultural festival. The model of Cuochi Village has become an important idea for Qinghai Province to build an ecological province. It also brings the Sanjiangyuan District, which has nurtured billions of people downstream, closer to the beautiful dream of ecological profitability, rural pride, and cultural inheritance.
Support/Cooperation: Cuochi Village, Wild Yak Watcher Association, Peking University Nature Conservation and Social Development Research Center, Sanjiangyuan Reserve Management Bureau, Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department, Qinghai Sanjiangyuan Conservation Association,
Protect international gold medal forests to slow down climate change
Location: Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province, the largest forest and wildlife nature reserve in Yunnan Province, covering an area of 4,055 square kilometers ;
Methods: paid ecological services, multi-benefit afforestation, carbon sequestration;
Changes: Global climate changes will profoundly change the lives of at least several generations, and annual losses due to deforestation will It emits more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transportation options combined. Since the end of the last century, the Chinese government has invested huge amounts of money in forest restoration and protection. However, practice has proven that a single administrative investment cannot maximize the multiple benefits of forests. Shanshui plants forests in and around protected areas to mitigate climate change, protect local biodiversity and promote the sustainable development of local communities, and take advantage of international carbon trading created by international conventions on climate change such as the Kyoto Protocol. Markets provide new financing channels for forest restoration efforts. By working together with partners such as Conservation International, 467.7 hectares of mixed forest will be built in Tengchong County on the western slope of the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve. The project is expected to create 167,500 tons of carbon dioxide emission reduction credits within 30 years. In mid-2009, more than 50,000 tons of emission reduction credits were sold through the international voluntary carbon trading market, creating more than $500,000 in income for local project owners and communities.
At the same time, in view of the project's outstanding contribution in mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable development, the project passed third-party certification in 2007 and became the first project in the world to obtain gold certification from the internationally authoritative multi-benefit standard-CCB standard. . Using a similar model, the carbon sequestration afforestation project in five counties in northwest Sichuan was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and passed DOE verification. It is the third project in the country (as of June 2009) to be qualified for market transactions. Conservation International and Shanshui have supported more than 5,000 hectares of forest restoration projects in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, which are expected to generate more than 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emission reduction credits that can be used for international carbon market transactions.
Support/Cooperation: Conservation International, State Forestry Administration, Yunnan Provincial Forestry Department, The Nature Conservancy, 3M Company, United Technologies Corporation
Encourage traditional culture in harmony with nature
Location: Shuonong Tibetan Village, Deqin County, Diqing Prefecture, Yunnan, Lancang River Gorge, area 100 square kilometers;
Method: Community Conservation Fund small grant, rural green leader Training plan;
Changes: There are 29 households in the rural village located on the east bank of the Lancang River Gorge in northwest Yunnan. The poor transportation makes the livelihood here highly dependent on forest resources. The villagers are illiterate and lack unity. Often because of Fights and fights over matsutake mushrooms. Jiliwudui, the only young man in the village who has ever been outside the mountain, got to know the "Shanshui" team through the Kawagebo Cultural Society, and proposed to restore the harmony between man and nature and between man and man by restoring the xianzi dance in the village. The lyrics of Tibetan Xianzi Dance contain rich knowledge about local ecological protection, and it is also a traditional ritual to protect sacred mountains. In 2006, the rural project was rigorously reviewed and received a grant of 10,000 yuan. Here, Liwudui first went to Tibet to invite the living Buddha to give lectures. 90 villagers in the village promised to the monks that they would no longer hunt or cut down trees. Two more Tibetan classes were opened in the village, so that the villagers could gradually understand Xianzi's lyrics. The cohesion of the village was gradually established, and the spiritual outlook was completely renewed. In early 2007, the Living Buddha sealed a new Rigua District (Fengshan District) for the village, adding about 6,000 hectares of forest protection area. The habitats of various nationally protected animals are effectively managed by rural regulations and conventions. Projects supported by the Community Conservation Fund like this encourage rural communities to combine traditional culture and local knowledge to design conservation actions that meet local needs. They have been carried out in more than 100 villages in Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, Tibet, and Gansu.
Support / Cooperation: Kawagbo Cultural Society, L’Oréal Garnier Brand, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), Conservation International ITPI Project.