ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Grassroots Conservation Initiatives
Expert advice and environmental awareness raising has been provided to the
local NGO Upper Yangtze Organization and the Suojia Government since 1998.
Significant among the local government's subsequent activities, attributed in
part to long-term visioning undertaken together with Plateau Perspectives, have
been the establishment of several community-based protected areas and conservation
awareness raising in the local community. Initially, protected areas were
created for four focal species: snow leopard, black-necked crane, Tibetan
antelope (chiru) and Tibetan wild ass (kiang). Since then, two other protected
areas have also been created, for wild yak and a wetland area.
Conservation awareness raising has been conducted in a variety of contexts,
including annual community planning meetings, in tent schools, in literacy
classes, at teacher training workshops and in the course of Plateau Perspectives
field trips.
An overview of this conservation work is now published as a
book chapter in a new publication by United Nations University Press:
Innovative communities: People-centred Approaches to
Environmental Management in the Asia-Pacific Region
(eds. Velasquez, J., Yashiro, M., Yoshimura,
S., & Ono, I.), UNU Press, 2005.
Downloads:
Book
summary;
summary of 'case study' on Suojia community;
Highland Encounters: Building new partnerships for
conservation and sustainable development in the Yangtze River Headwaters, the
heart of the Tibetan Plateau.
Read or buy online
here.
More information can also be found in Dr J
Marc Foggin's PhD dissertation:
Biodiversity Protection and the Search for Sustainability
in Tibetan Plateau Grasslands (Qinghai, China). PhD dissertation,
Arizona State University. Tempe, Arizona, USA. December 2000.
Conservation Training for Nature Reserve
Plateau Perspectives has offered its services to the Sanjiangyuan
National Nature Reserve (SNNR) to help train its office workers and wardens in wildlife monitoring
techniques and other aspects of conservation science. The SNNR's
Management Bureau is enthusiastic to establish closer ties
with Plateau Perspectives as well as with local communities, an aspect of
conservation that Plateau Perspectives would like to support (i.e., community
co-management of natural resources).
Several senior international conservation scientists are presently assisting in
the running of initial training workshops and in program design. The Yangtze
River Headwaters Training Workshop and Planning Meeting was held in October
2005, following which long-term plans for regional conservation and sustainable
development were agreed by the SNNR, local government and NGOs, local community
representatives and Plateau Perspectives.
A summary document and conservation action plan is now
available:
Promoting Biodiversity Conservation and Community
Development in the Sanjiangyuan Region: Proceedings of a conservation planning
meeting, with agreed priority action points.
Biodiversity conservation planning meeting co-hosted by Plateau Perspectives,
Upper Yangtze Organization, Government of Zhiduo County and the Sanjiangyuan
National Nature Reserve Management Bureau. Held in Yushu town, Sep 30 -
Oct 13, 2005.
One of six key action points agreed is the establishment of a
Tibetan Conservation & Development Centre.
Suojia Ecological Monitors
/ Wildlife Monitors
Another initiative of the Suojia Government and Upper Yangtze Organization
has been
the establishment of the Suojia Ecological Monitoring Unit. This unit was
comprised of sixteen community leaders (local government leaders) who collected data on wildlife observed
throughout the year. As such, they led the way in showing how local people could contribute to a better understanding of
grassland ecology in what is now a core zone of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature
Reserve, at little additional cost and in a way that increases local support for
the national environmental endeavour. Plateau Perspectives provided wildlife training to
local leaders, produced data worksheets and has contributed more than 30 binoculars
and other survey materials to enable effective work by the wildlife monitoring
unit.
More recently, a non-government wildlife team was established
in Jiongqu village to monitor the local population of Tibetan wild ass and other
species. A similar wildlife team has been organized in a wetland area of Yaqu
village as well.
Capacity Building
of Tibetan NGO
Plateau Perspectives supports civil society in Qinghai
Province, primarily through its support to the local Upper Yangtze Organization.
Specifically, long-term use of a Beijing Jeep, a SLR camera and a tape recorder have
been provided to facilitate project monitoring. Professional assistance and
other forms of non-cash assistance also have been given to undertake a
documentary trip into the high altitude uninhabited Kekexili and to the source of the Yangtze River
to produce a
government-supported commemorative book for the 50th anniversary of the founding of Zhiduo
County (1953-2003). Technical and professional support have been given on
numerous other occasions as well.
GIS-based Regional
Planning
With geographic datasets purchased from ACASIAN, a GIS
spatial decision-making tool is currently being developed for the Sanjiangyuan
region of Qinghai Province, with initial focus on the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture.