A Proposal for the Small Grants Initiative, Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program, 2003

 

Project Title: To Establish the Guizhou Biodiversity Group (GBG) to protect bio-diversity in Rural and Nature Reserve communities in Guizhou Province, Peoples Republic of China.

 

Submitted by:  Ren Xiaodong

 

 

1. Background.

 

China is internationally recognized as one of the most important countries in the world for biodiversity conservation. In particular, the southwest province of Guizhou is one of most important for biodiversity. Of the total number of state protected animal species 22.3% are found in Guizhou, including the Guizhou Golden Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellanae brelichi) and Black-necked Crane (Grus nigicollis). Significant steps have already been taken to recognize and safeguard their habitats resulting in the establishment of more than 72 Local Nature Reserves by the end of 2001. These reserves represent an area of 458900 ha, accounting for 2.61% of the total area of Guizhou province.

 

2. Problem Statement and Justification.

 

Guizhou is a relatively isolated, agricultural province that supports a huge rural population of farmers (80%), of whom many are from minority groups. Conversely, per capita arable land is only 0.053 ha, accounting for a mere 27% of total area. 73% of the province’s land is based on carbonate rock, known as karst, which is not conducive to agricultural purposes.  Many farmers view exploitation of natural resources as the simplest solution to poverty.  Currently Guizhou suffers from some of the worst soil erosion in China, affected areas accounting for 41.54% of provincial land.  Statistically, Guizhou ranks as China’s poorest province attaining a per capita GDP of $1185.77 by 2000. Within the six National Nature reserves in Guizhou, per capita annual income may be as low as $27 and as little as 25% of the adjacent county average. This pattern extends to Local Nature Reserves. Given the complex nature of local socio-economic conditions, poverty poses the single greatest threat to the sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity.

 

CCDRC facilitated an environmental leadership program in 1998, through the Nature Reserve Network and by January 2002, planned to assimilate community-based training for nature reserve employees, implement a community-based management approach, and develop a practical and sustainable partnership with governmental conservation agencies. About half of Guizhou’s Local Nature Reserves have received PRA and community-based conservation training and more than 10 of them have agreed to join the network. The six National Reserves are at the forefront of PRA.

 

Guizhou province needs to protect additional areas of biodiversity.  83 animal species are listed as precious wild animals in imminent danger. At least 70 plants are similarly listed. Scientists continue to newly identify species; in the unique, natural karst forest at Mao Lan, a second Man & Biosphere reserve in Guizhou, this progress includes more than 150 insect species and 40 plant species. Based on past experience, regulators will use the power of constituting more Local Nature Reserves; some of the longstanding reserves might be upgraded to national status. However, the proportion of local reserves risks becoming burdensome, because they typically do not have residential, scientific management and receive little financial support from the provincial government of Guizhou. Farmers are increasingly regulated, in interests of biodiversity but with disproportionate resources to confine conflicts. This is understandable against the backcloth of massive change in China. The mindset in Guizhou has not yet shifted towards alternative, protective tools such as introduced by ELP program in the community-based natural resources management and used in states of the EU. In Scotland, traditional people and low intensity agriculture can be accommodated under softer, designations of biodiverse habitats and management agreements with users of natural resources.

 

Finally, while Guizhou Province may yet be one of the defining provinces in the areas of biodiversity protection, there have been few moves to embrace urban people, educational institutions at all tiers, and business as stakeholders. The proposed Biodiversity Group, described in this application, is proposed as both a forum for the future and clearinghouse for immediate action.

 

3. Project activities related to the problems.

 

Formation, inception and finally evolution to a constituted Biodiversity Group for Guizhou province will encompass a progressive range of project activities. These will be based on solutions for challenges to livelihoods in this Chinese province with eminent biodiversity, overlying incipient poverty in a dominating rural population. There will be a core theme of increasing awareness about threats to biodiversity and loss of habitat, and ever-present associations with poverty. New strategies will be sought which will be both people-friendly and species-friendly.

 

This project will contract PRA Network of Guizhou for activities where possible and appropriate. Previously, the Network has provided or trained facilitators to work with deprived rural communities and participative methods employed include stakeholder analysis, socio-economic ranking, family food/income analysis, problem trees, seasonal calendars and historical lines, advocacy, building partnerships, gender analysis and responsive planning. On formally conserved land such as Local or National Nature Reserves (LNRs and NNRs), participatory technology development and building on indigenous knowledge do not appear to be viewed as habitat-friendly. In this type of livelihood vacuum, the Biodiversity Group will encourage partnership-based Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs).

 

In summary, the Biodiversity Group will be a major catalyst, forum and clearing house for facilitating the stakeholders to protect biodiversity, strengthening linkages among the nature reserves in Guizhou, building a platform for sharing experience on community-based conservation, and gaining the information and knowledge for biodiversity protection from outside. The GBG will engage in constant review of alternatives with a wider range of overseas systems and a wider range of stakeholders and long-term obligations to them, and will employ established skills in capacity building in support. Education in schools about biodiversity appears to be limited and may yet need formalisation and latent or hidden talent needs to be identified in colleges and universities. All activities would combine to benefit biodiversity for the global community beyond Guizhou province and China.

 

ACTIVITIES.

 

  1. Strategic planning: developing the vision, mission statement and objectives of the Biodiversity Group; employing community-based experience and anticipating increasingly a wider profile of stakeholders; considering alternatives.

 

  1. Data base: developing information systems for the communities within and around the six National Nature Reserves and other nature reserves later on in Guizhou – in respect to indigenous peoples - their impact for biodiversity protection, and their customs and knowledge for nature resources use; cataloguing and disseminating good practice and identifying latent talent in the province.

 

  1. Biodiversity Action Plans: strategies to forge practical, working solutions while preserving habitat richness; encouraging local people to take action using good practice or returning to indigenous practice.

 

  1. News brief: deliver the news in respect to the community-based conservation for the stakeholders for biodiversity conservation in Newsletter format every 3 months; present a privately sponsored 1 day seminar at 12 months; consider more penetrating media systems to explore and share alternatives for problem analysis and long term (sustainable) support.

 

  1. Monitoring and evaluation: through developing a participatory monitoring and evaluation system for the biodiversity group, making sure the project is on the right route to achieve objectives and keep the Group on a sustainable program.

 

  1. Forum: creating a forum for influencing policies in community-based conservation of Guizhou and China, based on accruing experience in biodiversity protection and interlinked livelihood issues. 

 

4. Collaboration statement.

 

Names, affiliations and expertise of partners.

 

Ms. Melinda Herrold is a postdoctoral researcher working with Professor Lynn Huntsinger in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. Melinda has spent several years studying and working in China, speaks and writes Mandarin Chinese, and focused her dissertation research on nature reserves in Guizhou Province, China. She has extensive experience in environmental education, community-based natural resources management and conducting trainings in China, Russia and Central Africa. Melinda Herrold role will be able to help with facilitating the biodiversity group’s strategic planning. Her years of work experience in environmental education, policy analysis and community-based natural resources management in developing countries will fill a gap in CCDRC members' expertise. Melinda will help promote and organize strategic planning sessions and materials beginning in May. She will then come to China to attend strategic planning meeting in August.

Yu Yongqing, Director, Cao Hai National Nature Reserve, eastern Guizhou. He leads the reserve, which has the greatest experience in participatory techniques and capacity building, related to biodiversity protection, in Guizhou.

Liu Daying, Director, Chishui National Nature Reserve, northern Guizhou. The Director brings high levels of expertise in managing this Reserve special for it’s Spinulosa spp. and bamboo forests.

Zhang Xuan, Director, Lei Shan National Nature Reserve, southern Guizhou. This Director has particular experience in dealing with population pressure on natural assets of his reserve.

Ran Jingcheng, Director, Mao Lan National Nature Reserve (a Man & Biosphere site), southern Guizhou. This Director manages a unique and natural karst forest.

Yang Yeqin, Director, Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve (also Man & Biosphere site), north-eastern Guizhou. Mr Yang has an international reputation for management of this flagship reserve, protection of Guizhou Golden Monkey and his relations with local communities.

Lui Weifeng, Director, Xishui National Nature Reserve, northern Guizhou. The sub-tropical Xishui Reserve was designated nationally in 1997 but has already led some interesting, new initiatives on eco-tourism and facilities for visitors.

Huang Minjie, Director, International Cooperation Center for Environmental Protection of Guizhou Province. Mr Huang is an energetic and farsighted government officer taking a new department at provincial level into closer links with rural communities.  .

Ren Xiaodong, Director, Community-based Conservation & Development Research Center, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang. Mr Ren is the founding Director of this hard working unit which is a de facto clearing house for the PRA Network and the key facilitation team on capacity building in Guizhou province.

Chris Aldridge is a Natural Resources adviser from the Scotland and has been attached to the unit by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), United Kingdom, as Adviser on Nature Reserve management. He brings expertise on both European and Scottish initiatives, for the integration of biodiversity protection and rural communities; and he is a professional manager (Fellow of Institute of Management, UK). He will act as the main coordinator to ensure that the Biodiversity Group learns from European models and meets and understands its objectives in its formation. He will also advise on alternatives to Nature Reserve classifications and trouble shoot on the novel aspects of this proposal.

 

5. Collaboration expertise for gaps.

 

The GBG team (see section 4 for list of members) represents a wide blend of scientific management of biodiversity of both regulatory and ecological fields, governmental roles in respect to regulatory roles and relation to all natural resources, in-the-field capacity building which is matched by few provinces, training and education of staff and villagers linked to natural resources, international profiles involving regular meetings with foreign experts and attending overseas workshops and senior management of various fields. The reserve Directors, each bring experience of managing community projects funded by foreign donors. All bring both pragmatic and sensitive skills of problem solving, but from a very wide arena. Previous gaps in biodiversity protection were particularly linked to the massive but understandable evolution of life, economy and government during the last decade in China. The team will be sensitive to the shortcomings and challenges of ongoing evolution.

 

6. Connection with summer course – skills developed.

 

This particularly relates to the attendance of the course by the chief applicant in this case, Ren Xiaodong. In this proposal, it can be seen that biodiversity of international value might be threatened by a complexity of interests by stakeholders and socio-economic conditions. Of significant benefit were skills developed or enhanced in analysis of stakeholders and their potential conflicts, conflict resolution and skills in negotiation.

 

7. Expected results and outputs.

 

The main result will be the establishment of a Provincial Biodiversity Group with origins in European models but amended for local conditions and challenges. Through UCB assistance, it is intended that the group be credible, relevant and sustainable. Further, results will include the advancement of community-based conservation, encouraging local Biodiversity Actions Plans and helping to form local partnerships, having biodiversity considered for inclusion of curriculum of middle schools and increase sharing of good practice. Outputs will include:  

 

  1. Strategic planning: devise a constitution, mission statement and sustainable set of objectives; incorporate a committee and later a Board of credibility, expertise and protocols to draw in representatives for the wider stakeholders of urban communities, industry and government; present a review of alternative designative tools.

 

  1. Data base: produce a catalogue of province-wide, generic threats to biodiversity; produce a standardised database for each nature reserve, using the CORINE-type pro forma for important species and devise and produce a database for audits of people on reserves and their indigenous skills and customs; produce protocols of good practice. 

 

  1. Biodiversity Action Plans: create a forum for encouraging BAP groups at the 6 National Nature Reserves, as examples, to LNRs, with themes of partnership where people give time to talking and listening; drawing on existing plans; bring change through the power of individuals and communities working together, with regular review of alternatives.

 

  1. Policy impact and briefings: construct a mechanism for tabulating and classifying local findings on biodiversity and the means of reflecting this back to national policy making. 

 

  1. Clearinghouse; become the definitive, central point for contact and co-ordination, with acknowledged regulators, after cataloguing and contacting the many interests and organisations connected to biodiversity and its issues.   

 

  1. Forum: devise systems to better anticipate problems and their solutions in respect of new threats to biodiversity, introduce sustainable planning, produce and present a participation-based study on alternative protocols for classification and protection of habitats, such as Areas of Conservation, employed in Europe. 

 

8. Timetable and Activities.

 

8.1 2003 April.

The embryonic group formed by the partners listed, will convene the Directors of the 6 National Nature Reserves of Guizhou to form an ad hoc committee with advice from the other team partners and observers from the PRA Network and from a donor NGO; consider all constitutional matters including composition of Board; list four tiers of stakeholders – rural, provincial government, urban, private sector; all parties agree whether GBG is to be regarded as NGO or other designation; appoint Secretariat – CCDRC to be recommended.

 

8.2 2003 May to 2004 January.

Tasks implementation.

Building the database.

Produce first newsletter; to be four each year.

 

8.3 2003 August to September.

Through the help of the UCB collaborator, CCDRC facilitates the stakeholders from rural and provincial governmental tiers to work out draft constitution, likely legal status, mission, vision statement and objectives in a 1 day meeting at the most central NNR; the Guizhou Biodiversity Group becomes constituted, elects a Board and defines allocation of workload in respect of objectives and outcomes; Ms Herrold attends briefings and advises.

 

8.4 2004 January.

A participatory monitoring and evaluation system is developed for the Biodiversity Group to check if objectives have been achieved, and provide a basis for keeping the biodiversity on a sustainable road.

 

8.5 2004 March.

Project summary and reporting.

 

Prepared by:   

Ren Xiaodong, Director.

Community-based Conservation & Development Research

Center (CCDRC), Guizhou, Normal University, Guiyang.

 

Chris Aldridge, Adviser on Nature Reserve Management.

Community-based Conservation & Development Research

Center (CCDRC), Guizhou, Normal University, Guiyang.

 

Date:                2004-10-01

 

Correspondence:        

Ren Xiaodong,

Community-based Conservation and Development Research Center,

Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, Guizhou, P. R. China 550001,

(No. 180, Baoshan Beilu, Guiyang, Guizhou, P. R. C).

Tel: 86-851-677634, 6754106; Fax: 86-851-6779634.

E-mail: gzpra@public.gz.cn, renxiaodong@hotmail.com