Involving Local Communities in Natural Resource Management: Xilingol Biosphere Reserve

INVOLVING LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: XILINGOL BIOSPHERE RESERVE A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Geography, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Canada By Yijun Zhang © Copyright Yijun Zhang, February 2007. All Rights Reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate Degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of the Dean of the College of Arts in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copy or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make use of material in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Geography University of Saskatchewan 9 Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 i ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to assess natural resource management practices in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve (XBR) located in northern China in their institutional contexts. The practices of natural resource management in XBR are examined through their institutions which include legislation, regulations, and administrative structures of the management of XBR, responsibilities associated with land and resource rights, decision making powers and processes, and community participation. Semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and direct observation were employed to analyze resource management practices in XBR and institutions impacting these practices. XBR, as an internationally recognized biosphere reserve, has not been empowered to meet the goals of improving both the conservation of natural ecosystems and the socioeconomic conditions of local communities. In this regard, institutions and the interactions between these institutions have exerted great impacts on how natural resources are used and managed in XBR. Opportunities for improving the management of XBR rest on strengthening institutions which impact resource management practices in the reserve. Partnerships can be applied to characterize an approach to involve both interest groups and the general public in natural resource management (Mitchell 2002). Partnerships can help promote openness, transparency, and equity in resource management processes. For XBR, partnerships prove to be an inevitable trend for improving its management and facilitating the resolution of a series of issues facing XBR including the reserve management organization’s inability to ii fulfill its conservation functions, complicated power relationships and interest conflicts among a wide range of stakeholders, people-park conflicts, and lack of community participation in reserve management. Locals have experienced great socioeconomic losses accompanied with the establishment and management of XBR. However, they have not been provided with adequate compensation for their lost benefits. As a consequence, locals have resorted to violence for defense of their rights and interests. The conflict between XBR and local communities becomes a predominant issue in the reserve. To alleviate the conflict and improve reserve management, local communities should be involved in the management of XBR. Nonetheless, currently local residents have too little say in decision making and resource management given the top-down, hierarchical contexts in XBR. In this regard, community-based programs have the potential to involve locals in reserve management. Unfortunately, the chance that community-based natural resource management regimes will be implemented in XBR in the near future seems slim. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I must first acknowledge the members of my supervisory committee, for their direction and support throughout this research project. I am grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Scott Bell, for his guidance, patience, and encouragement. My sincere thanks to Dr. Maureen Reed for her guidance and insightful views on my research. I am greatly appreciated of the direction and kindly help provided by Dr. Maureen Reed throughout my research project. I am greatly indented to Dr. Xulin Guo who provided much encouragement throughout the project. I wish to acknowledge everybody I interviewed for donating their time and their perspectives during my fieldwork in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve in China. Thanks to staff of the Xilingol Biosphere Reserve Management Bureau and managers from Baiinxile Livestock Farm for their provision of help. I would like to thank to my parents, my sister, and my husband for their great support and encouragement over the past few years. This project would not have been possible without their support. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE………………………………………………………...i ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………..ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………….iv TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………….v LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………………..vii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………....vii LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………….vii LIST OF ACRONYMS………………………………………………………....viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION……………………………….……………..1 1.1 Background………………………………………………………….1 1.2 Research question and objectives…………………………………...4 1.3 Study area…………………………………………………………...5 1.4 Thesis organization……………………………………….………...11 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………......12 2.1 Conceptual framework ………………………….………………….12 2.1.1 Community-based natural resource management……….12 2.1.2 Institutions……………………………………………….17 2.1.3 Decision making through partnerships…………………..19 2.2 Research methods……………………………………………….......30 2.2.1 Research strategies……………………………………....30 2.2.2 Data collection and data analysis………………………..31 2.2.3 Limitations of the research methods…………………….36 CHAPTER 3: LEGISLATION AND ORGANIZATION OF PROTECTED AREAS IN CHINA…………………………….37 3.1 China’s system of protected areas…………………………………..37 3.2 Legislation and regulations………………………………………....43 3.3 Organizational roles and structures………………………………....46 3.3.1 Organizational changes………………………………….46 3.3.2 Organizational roles and structures of the Management Bureau………………………………..50 3.4 A basic organizational issue - Lack of funding……………………..52 3.4.1 Financial sources of the Management Bureau…………..53 3.4.2 The consequences of the lack of funding on v the Management Bureau………………………………..58 CHAPTER 4: LAND USE ISSUES AND PEOPLE-PARK CONFLICTS….64 4.1 Grassland degradation……………………………………………....65 4.2 Land and resource tenure…………………………………………...69 4.3 Land use conflicts…………………………………………………..78 4.3.1 Baiinxile Livestock Farm vs. the Management Bureau…78 4.3.2 The reserve vs. local communities…..…………………..84 4.4 Resolution of people-park conflicts………………………………...94 CHAPTER 5: DECISION MAKING POWERS AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION…………………………….97 5.1 Decision making powers……………………………………………97 5.1.1 Decision making powers and processes in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve………………………….97 5.1.2 Pathways to partnerships………………………………..107 5.2 Community participation…………………………………………...112 5.2.1 Evaluation of the level of community participation in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve………………….……...113 5.2.2 Community participation mechanisms in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve……………………………115 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS…………....121 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………….137 vi LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix I: Questions for interviews with the Xilingol Biosphere Reserve Management Bureau and Baiinxile Livestock Farm…………...143 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: The core areas and buffer zones in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve…..10 Table 2: Key elements for successful partnerships………………………….26 Table 3: Arnstein’s ladder of civic involvement……………………………..28 Table 4: Public participation mechanisms…………………………………...29 Table 5: China’s system of protected areas………………………………….38 Table 6: Organizational structure of the Management Bureau……………...52 Table 7: Input of Xilingol Biosphere Reserve from 1985 to 2001………….55 Table 8: The Management Bureau and Baiinxile Livestock Farm’s propaganda of their tourism resources……………………………..82 Table 9: Repair and damage of fences in several core and experimental zones of Xilingol Biosphere Reserve from 1993 to 2002……….....87 Table 10: Compensation……………………………………………………...126 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The three functions of biosphere reserves……………………….4 Figure 2: Map of Xilingol Biosphere Reserve……...….…………………..6 Figure 3: Conceptual representation of the different interests that characterize the involvement of protected area staff, local community members, and other local entities…………………...22 Figure 4: The partnership framework for the management of protected areas………………………………….24 Figure 5: China’s network of nature reserves………………………………41 vii Figure 6: The history of the major organizational changes in Xilingol Biosphere Reserve……….…………………………..47 Figure 7: Consequences of the lack of funding on the Management Bureau…………………………………………58 Figure 8: The pamphlet on Baiinxile Grassland Ecotourism Area…………84 Figure 9: Outline of the conflicts between Xilingol Biosphere Reserve and

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