South West China
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Review of CCA Studies in SW China LI Bo1, Yang Fangyi, Mu Suo, Zhang Zhongyun, Sun Shan, Shen Xiaoli, Lu Zhi FANG, Zhendong 2003 A Monk is feeding the White-eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon, National Appendix II Protected, IUCN Near Threatened), at the Zhuojie Monastery, Sichuan PR China 1 Li Bo can be reached by email: [email protected] i 0(ecuti1e Summary Case 11 ,ibetan lady and Xhia'e'ba sacred mountain in Cuochi Village. By Lu Bin, 2008. ,his study on community conser1ed areas in the SW China Biodi1ersity 3otspot is timely. China has been continuously e(periencing ambitious economic de1elopment or the last twenty years, while the en1ironment and natural resources ha1e seen e1ident trends o rapid deterioration. ,he risks o worsening status o biodi1ersity and ecological sa ety, ood security, are haunting the county as ne1er be ore. Conse7uently, the go1ernment determination to re1erse the trends, mani ested by the establishment o nature reser1es, has witnessed a sharp rise in the last decade, particularly in the Western region o China - o1er 85: o the national total size o the protected area is in the western region which is nearly 80: o national total land mass and home to ma.ority o ethnic groups in China. ,he rapid growth o protected area is achie1ed by replicating the e(periences o the PAs management system in the 0astern or coastal region to the Western region. Since the turn the this century, two other ma.or polices, one on establishing small protected areas seemingly similar to that o CCAs and the other on the collecti1e orest property re orm, ha1e also been replicating e(periences rom 0astern and coastal region to the Western pro1inces. But good intentions do not always lead to desirable results. ,his study cautions that the PAs management models di erent rom that o the con1entional ones de1eloped in the 0astern and coastal regions ha1e to be care ully de1ised or the Western region o China. ,he PAs management systems in the Western China, are neither prepared in terms o capacity nor management resources, either in terms o en orcement o resources laws, to enter into the processes and ii institutional arrangements or negotiated consensus building, sharing o responsibilities and bene its with other stakeholders. Further, the Western pro1inces are also di erent rom the coastal and 0astern regions in that di erent natural conditions, di1ersi ied ethnic cultures and li1elihoods which are 1ery much based on collecti1e resource property and communities’ slower adaptation to the mainstream economy. Despite the good intension, the go1ernmental mandate promoting small protected areas predominantly in the coastal pro1inces in the interests o small ecosystem protection is yet to accommodate the interests o community li1elihood, collecti1e resources management practices, and cultural 1alues. Otherwise, its potential to be supporti1e o CCAs will not be ul illable. By ar, SW China represents the mountainous region o high orest reser1e, and home to highest number o ethnic group whose li1elihoods are indispensable rom management o collecti1e orests. It is sa e to predict that SW China has the most conduci1e natural and cultural conditions or the Community conser1ed areas. ,he study o CCAs represents a new trend o thinking that could not only pro1ide an alternati1e model complimenting con1entional approaches, but also potentially enrich the scope and contents o co-management in the 1ast nature reser1es currently dominated by ence and ine management approach in the western pro1inces. ,his preliminary studies e(amined the e(isting literatures on sacred land practices in China, particularly SW China. O1er 80 ormally published .ournal articles, book sections, and some unpublished policy memos, and NGOs reports, mostly ethno-botanic, anthropological, recorded practices o more than ten ethnic groups with credible agreements that the desirable status o certain ecosystem or the sustainable use o certain species or ecological processes and ser1ices are the result o conscious cultural or religious practices and collecti1e li1elihood necessity. In one way or another these studies attempted to deal with 7uestion one and three o this research, namely, 1- can a strong relationship be identi ied between a gi1en ecosystem, area or species and a speci ic indigenous or local community concerned about it because o cultural, li1elihood-related or other strongly elt reasons? And to the less degree to 3- ha1e the 1oluntary management decisions and e orts o the concerned community led to the conser1ation o habitats, species, and ecological unctions and associated cultural 1alues (regardless o the ob.ecti1es o management as percei1ed by the community-? iii But the e(isting literature contains no studies that ha1e done a .usti iable .ob to answer 7uestion two o this research, namely, 2- has the communityBde jure or de factoB the power to take and en orce the key management decisions? It remained to be answered by new study on CCAs how indigenous or local communities reach consensus and remain e ecti1e in decision-making and collection action to maintain cultural and ecological linkages. It is e1en more important to understand i and how collecti1e action and decision-making in the communities ha1e dealt with social, economic, political, and ecological changes in CCAs management be ore hastily conclude that CCAs are hopeless in dealing with e(ternal changes and are doomed to be eroded. Studies on CCAs in China has done air amount o conceptual discussions and now are in great need to go beyond that conceptual le1el and urther work need to Czoom inD to understand the details about go1ernance, institutions and sel organization within the communities that ha1e answered 7uestion one and to some degree 7uestion three with positi1e e1idence in Western pro1inces. With enough e1idence or 7uestion two, it is di icult to promote CCAs at the policy and management le1el in China’s system o protected areas management. Based on the literature re1iew, we selected 13 indi1idual cases located in Sichuan, Einghai, Southeastern ,AR, and Yunnan F our pro1inces. Our study supports that all o the 13 cases are CCAs. Si( o them are outside o any orms o o icial conser1ation status, such as NRs, National Scenic Park, sites or the World 3eritage, the Ramsar or the MGB. ,he other se1en are ound inside o PAs, and our out o this se1en cases ha1e reached some orm o agreements with local go1ernment management agencies. ,here are eight cases with unclear institutions and se1en cases showing local collecti1e initiati1es or new institutions with the help o outsiders. But o1erall, we concur that either the cases with the tangible institutions or only showing intangible cultural practices o sacred land, should be 1iewed as CCAs. But urther studies on CCAs in SW China needs to e(plore the indicators and tools to work on the both scenario. CCAs, are ound in a nested hierarchical structure. It is important to recognize the signi icance o sacred land at the household le1el and throughout to the regionally signi icant ones. Particularly the ones at the household le1el are most 1ulnerable. Without such oundation o day-to-day attachment and practices, the lo ty ones at the top might start to loose its cultural constituency. More researches on this issue in connection with recent collecti1e i1 orest property re orm policy and mass tourism de1elopment policies should be carried out urgently. China’s ci1il society is still at its early sel -disco1ery mode. In the Western regions, the awareness o ci1il action is at its in ancy, the ability to take the ad1antage o statuary legal system and a series o rural policies a1ourable to 1illagers is 1ery minimal in comparison to the coastal and eastern regions. NGOs in1ol1ement in helping the Chinese society to understand and promote CCAs is still e(tremely limited. NGOs or INGOs will ha1e to gain more in-depth understanding through their own pilot work, so that to appreciate the comple(ity o reaching community-initiated, and community-endorsed CCAs arrangements with negotiated management mandates o the go1ernment and the communities. All 13 cases, are applicable or the constitutional law - the Regional Autonomy Law or the 0thnic Groups. ,his law entitles greater le(ibility to the autonomous county and pre ecture go1ernment to legislate locally in the best interests o the core local ethnic groups. But there is little e1idence that these local go1ernment ha1e yet shown local legislati1e inno1ations on promoting elements o CCAs. ,his howe1er, does hold e(tra potential in theory and in practice, to recognize, e(periment, and replicate CCAs. Despite the act that the community conser1ed areas en.oy no ormal legal recognition and administrati1e support, there ha1e been signs both on the go1ernmental and non-go1ernmental ronts that the trend can change or the better. ,he new legislation on China’s Protected Areas, and a series laws and policy supporting rural democratic sel -go1ernment, or e(perimental work initiated by 1illagers 1oluntary groups or local monastery, seem to point to a direction that community conser1ed areas can become a new 1aluable addition complementary to the con1entional protected areas system. In 1iew o the IUCN protected area go1ernance types, CCAs (,ype D- might be a good strategy to start getting communities better organized, and prepared or negotiating desirable outcome o the ,ype B (Co-Managed Protected Areas-shared go1ernance- arrangements in the near uture, or ha1e CCAs recognized but well nested in ,ype A (Go1ernment Managed Protected Areas-state go1ernance-. 1 ,ABL0 OF CON,0N,S Part ONE: INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................1 1.1 The PAs System in Evolving Chinese Context ............................................................. 1 1.2 SW China and CCAs....................................................................................................... 3 Part TWO: METHODS and Research Partnership.....................................................5 2.1 Defining Research Issues ..............................................................................................