Global ICCA Database Kawagebo sacred mountain, South-West

A-Basic Data

Site Name (in local language and in Nienqin Kawagebo or locally called "gnas chen kha ba dkar bo" English) sacred mountain

It is located between the Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, NW , and the Zuogong County and Chayu Country (include State and Province) County of the TAR. It is a large mountain range going from north-west to south-east, and lies between the Nu River (Salween) and the Lancang River (Mekong) Valley.

Within the Deqin County of Yunnan jurisdiction, the CCA of Kawagebo- the largest of its kind in this study, covers Shengping township to its west, Yunling Township to its east, Yanmen township to its south, Fuoshan township to its north, and it borders with the Zuogong County and the Chayu County of the TAR to the west. According to the Tibetan’s understanding, the Kawagebo is the Area encompassed by the CCA name for the highest summit, yet also the name of the whole sacred (specify unit of measurement). mountain range, defining by its outer pilgrim route, the key spots on the pilgrim route are the following: the north is the village Meilishi of the Fuoshan Township, and the south is the Yongzhi village between the Yunling township and Yanmen township, the east is the western bank of the Mekong River, and the west is the mountain divide of the Meili Snow Mountain- the boundary between the Zuogong County and the Chayu County in the TAR.

The summit of the Nienqin Kawagebo is at 98°41′05″E ~28° 26′20″N, and stands as the highest point of Yunnan Province at an elevation of 6,740 meters asl. Centered around the Nienqin Kawagebo, the sacred area ranges between２８°１６'-２８°5３’ north latitude and ９８°３０'-９８°５２' east longitude. The length along the mountain range is 30 kilometers and width is 36 GIS Coordinates (if available) kilometer. The area in the Deqin County is 700 km2. There are 11 mountain summit with the height above 6,000 meters asl and 10 summits between 5,501-6,000 meters asl, 22 summits between 5,001-5500 asl; and rest of the mountain summits are all above 4,700 meters asl and all run southeastern-ward, with rivers in between them created very rugged landscape.

Whether it includes sea areas (Yes or no no)

Whether it includes freshwater (Yes or Yes no)

Marine (Y or N) no

45 The villages at the core of this magnificent sacred mountain range are the Sinong Administrative Village and the Xidang Administrative Village, of Yunling Township, Deqin County, Yunnan Province. Part of the Liutongjiang and Luwa Administrative Village of southern Foshan Township are also within the range of this sacred mountain CCA. The majority local communities are the Khampa Tibetan, totaling some 1,200 households and 7,000 people, consisting of 1,163 of the Guonian Ad. Vilage, 777 of the Sinong Concerned community (name and Ad. Village, 676 of the Xidang Ad. Village, 906 of the Hongpo Ad. approx. number of persons) Village, 1230 of the Chalitong Ad. Village, 2000 of the Adong Ad. Village, and 400 others from the Nuwa and Liutongjiang Ad. Village.

Additionally, there are tens of thousands of Tibetan pilgrims annually from other Tibetan regions arriving at this site. In 2003, which is the water-sheep year of the Kawagebo mountain, the 60-year cycle, there are reportedly less than half millions pilgrims.

Is the community considering itself an indigenous people? (Please note Yes. Khampa Tibetan. Yes or No; if yes note which people)

Is the community considering itself a minority? (Please note Yes or No, if No. There are other smaller groups such as Han, Naxi, Lisu. yes on the basis of what, e.g. religion, Tibetans are minority in China but a majority in this region. ethnicity)

Is the community permanently settled? (Please note Yes or No; if the Yes. Seasonal pastureland does exist, especially for winter use. community is mobile, does it have a customary transhumance territory? )

Is the community local per capita income inferior, basically the same or Basically meets the national value. Data comes from a survey for a superior to national value? (please note proposed protected area in 2002, through participatory rural how confident you are about the appraisal within the administrative villages. information)

Yes. Local government recognized this sacred mountain as a Is the CCA recognized as a protected protected area by local people, thus in1980’s, designated the outer area by governmental agencies? (Yes pilgrimage route as the boundary for state-owned forest and banned or no; if yes, how? If no, is it all logging, and also designated the community-use forest as otherwise recognized?) If yes, legal community-owned forest to allow certain resource use. This gave document? Establishment date? legal status of the sacred mountain for its protection.

Have there been any government Yes. Government has instituted bio-gas, solar energy panel and resources on environmental protection ecotourism projects. ‘Grain to Green’ is a typical eco-compensation or poverty reduction within the CCA, project and is implemented in this region. There is relationship if yes, is there a relationship between between these projects and this sacred mountain CCA. these action and CCAs, if not, why?

Conflicts with tenure, natural resource Forest boundary and tenure are clear, but communities have conflict use? in using highland pastureland and forest resources.

What is the main management This CCA has multiple management objectives, including objective (e.g. livelihood, cultural, livelihood, cultural and religious. These objectives compliment each spiritual…) other.

By definition, a CCA fulfils a management objective. To which IUCN management category[1] do you consider it would best fit (this does not VI – Managed Resource Protected Area imply that the management objective is II – National Park consciously pursued by the concerned community, but that it is actually achieved)

46 B-Additional qualitative information

This area encompasses a large geographical area with diverse topology and altitude change, resulting to very differing precipitation and altitudinal vegetation change. Sub-tropical, temperate and frigid zones all exist in this region. In general the Main ecosystem type main ecosystem types are dry valley bush along Mekong river valley under 2,500 meters, temperate coniferous forest from 2,500-3,000, coniferous and broad leave forest mix from 3,000-3,200, dark coniferous forest from 3,200-4,100 and alpine meadow and bushes from 4,200 meters up.

Plant diversity is high with over 2,700 of vascular . Typical families and genus include: Pinaceae - Abies ferreana, Abies georgei, Abies georgei var.smithii, Pseudotsuga forrestii, Picea likiangensis, Larix speciosa, Larix potaninii, Cupressaceae, Platycladus orientalis, Calocedrus duclouxiana, Calocedrus torulosa; Taxaceae - Taxus yunnanensis; Rosaceae - Sorbus spp., Cerasus spp.; Salicaceae - Populus spp. Salix spp.; Tiliaceae - Tilia chinensis; Betulaceae - Betula utilis, var. Description of biodiversity & sinensis; Aceraceae - Acer spp.; Corylaceae - Corylus chinensis; resources (ecosystems, species, Fagaceae - Quercus spp.; functions) conserved by the CCA - Rhododendron decorum, Rh..delavayi; Rosaceae - Rosa spp.; Caprifoliaceae - Lonicera spp.; Fabales – Mimosaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Fabaceae; Asteracea; Ranunculaceae; Umbellales; Primulales; Gentianaceae; Lemiaceae; etx. Red deer, bears, lesser panda, musk deer, snow cock, Bamboo Partridge, are the common animals in this region.

Description of local ethnic groups and For generations, Kawagebo has Tibetans as main residents, 98% of languages spoken local population. Khampa Tibetan is the main spoken language.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Kawagebo Mountain is an important culture and historical figure, mentioned in the Tibetan Historical Literature ‘King Ge’sar’. It is often described in such historical record as a ferocious figure – a god with bad temper. In the 8th century, the Indian Buddhism master Padmasambhava visited this area and subdued Kawagebo to Buddhism. Nienqin or ‘gnas chen’ was then added to Kawagebo’s name, showing that it had become a sacred mountain. Pilgrimage by key Buddhism figures also adds importance to this mountain. Gamapa has designated it to be one of historical context of the CCA the top eight sacred mountains in Tibetan region. Every year, particularly in the year of goat, when Kawagebo was born, Tibetans from all over came to worship around the pilgrimage route. Local Tibetans see Kawagebo as a guarding god for individuals and for their communities, and worship Kawagebo in each village. Incense is burned everyday in these communities for Kawagebo, and bylaws are made to protect plants and animals within the sacred mountain, forming a system of natural resource management for the Kawagebo area.

47 The natural resource management and environment protection system has been recovering since 1980’s, and have been bouncing back from the 1950’s. Policy and law also came into play by supporting this system – a very peculiar situation for this area. To meet conservation and livelihood needs, a ‘Ri’gua’ is delineated jointly by local monks and government. Each village has a ‘Ri’gua’ boundary, beyond of which logging and hunting is forbidden. Within the Kawagebo Ri’gua, any logging or hunting is strictly forbidden, while subsistence use of small amount of timber is allowed in other sacred mountain range, but never for commercial use. Ri’gua serves a super-nature force combining god power and will, and are carried out strictly. A system to punish violation also exists Governance structure for the CCA in many villages. Punishment ranges from fine to physical. (who takes management decisions, how?) Before 1950’s, Ri’gua is enforced jointly by Deqin Monastery and local Chief of ethnic groups. Each village management committee nominates two person in charge. The Chief and head monk will conduct annual survey in each village, and to punish violators. Traditional means of resource management around Kawagebo was rather effective. Since 1950, political turmoil has destroyed and demolished such traditions, which has been gradually recovering since 1980’s. This includes formalizing the forest protection through ‘state-owned’ forest designation, and allowing certain usage in the designated community forest. This was welcomed by the local communities, who in turn have made new community bylaws accordingly. The communities’ worship of Kawagebo resumed. Now the system can be described as a community initiated and government endorsed one.

The concerned area and natural resources may or may not be physically demarcated but are Kawagebo differs from the surrounding landscape. See answer to perceived and treated as “different” the above two questions for details. from the surrounding landscape or seascape. Who decided that they are so?

The concerned area and natural resources are managed according to a set of rules that may or may not be Rules are established traditionally in history. Now the system is immutable, exist in written form or be recovering, mostly instituted by local communities with supervision fully respected by all, but are broadly from religious leaders and partly endorsed by the government. known at least locally. Who established those rules?

In fact, the concerned area and natural resources may be managed according to a main objective (preservation of a sacred feature, conservation of Both government and local communities. biodiversity, sustainable use of a resource, etc.) Who decided about that objective?

The concerned area and natural resources need on going management Both government and local communities. decisions. Who takes those decisions?

If a given “body” takes those Relevant government departments and village level management decisions, who decided the structure of body. that body?

Who decided the composition of that At the natural village level, the management body is elected by the “body”? community members.

If decisions are taken by an individual, This does not exist. who appointed and supports her/him?

48 To whom is the “body” or the person The village management body is directly accountable to all villagers, who takes management decisions and incorporating administrative rules. directly accountable?

Who enforces management decisions Forest steward personnel are selected by the village management regarding the area and natural body, and management decisions are enforced by villagers, resources? monitored by the forest steward personnel.

Who carries out some forms of surveillance, monitors the concerned Forest steward personnel are selected and conducts monitoring, area and resources and is generally sometimes surveillance. They are familiar with their resources, but aware of their status and potential may not be aware of the problems. problems?

Who is crucially concerned with the Both communities and government. Most local communities hope area and resources and demonstrates a that their conservation efforts are conducted together with strong will to preserve it when facing government’s support. potentially destructive change?

Length of time the governance model This management system has been at least 500-600 years. has been in place

Characteristics of the use and management of natural resources in Livelihoods of this area are agricultural, animal husbandry, forestry, terms of kinds and estimated quantity non-timber forest products and tourism. All of these natural and other features in the CCAs, such resource dependent. as fuel wood, wild mushroom, herbs, livestock ranging, etc.

All land and forest in China belong to the government. Since Land and resource ownership in the household land-use reform in 1980, farmland are mostly contracted CCA，both in terms of de jure and de to the individual household, forest is further designated as facto and pls specify if there is state-owned and community owned, management by government difference. and communities, respectively. The actual situation differs little from this legal designation.

Agriculture lands are contracted to household use, mostly in the Type of land use in the CCA valleys or terraces. Community-forest and grassland within such forest areas are co-managed by the entire community in charge.

Both oral and written rules exist. At the village level, oral rules exist in Yubeng that all forest, rangeland and water resources belong to the community as a whole, poachers from outside will be fined with Existence of written or oral 100 RMB. Anyone poaching, letting dogs go free will be fined of management plans and specific rules 300 RMB in addition to confiscation of all belongings at hand. for the use of natural resources in the Killing of one red deer will be fined of 3,000 RMB, and livestock CCA will be taken if the lawbreaker doesn’t have money. Specimen collection is forbidden, and 100 RMB will be fined once found. All timber use for building house need to be approved by village management body, and be monitored by forest steward personnel.

Map and zoning of the CCA (please attach if available and relevant,)

Relevant pictures with captions (please attach if available)

49 Conflict of interest exists when it comes to conservation and development issue of Kawagebo area. Currently, within the communities, among the communities, communities and outsiders have acute conflict regarding land and forest tenure, developing Major threats to biodiversity and/or the local economy and conserving resources. Specifically, natural CCA governance system villages come into conflict on boundary of their forest, government comes into conflict with communities on land for tourism use, tourism-induced impact to local ecological environment and culture is also a problem recognized. Resource tenure, management and utilization are central issues in such conflict.

The natural landscape nurtured cultural landscape. Agriculture-based economy and forest/pasturing-based economy constitute two main Local CCA-relevant features, stories, systems for culture, ritual, knowledge and behavior. Traditional names, rules and practices social structure (monogamous marriage and two brothers one wife both exist), religious system, and multi-ethnical culture and arts are intermingled.

50