Yunnan Province in southern China has been called China’s new
Shangri-La. The region contains one of Asia’s last untouched forests,
where three of Asia’s mightiest rivers - the Yangtze, Mekong, and
Salween - pass within 44 miles of one another as they flow from the
world’s highest mountains.
Yunnan is a vital center of plant diversity, and is home to a
resplendent variety of animals, such as the snow leopard, Yunnan golden
monkey, the red panda, and 800 species of resident and migratory birds.
Fourteen ethnic minorities, including the Naxi and Yi peoples, live
there.
The Chinese government banned logging in the area in 1999 [see “Logging the top of the world,” Fall 1999 EIJ] after realizing massive flooding along the Yangtze River was a by-product of deforestation during the Maoist period.
What seemed like a simple solution triggered a cascade of complex
economic and social problems. The timber industry was one of the main
sources of income to the ethnic minorities living in the region, who
are among the poorest in China. So the ban caused an acute economic
crisis in the region.
Officials, aware of the area’s natural beauty and cultural
significance, decided to replace the logging income of the ethnic
minorities with tourism development in the region. The Chinese
government invited the Nature Conservancy to collaborate in the
creation of
an integrated conservation and economic-development project in the northwest corner of Yunnan Province.
To direct the multimillion dollar collaboration with the Nature
Conservancy, Edward Norton, an environmentalist attorney, and his wife,
Ann McBride, who gave up a high-profile job as president of Common
Cause, moved to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan.
During the first phase of the Yunnan Great Rivers Project, the
Conservancy developed a Global Network to study the region’s
biodiversity, culture, and resources. McBride distributed cameras to
villagers as part of a program called “photo voice,” which encouraged
the local people to shoot pictures of the things they most value in
their communities. “We had over 100 photographers in 20 villages, from
the ages of 13 to 76. The program was designed to include the
villagers’ centuries-old knowledge,” explains McBride. “Yunnan’s ethnic
minorities have hardly had any relation with the Chinese people let
alone foreigners, so we needed to be pro-active to win their trust.”
The conclusion was reached that the best option for Yunnan was to
establish a system of wilderness preserves and protected national
parks, develop community-based ecotourism and adjacent enterprises that
benefit the local population, and develop human assets in government
and local community that will sustain the entire effort.
Now the Conservancy is working to develop community-based ecotourism
with local governments, and the Naxi and Yi people of Lashihai and
Wenhai villages.
“The idea is to have small lodges and cabins run by the local people
for tourists who like to escape the modern trappings of life and enjoy
staying in stunning, pristine places,” explains Norton. Yunnan will
attract tourists that enjoy nature, climbing, hiking or horseback
riding, and perhaps even river rafting. There is a lot to see for
tourists interested in culture, such as the old town of Lijiang, with
cobblestone streets, crenellated houses and airy courtyards.
Getting local officials to recognize opportunities for low-impact
ecotourism ventures has not been an easy matter. Tourism projects in
China often follow the contrary path; they aim for the lowest common
denominator and pack in as many people as possible.
One such is a small snowmobile track near the summit of the 18,360-foot
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The developer got a government award for his
project, which was called a model for tourism development.
A massive nearby peak named Kawagebo raises issues of a less motorized
sort. No one has ever scaled the glacier but many wish to; Tibetans
oppose climbing because they consider Kawagebo sacred.
As “Shangri-La” advertising draws more and more tourists to the region,
balancing environmental and biodiversity protection, cultural
preservation, and economic development becomes more difficult.
In 1993, the Bitahai reserve near Zhongdian had 1,000 visitors. By
1998, that number was 10,000, prompting the government to spend 4
million yuan ($480,000) to build a paved road into the reserve, in
anticipation of tourists coming to Yunnan for the Kunming International
Horticultural Exposition. Zhongdian was flooded with some 120,000
tourists in 1999, bringing about 3 million yuan ($360,000) in ticket
revenues. Some of this income has been used to build boardwalks, roads
and other infrastructure.
Capitalizing on the tourist trade, local people supplement their income
by selling homemade milk products and handicrafts, but most importantly
by offering horseback rides. The net income for one horse can reach
8,000 yuan ($1,000) a year. Already, about 10,000 people in Zhongdian
County work in the tourism industry.
That industry is already starting to extract a price on the environment
and threaten the success of the reserves. Horseback riding near Bitahai
Lake, for example, damages fragile wetlands and grasslands. There is
also considerable concern that tourism development in the mountainous
Haba Xueshan Reserve will badly damage vegetation there, and better
planning is needed as more and more tourists visit the region.
One example of poor planning is seen at the Tiger Leaping Gorge tourism
site on the Yangtze River. Zhongdian County first blasted a road along
the west bank of the spectacular 3,000-meter-deep canyon to bring
tourists to the narrow falls near the center. Worried about losing
revenue to its neighbor, Lijiang County is gouging a road along the
even steeper east bank, destroying the scenic properties of the site
and adding additional rubble to the riverbed.
Officials at the US Embassy in Beijing have formally expressed concerns
about land management in Yunnan. “It is particularly worrisome that
reserve management officials at Zhongdian’s three wildlife reserves
have little knowledge of wildlife conservation or tourism management
and have no procedures for environmental monitoring or routine wildlife
observation,” says a report by embassy staff. “Conservation staff also
does little research. Instead, they are all busy with promoting
commercial forestry and the tourism business.”
In many other reserves in the project region, the goals of wildlife
protection and improving local incomes create direct conflicts of
interest. The pursuit of tourist dollars distracts nature reserve
managers from their wildlife protection mission.
As more tourists come to the region, the pressure to balance
environmental protection and economic development will only increase.
Fay Crevoshay is a media consultant with extensive international media relations experience.
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