Final Report - Asian Development Bank

TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 5
students from pursuing careers in conservation other than in academia or government posts in large
urban areas.
178. Tourism in China is growing at rates seldom seen in other parts of the world. Nature tourism
is often seen as a “golden goose” that can fill the funding gap caused by under-funding of NRs by
governments. Regulation of tourism is needed to ensure that natural resources are not further
degraded in the interest of economic gain (recommendation 5). This issue has not been fully
addressed in the Qinling but is increasingly urgent because of the increased mobility of people in large
cities such as Xi’an, which are located within comfortable driving distances of Qinling protected areas.
179. Recommendation 6 has been partially addressed by the WWF “homestay” program in which
farmers near NRs use micro-credit to convert rooms of their homes to tourist lodges. The first of the
homestay operators in Taibaishan NNR realized a 500% increase in household income after adopting
the homestay model. The homestay market at Houzhenzhi Station of Taibaishan was quickly flooded
by 56 additional entrants hoping to repeat the commercial success of the founder. Today’s market is
based on the “golden week” holidays at First of May and First of October, and the six months of late
spring, summer and early autumn between these dates. Facilities at homestays are good (clean
rooms, locally grown food, solar hot water, and satellite TV) and there should be room for growth in
the industry if it focuses on “watchable wildlife” as is the case in major nature tour destinations
worldwide. The increasing abundance of wild boar, Golden Takin, giant panda and golden snubnosed
monkey should provide wildlife watching opportunities for tourists, especially in winter when
these species migrate to lower elevations.
180. Poverty of villagers is a cause of many conservation problems. WWF has begun to address
poverty through alternative livelihoods including honey production, animal husbandry and tourism
homestays.
181. Over-exploitation of natural resources was most severe in the years before the 1998 logging
ban in natural forests. In the late 1990s excessive logging at the periphery of nature reserves was
degrading ecosystems in the Qinling. While logging has been regulated, use of timber for firewood
continues to degrade forests. The severity of this problem in Wolong was highlighted by research that
pointed out several socially and culturally acceptable remedies.
1. China Government Plans
a. New Nature Reserves
182. Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Department announced in June 2006 its plans to build five new
nature reserves (Table 14) to protect habitats for the Giant Panda 52 . The new nature reserves would
enlarge the area of protected panda habitat by 114,658 ha from the 323,411 ha coverage in 2001
(35% increase) to a total of 438,069 ha by 2010. Coverage would then include an estimated 72%
percent of panda habitat in the Qinling range. The remaining 28 percent of panda habitat is found in
small, isolated patches located outside the 19 panda reserves. Shaanxi Province will also improve
and complete construction of its Giant Panda protection and management system, and build a panda
information management and patrol inspection and monitoring system by the end of 2010.
52 China Daily, 23 June 2006
45