Final Report - Asian Development Bank

20
TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 7
CBD 12 . Continued resistance by the QBG IA to remove these alien species from the design may
jeopardize the GEF grant being provided to the Shaanxi Government.
88. The introduction of plants in the glasshouse should be reasonable providing safety measures
are built into the system to prevent escape of possible alien materials (seed etc).
ii. Section 3.5 of the FSR:
89. The need for an irrigation system for the whole of the garden area is questionable,
especially in the hill zone where forest type planting will be used. It is not normal practice to irrigate
plants which naturally grow in the area in which they are being planted (i.e. Qinling plants in the
Qinling). Providing an irrigation system for the ‘hill zone areas’ should be revisited as there are two
main issues: (i) sustainability – unnecessary use of water resources, especially given the increasing
problems associated with water supply in Shaanxi Province (and China as a whole); (ii) cost – the cost
of the irrigation system adds to the overall garden and capital cost. Any reasonable measures to
reduce capital cost should be pursued in order to enhance financial viability and lower financial risk.
iii. Section 7.1.Ecological Capacity
90. The number for ecological capacity appears to be an arbitrary figure, and the purpose of
this statement is not clear. If a carrying capacity study is to be undertaken, it requires three substudies:
(i) environmental capacity -- ability of resources to support numbers; (ii) psychological
capacity – study of visitor crowding; and (iii) physical capacity -- ability of infrastructure to support the
numbers.
iv. Section 3.7 – 3.11 Building Design:
91. The preliminary designs of these elements should be provided with the FSR as requested by
the consultants.
v. Boundary treatment
92. The decision on boundary form is not yet decided - QBG plans to build a wall or fence
around the site. The capital costs include funding for only a fence. The boundary treatment is
important as it will have a visual impact on the landscape. Barrier planting could be used for the hill
area as this would be acceptable and unobtrusive in the landscape, it would support conservation, be
maintenance free and would be more effective in preventing trespass than a wall.
vi. Outstanding design standards
93. The three broad design elements which require specific attention are: (i) use of plant
materials; (ii) hard landscape elements; and (iii) building design.
94. Plant Material. The current design within the Feasibility Study (May 2007) indicates the use
of plant material which is not native or endemic to the Qinling Mountains (Ginko Garden, International
Garden etc). The Botanic Garden is to be constructed within an internationally important ecologically
diverse area. The planned introduction of species not native to the Qinling in a Botanic Garden whose
stated objective is the conservation of Qinling plant biodiversity is contrary to a wide range of
international guidelines 13 and is likely to be condemned as an irresponsible action by both the
international conservation and botanic gardens community.
12 A requirement of GEF grant being given is that the recipient country has signed and abides by the convention.
13 The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992; Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety 2000; Global Strategy
for Plant Conservation; Gran Canaria Declaration on Climate Change and Plant Conservation 2006;
International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation 2000: