0098-C1
Weijie Deng[1]
China’s National Logging Ban was issued in 1998 because of the degraded and deteriorated forests that had resulted from unsuitable and unsustainable management strategies and methodologies. However, many more conflicts between government and local communities have emerged under the conventional approaches. Currently, the local communities in China still have their own approaches to forest management using indigenous technology knowledge (ITK). This implies that local communities could manage the local forests using local/customary rules and ITK for sustainable development and conservation of natural forests.
A participatory action research was conducted in Daocai village, Mao County, Sichuan province, China in 2001. The main purpose of the study was to facilitate community-based natural forest management and learn some things in the process. Daocai village is a typical mountain village in western Sichuan - economically poor but rich in natural resources, especially the natural forest. The study in Daocai village has shown that the community has a very high interest in forest management and is capable of managing the forest under the certain conditions, such as improved village rules, active participation of the community, appropriate local capacity and organization, transparency and communication among key stakeholders in the process, and consensus and agreement on a new strategy and plan. The experience in Daocai village has also proved that forming a new special local organization is not the only option for community-based forest management. The village committee, as the governmental organization at the grass roots level in China, could play the key role in community-based forest management. A positive attitude of the committee and especially the village director to community-based natural forest management and his or their good reputation in the community are preconditions for success. Where this is the case, community-based natural forest management should be another option for better management of natural forests instead of just the National Logging Ban.
In 2001, a participatory action research (PAR) on community-based natural forest management was initiated in Daocai village, Mao County, Sichuan Province. The goal of the study is focus on the innovation of policies on natural forest management at County or regional level in China, and the objectives of the study includes:
The practice and the ITK on natural forest management in the study area have been learnt;
The key issues on community-based natural forest management in the study area have been identified;
The strategy and plan on community-based natural forest management in study area have been explored and implemented;
So the final objective of study is ‘learning from the community and adapting the participatory approaches in the process by facilitating community-based natural forest management ’.
Mao County is located in Northwest Sichuan province, the transition region between West Sichuan Plain and Qing-Tibet Plateau with the area of 4064.35 square kilometers, and the forestland occupied the 67.26% of total area, and about 54% of forestland is distributing in high and steep mountains and hills while 20% are distributing in the drought valley areas. Daocai village is located in the upstream of Mingjiang River, the one of main distributaries of Yangtze River as the key area of natural forest with 600 persons of population. Mao County is one of three counties of Qiang Minority in China.
There are as more as 130 ha of forests distributing in two hamlets of Daocai village and 60 ha of that is natural forests. Those natural forests have being managed well by local people compared with other communities in the region without any budgetary support from government. Normally, the villagers in Daocai could benefit from the natural forest by collecting fuel wood, timbers, pine mushroom as well as waters. All the benefits from the natural forests have promoted the interest of villagers on the natural forests management.
Daocai village has long history on forest management even if before the liberation (1949), all the forest guard were nominate themselves or by others but confirmed finally by village committee through the village committee meetings, and all the management costs was shared by local people since 1983. Daocai village also has their own village rules on forest management. For example, one might be fined with 50-100 RMB if he/she fell a young tree or seedling.
The main factors promoting villagers in Daocai village to manage the natural forests are the environmental factor and economic factor. As mentioned before that Daocai village is know well in the region, because most of the people in the region including local governmental staff think that Daocai is quite beautiful with the existing natural forest as well as the collection of pine mushroom in the forest. The villagers in Daocai community believe that the conservation of natural forests will beautify the environment in Daocai and benefit them economically.
The villagers in Daocai have realized some constraints on natural forests management. The hiring of PRA tools in the process of participatory action research (PAR) have provided us with the following key information on natural forests management in Daocai village:
Local villagers guarding their own natural forests seriously but collecting the timber and fuel wood illegally in the national forests;
The existing mechanism on the natural forests management in Daocai village including the forest guards and rules are losing its function because of the lack of promotion to community members, as well as some of un-practical village rules;
The collection of pine mushroom in the natural forests is the potential promoter for the better management of natural forests as well fuel wood collecting and grazing;
The reducing quantity of water as well as the fuel wood by the existing mechanism on the natural forests management.
For more benefit economically and environmentally from those natural forests, in Daocai, the following suggestions are recommended by villagers during the study process:
Enhance the conservation of natural forests in Daocai for higher quantity and quality of pine mushroom;
Stop collecting of leaves litter in the natural forest, or compensate some of chemical fertilizer instead of the collection of natural fertilizer for the better management of forest including the habitat of pine mushroom in Daocai hamlet;
Stop grazing in the natural forests especially control the livestock from neighbor communities;
Unify the collection of Chinese traditional medicines and pine mushroom as well as other NTFPs in the natural forests in Daocai by forming the special organization such as the forest management group and related rules;
Form the special group for the conservation of natural forests professionally instead of the voluntary forest guard, and all the forest guards should be dedicated on the forest management and the collection of pine mushroom;
Cooperate with local governmental agencies for effective conservation of forest by laws and village rules for contributing conservation and development.
Finally, the suggestions on better management of natural forests in Daocai village were finalized as:
Put the piece of natural forest in Daocai hamlet as the village forest enterprise of Daocai village;
Form the forest management group (FMG) as the special organization for the professional management of this "village forest enterprise" on behalf of all community members for further development;
Collect the pine mushroom by forest guards only and sale to the contracted midmen or to Chengdu directly based on the market situation;
All the activities on the conservation of natural forests and the collection of pine mushroom as well as the distribution of benefit as the public welfare will be monitored by all community members.
For those purpose, the new village rules were developed by researcher, local governmental staff and local villagers, and submitted as the draft for the further discussion in the community meeting. All the idea on the natural forests management, which generated by villagers in Daocai have been shared with other key stakeholders including the government of Township and Forestry Bureau of Mao County as well as Baodinggou Natural Reserve Administration. in March 2001, a community meeting was organized in Daocai village, the main objectives of this is to explore and confirm the village rules on natural forests management, the management of forest guards and the regulations for the forest management group in Daocai village. When the rules have been ensured compliance with local community members, all the community members (householders) signed up in the written paper of rules. One more objectives of the is to elect local forest guards as well as the FMG members in Daocai for implementing new rules and new management mechanism of community-based natural forest management.
The most villagers do agree with the new attempt because they think that the natural forest is the collective property so that all the community members should benefit from it by new attempt. The existing way on the collection of pine mushroom just benefit few of households, and Daocai village is also facing the problem on the short of fuel wood and the water supply. Most of young men and some of old men thinks that all the implementation and enforcement of new rules on natural forests management must be conducted by villagers themselves as soon as possible.
Since some of other villager thinks that the professional forest guards from government could protect the natural forests without compensation from Daocai village, the local forest guards should have focused on the management of pine mushroom so that the election of local forest guards could be delayed until the start of collection of pine mushroom. It was promised that whole villagers will follow the new rules on the natural forests management which approved by themselves. As the facilitating process, we respected to the decision made by the local community and cancelled the election of local forest guards, but we were recommended to monitor the process of community-based natural forests management in Daocai village and evaluate in some time.
In the beginning of May 2001, a special evaluation for the implementation of community-based natural forest management in Daocai village was conducted, and it was noted that
The natural forests in Daocai have being guarded by the two of professional forest guards from local government but nothings on other issues;
It was noted that no more logging in the natural forests since March 2001;
Almost all the local villagers obey to the new village rules on the natural forests management; the collection of fuel wood especially the collection of natural fertilizer is disappeared. The observation in the natural forests has proved that there is much more leaves litters than before compared with the March 2001;
The grazing is existing in the natural forests in Daocai by not only local villagers but also others;
All the activities from the Desheng village are keep out of control by Daocai village especially in the area nearby Desheng because nobody response it.
In September 2001, one more evaluation has been done in Daocai village by researcher and local governmental staff, and local villagers informed me that at least 60,000RMB(8,000USD) has been generated by collecting pine mushroom in August, and all community members in Daocai suggested to continue the community-based natural forests management furtherly. It implies that the effort on community-based forest management is effective obviously.
It is challenge to National Logging Ban on exploring solution for income generation of communities in the forest areas in China, and the collection of NTFPs might be the opportunity for sustainable conservation and development in the community by improving the management of forests, especially the natural forests, and the community-based natural forests management could the one of option in this process. In case of this, it is suggested strongly
To treat with the relationship between the natural forests conservation and development at local and regional level. Regarding the National Logging Ban, it should focus on not only the conservation of existing natural resources, but also the community development by promoting the reasonable utilization of natural resources, and NTFPs in particularly, under the better management regime. As the incentives, local community should be promoted in involving the conservation of natural forests and ensure the sustainability not only on the development, but also the environmental conservation. The experience on the protected areas management in China has shown that the pure conservation of natural resources without the consideration on development including the self-development of conservation units is not sustainable. The National Logging Ban is similar with the establishing and managing the protected area in the undeveloped region. It is truth that the local development is the social basis of conservation effectively, and the role and function of local community as well as other stakeholders in the process of conservation will determine the sustainability both on development and conservation.
Try to balance the linkage between the macro and micro benefit as well as the long term and near future benefit in the process of natural forest protection. As the description of the National Logging Ban, the natural forest protection is just focus on the macro benefit (social and environmental impacts) and the long-term benefit. The near future and micro benefit has not been considered so much by central government. The households and the communities who involved in the process have not been paid enough attention. No doubt that the local community will benefit from the conservation of natural forest ecologically and socially, but the local community is facing the challenge of survival. As the disadvantage group, the local communities should be compensated in some ways in the process of National Logging Ban. It is not appreciated to guarantee the benefit of special group by damaging other group’s benefit by conducting some program because all stakeholders should be beneficiary in different ways.
To recognize the role of local community in the process of natural frosts protection and setting up the institution as well as the capacity building. We cannot deny that the local community is the manager of the natural forest as well as the user of that even if it was not recognized at policy level. If the National Logging Ban is objectives-centered program, then the role of local community in the process should be recognized, and the institution related should be promoted as well as the capacity building for the local community. As the mention above that we have the experience on managing local community, but we might still need to learn how to work with community for the natural forest management.
The problems illustrated above on the natural forest conservation and Nation Logging Ban is quite similar with the one we identified in Daocai village, and the attempt of community-based natural forests management in Daocai might provide National Logging Ban with the experience on ideas and strategies as well as the process The National Logging Ban also provides us an opportunity to learn how to involve or how to promote local community participate the natural forests management for the sustainable conservation and development. To achieve the objectives, the role and function of local community in the process of natural forests management should be identified, recognized, and promoted by institutionalizing and capacity building at local community level at least.
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| [1] Associate Professor, Institute
for Community & Conservation, Jianshe Road No. 241, Dujiangyan, Sichuan
Province, P.I. China 611830. Email: [email protected] |