Species THE 4TH NATIONAL GIANT PANDA SURVEY UNDERGROUND. Giant panda in Huangtuliang corridor. Wanglang National Nature Reserve

Transcription

1 Xxxxxx xxxx Species Giant panda in Huangtuliang corridor. Wanglang National Nature Reserve THE 4TH NATIONAL GIANT PANDA SURVEY UNDERGROUND Taking place once every 10 years since 1970s, the 4th national giant panda survey is under ground. This national survey will not only cover all existing panda habitats in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, but also new areas where pandas are newly recorded. It ranges almost 53 counties for 3,232,093 hectares. The 4th national survey will take two years, and create a solid database for giant panda and its ecosystem conservation in next decades. Working with provincial forestry departments, WWF supported the trainings to survey rangers for methogology practices in the field. These trained rangers will be a key team for the 4th national giant panda survey in the next two years. WWF will further provide the communications strategy for the survey to raise the public and the relevant stakeholders awareness. 1

2 Xxxx xxxxx The outdoor jacket keeps the investigator warm in the chilly weather. Jiang Zeyin. The investigators are recording data. Jiang Zeyin. 2

3 Xxxxxx xxxx NIBASHAN MOUNTAIN CORRIDOR PLAYS ITS CRITICAL ROLE IN PANDA MIGRATIONS Local people fi lmed the wild giant panda along Nibashan mountain panda corridor. More exciting news is coming from Nibashan Mountain Giant Panda Corridor in Xingjing County. On March 20, 2012, a wild giant panda was spotted in Diguaping of Sanhe Town near the corridor by a local villager who recorded a video clip of the giant panda coming down from the mountain and played around with his cell phone. According to the witness, the panda first came down from the mountain and drank by the stream. It looked adorable. The CCTV News on March 22 also broadcast the news and this precious video clip. The news excited all WWF staff, as well as people from Xingjing County Forestry Bureau who work on Nibashan Mountain Giant Panda Corridor construction very much." 3

4 Xxxx xxxxx MECHANICAL FENCE REMOVED IN BANFANGZI AREA TO OPEN PATHS FOR GIANT PANDAS Similar to Guanyinshan, Banfangzi is another area that requires the removal of mechanical fencing. Partnering with WWF, Houzhenzi Forest Farm launched the Mechanical Fence Removal Project in September of In March 2012, WWF, Xi an Office, Houzhenzi Forest Farm reports a total of 3,700m of mechanical fences left in this area has been removed successfully. In the early 2000, local government implemented the Natural Forest Protection project to enclose the hillside in order to protect the forest ecosystems and facilitate forestation. However, these mechanical fences blocked the connection between the wild life and the water source, and including panda and other species have been found blocked by these fences and even hurt in some cases. The first Mechanical Fence Removal project started in Huangbaiyuan Nature Reserve in Qinling. With the support of WWF, the nature reserve staff conducted impact studies of mechanical fences and implemented the 10.7km fence removal project from 2009 to This project has not only become a pilot demonstration in Qinling, and promoted similar initiatives of other nature reserves, including Houzhenzi Forest Farm this time; but also changed the public s understanding of conservation, and helped local communities to accept the project with a supporting attitude. Removing mechanical fences in Guanyinshan panda nature reserve. 4

5 Xxxxxx xxxx Removing mechanical fences in Guanyinshan panda nature reserve. 5

6 Xxxx xxxxx A PANDA GIRL S JACKETS Rangers in the Motianling nature reserve wearing Jade s jacket inthe fi eld. Since Monitoring & Patrolling (M&P) started as a program in Qinling in 2005, nature reserve rangers has been conducting regular M&P trips in 20 nature reserve grounds twice in a year. With little recognition, rangers are directly responsible for protecting the panda habitat in Qinling Mountains by monitoring animal acitivies, the forest grounds, plant species and patrolling against any harm done to them including disasters and illegal actions. Often without the appropriate equipments and gears, rangers face harsh weather and great physical challenges. WWF hopes to bring more training and better equipment to these rangers in ordr to improve the efficiency of M&P work in the panda habitats. Due to a generous one-time donation in the memory of a little girl named Jade who loved pandas, WWF was able to design and deliver much needed high-quality mountain jackets to improve ranger s working coomfort and morale. Starting from August of 2011, 200 rangers from 19 nature reserves and 1 forest farm in Qinling have been collecting their mountain jackets and wearing a proud smile. The jackets are designed to provide warmth and resist weather, and the design is inspired by the muted green color of the Qinling mountains. Many rangers have worn their jackets everywhere from M&P trips to meetings. All 200 M&P rangers from WWF s partnering nature reserves will be participating in the 4th National Giant Panda Survey. 6

7 Xxxxxx xxxx GUANYINSHAN PANDA HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT 2011, 200 rangers from 19 nature Guanyishan Nature Reserve is a part of Natural Forest Protection project. It is located in the southern slope of Qinling Mountains, neighboring the 108 national route, is one of the most important reserve connecting Xinglongling panda subpopulation and Tianhuashan subpopulation of Qinling s giant pandas. As a former Forest Farm, this area was once seriously threatened by logging, and the distribution of bamboo was uneven and scarce in parts. As a result, over 5,000 meters of mechanical fence were erected to protect the vegetation, meanwhile causing potential hindrance to animal activities. In October of 2011, WWF began to assist Guanyinshan Nature Reserve to launch the Panda Habitat Restoration Project, with the goal to restore the forest grounds to their natural state in this important area. By the end of May, 2012, the project shall remove a total of 2000 meters of mechanical fencing, and facilitate the restoration process by planting hectares of bamboo forest. Meanwhile, WWF will conduct regular monitoring and implement infrared cameras to monitor wildlife activities in the area to assess the effectiveness of the project. Since projects such as the Habitat Restoration Project require great funding support, WWF has taken additional initiative to assist Guanyinshan Nature Reserve in its application for state level nature reserve status. With this status, Guanyinshan will be able to receive more funding and support from the national government for all similar future projects. 7

8 Xxxx xxxxx GOLDEN STANDARD CARBON CREDIT PRO- GRAMME TRAINING WORKSHOP Feb in 2012, people from 8 nature reserves in provinces of Sichuan and Gansu attended the Golden Standard on carbon sink training and experience sharing workshop organized by WWF in Chengdu. The training and experience sharing equipped the participants with knowledge and information on how to integrate routine nature reserve work on conservation and Golden Standard carbon sink projects, how to implement projects under the Golden Standard and other contents. The experts and staff from WWF US Office, WWF Swiss Office, Golden Standard Foundation and South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd. were invited to introduce the procedure of Golden Standard carbon sink projects and how to apply for. Mamize Nature Reserve has lately started the efficient energy stove Golden Standard projects in the communities around the reserve. The project would support for construction of 1,600 efficient energy stoves, and conduct baseline survey and project monitor according to the requirements of the Golden Standard. The reduced firewood consumption by those 1,600 efficient energy stoves then can be calculated into CO2 emission with golden standard certificates and sold in the world market. Up to now, 500 stoves have been constructed and the rest 1,100 would be finished by the end of In the Micro-hydro Power Carbon Sink Project in surrounding communities of Shenguozhuang Natural Reserve in Yuexi County, 120 micro-hydro powerstation have been constructed. The project has passed DOE examination and the related documents and materials have been sent to the National Development and Reform Commission. The project is planned to apply for CDM standard and the Golden Standard at the same time. All these carbon sink related community projects would calculate the reduced firewood consumption by using of efficient energy stoves or micro hydro power into amount of reduced CO2 emission, which can be sold after passing all kinds of examination. The income 8

9 Xxxxxx xxxx from the projects can be used to support the construction in advance. We can say that calculating the carbon sink for community projects can be applied as a whole new way of fundraising to sponsor the related projects in the surrounding communities. Golden Standard was established in 2003; it is the first practical standard method that was independently developed for CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) and JI (UN Joint Implementation). The Golden Standard applies to voluntarily carbon emission reduction and clean development mechanism with complete stakeholder procedures with emphasis on local environmental and social economical benefits. By the end of 2011, there have been 43 projects registered with Golden Standard in China. TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINAL PLANT RESOURCE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT PROJECT IN UPPER YANGTZE RIVER WINS UNDP EQUATOR PRIZE On March 23 in 2012, UNDP announced the list for 25 outstanding projects that win the 2012 Equator Prize. WWF China s Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plant Resource Sustainable Management Project in Upper-reaches of Yangtze River has won the UNDP Equator Prize for its significant contribution on rural community development and nature conservancy in the WWF China s Project of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plant Resource Sustainable Management in Upper-reaches of Yangtze River. At the end of year 2007, in order to response to the growing threatens and challenging situation for traditional Chinese medicinal plant resources, WWF started the project of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plant Resource Sustainable Management Project in Upperreaches of Yangtze River with support from EU-China Biodiversity Prgramme. The TCM project is aiming at developing the new biodiversity conservation model that combining restoration and protection of Southern Schisandra as traditional Chinese medicinal plant. Anthony B. Cunningham. 9

10 Xxxx xxxxx International business meets local prducer,josef Brinckmann(right) with Fan Guowei, a local farmer. herbal plants eco-system with giant panda conservation and local community development all together. In Daping Village of Pingwu County, Sichuan Province, the project successfully helped the local farmers cooperatives to sign a five-year contract with international buyers. Moreover, the herbal plant products quality has reached United State NOP Standard and Sustainably Collected Organic Product Certificate of European Union, all of which greatly improved the products additional values. The project successfully created the first model in China that combines wild herbal plant sustainable collection and sustainable marketing together, which is called as the Daping Model. Impelled by the project, for the first time, the Sichuan Province Herbal Medicine Regulations on Administration issued in 2009 has included the protection and sustainable utilization of herbal medicines into it. Meanwhile, the project also establishes partnership with Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and composed the project experiences and cases into the first textbook for the students about the sustainable use of wild herbal plants. Now, the textbook has been published and would be used in at least 4 medical universities in Western China. 10

11 Xxxxxx xxxx SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR MEDICINAL PLANT RESOURCES, THE 3RD PHASE BETWEEN WWF AND CARREFOUR Technical worker building an energy effi cient stove with local Yi Villagers. Liu Fuwen. Qinglong villager plants the chinese medicine. Pu Guijun. At the beginning of 2012, WWF and Carrefour Foundation from France started their cooperation on the Sustainable Management and Development Project on Medical Plant Resources in Giant Panda Nature Reserve surrounding communities. The project aims to protect and utilize sustainably the medical plant resources, to support the livelihood development of the local communities, to produce environment-friendly medical plant and establish stable market links, so as to contribute to the conservation of giant panda. The project site is located in the communities in Shuijing Town, where is nearby Xiaohegou Nature Reserve in Pingwu County, Sichuan province. According to medical plant market research and analysis, the project is market-need oriented. With sustainable planting, collection and management, the medical plants additional value would be increased with less negative impact on the environment. The project aims to build a direct market chain amongst the communities and the market. This direct market chain would increase the income of the local communities, by skipping the intermediate buyer. Thereby, local communities dependence on the natural resources is reduced with contribution on conservation of the nature reserve and surrounding areas. 11

12 COMMUNICATORS Chang Youde, Room 1609, Wen Hua Gong, Beijing Working People s Culture Palace, Beijing, P.R. China. Post Code: Tel: , Fax: , ydchang@wwfchina.org Hao Liang, Room 539, Xi Ge Ma Building, No.18 South Feng Hui Road, Xi an, Shaanxi, P.R.China. Post Code: Tel: Ext. 807, Fax: , lhao@wwfchina.org Xiao Sha, Room 603, Wu Ding Yuan Shan Yang Zuo, No. 100 Bei Er Duan, Yi Huan Lu, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Post Code: Tel: Ext. 811, Fax: , shxiao@wwfchina.org REVIEWERS Liu Xiaohai, Head of Xi an Programme Office, Room 539, Xi Ge Ma Building, No. 18 South Feng Hui Road, Xi an, Shaanxi, P.R. China. Post Code: Tel: Ext. 804, Fax: , xhliu@wwfchina.org Li Ye, Head of Chengdu Programme Office, Room 603, Wu Ding Yuan Shan Yang Zuo, No. 100 Bei Er Duan, Yi Huan Lu, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Post Code: Tel: Ext. 811, Fax: , lli@wwfchina.org Ling Lin, Interim Conservation Director of Biodiversity and Operations. RRoom 1609, Wen Hua Gong, Beijing Working People s Culture Palace, Beijing, P.R. China. Post Code: Tel: , Fax: , lling@wwfchina.org ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks to WWF Netherlands, WWF-Switzerland, Fondazione Zegna and EU for their financial supports to the Qinling Project Phase III, WWF UK, WWF US, WWF Germany and WWF Sweden for their financial supports of Minshan Initiative, and WWF Netherlands, WWF UK, WWF US, WWF Germany, WWF Sweden, WWF Switzerland and WWF Canada for their supports of the Green Heart of China Programme. Sincere thanks to the Coca-Cola Company for WWF-TCCC Partnership, WWF Network and WWF-US Humanitarian Partnership Programme for making efforts to post-disaster reconstruction plans, and Carrefour for Sustainable Management and Development Project for Medicinal Plant Resources. THE GREEN HEART OF CHINA PROGRAMME JANUARY - MARCH Why we are here To stop the degradation of the planet s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Legal text here ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat c culpa qui offi cia dese. wwf.org.uk