Yangtze Programme Newsletter

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Adam Ross Dennis
5 years ago
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MOU Singed to Protect Aquatic Organisms in Yangtze River A cooperation framework between WWF and the Management Committee of Changjiang River Fishery Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture was

Under the framework, the two parties will cooperate closely in the next five years to promote the protection and sustainable production of aquatic biological resources in the Yangtze river basin.

aquatic wild animals have become endangered. To protect the aquatic organisms in the Yangtze, WWF co-sponsored the Yangtze River Forum on Organism Resources Conservation with other 16 organizations.

1 MOU Singed to Protect Aquatic Organisms in Yangtze River A cooperation framework between WWF and the Management Committee of Changjiang River Fishery Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture was signed in Shanghai on September 16 to address the rapid declining trend of aquatic organisms in the Yangtze River. Under the framework, the two parties will cooperate closely in the next five years to promote the protection and sustainable production of aquatic biological resources in the Yangtze river basin. Yangtze is a typical ecological watershed with rich biodiversity, however, with rapid economic development in the last decades, the biological resources in the basin have declined seriously, and many aquatic wild animals have become endangered. To protect the aquatic organisms in the Yangtze, WWF co-sponsored the Yangtze River Forum on Organism Resources Conservation with other 16 organizations. During the Forum, Dr. Zhu Chunquan, Conservation Director of Operations of WWF China and Mr. Ma Yi, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Changjiang River Fishery Resources, declared that the two parts would cooperate closely to promote the protection and sustainable production of aquatic biological resources in the Yangtze river when they signed The Five-Year ( ) Cooperative Framework. In the next 5 years, WWF and the committee will choose proper place in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze to set exampling sites of eco-fishery, build protection networks for dolphins in the middle and lower reaches and endangered fishes, and reduce the negative impact of hydraulic projects on the aquatic biological resources through onground demonstration and policy research, said Dr. Zhu Chunquan. Page 1

3S Technologies Applied in Qinling Giant Panda Habitat Network Management 3S s technologies has been widely applied in Qinling by nature conserve staff, after WWF has provided five technical

The collection and processing of field data relies heavily on 3S technologies.

2 3S Technologies Applied in Qinling Giant Panda Habitat Network Management 3S s technologies has been widely applied in Qinling by nature conserve staff, after WWF has provided five technical trainings in 2006 and 2007 to over 50 people. 3S refers to Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS, and it functions powerfully if integrated with network, communication technologies and other high-tech. The collection and processing of field data relies heavily on 3S technologies. The application of 3S technologies was initiated by WWF in cooperation with Shaanxi Forestry Department to provide sound information for giant panda habitat conservation and management, with ultimate goal of improving management of the Qinling giant panda network. 3S training workshop The application of 3S technologies now penetrates into the routine work of nature reserve management. Now with GPS, the positioning accuracy is greatly enhanced. After combing with GIS and RS, the data collected in the field can be integrated into map or other visible format so that we know where the problem is and how to address it properly. We are now mapping our own nature reserve through the system, introduced by a ranger participated in the GIS training in Sep, Page 2 Using GPS for patrols

Page 3 Jialing River and Min River Watersheds Conservation Strategy Workshop WWF held a workshop to formulate the watershed conservation strategy of Jialing River and Min River in Chengdu from August

To ensure the health of both rivers, with support of WWF-TCCC Partnership Programme, WWF invited key stakeholders in the two watersheds to the meeting.

3 Page 3 Jialing River and Min River Watersheds Conservation Strategy Workshop WWF held a workshop to formulate the watershed conservation strategy of Jialing River and Min River in Chengdu from August 30 to 31, Jialing River and Min River are the main tributaries of the upper Yangtze River Basin, and both rivers are facing increasingly pressures from development and management. To ensure the health of both rivers, with support of WWF-TCCC Partnership Programme, WWF invited key stakeholders in the two watersheds to the meeting. Through discussion, the major threats to the biodiversity of the two watersheds were identified as follows: Increased waste water discharge deteriorates water quality and threatens drinking water; Hydropower development leads to the extinction of migrating fish and destruction of aquatic habitat; Vegetation deterioration in headwater area causes soil erosion; Gold mining and sand dredging destroy the habitat of aquatic life and threaten the water quality of downstream; Over fishing. Challenge also means opportunity. The participants believed that the rivers could become clean and that fish would jump out of the water again if proper management and practices were promoted, such as reducing use of fertilizers and developing eco-agriculture, adopting sustainable fishery policies, restoring the vegetation of upstream, strictly controlling mining and establishing environment-friendly management mechanism for hydropower dams along the rivers. Participants discussing the major threats to the two watersheds

4 Page 4 News in brief The International Research Center of Wetland in the Dongting Lake Invites Public Bidding Jointly established by WWF and Institute of Subtropical Agriculture of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the International Research Center of Wetland in the Dongting Lake, began to invite public bidding for the first-phase research projects officially. Projects for public bidding include: the developing strategy of the center; landscape change of the drainage area in the past 50 years and its environmental impacts on the Dongting Lake; the basic ecological features of sub-basin ecosystems such as the river mouth, coastal belt and central lakes and their reciprocal mechanism; comprehensive analysis and assessment of the health of the Dongting Lake wetland ecosystem; the makeup (formation) of the small animal and plant diversities in the Dongting Lake wetland and their co-succession mechanism; an integrated decision-making support system for the management of the Dongting Lake drainage area as well as the framework and policy for the planning and management of the area s eco-economy etc. Workshop on Grants Kicked Off The Workshop was held in Kunming on 24-25th, September, with the aim to introduce the EFN grants, requirement, application and management issues. The 2007 EFN Grants is focused to conduct natural resource management and issues of common concern regarding the environment in the Upper Mekong and Yangtze River Basins (mainly in Yunnan Province and Shanghai) for community-based organizations, NGOs, government agencies, and educational institutions. Coming next month Alternative livelihoods products showing on Holland Village exhibition in Beijing TCCC project kicking off in Chengdu The Clean Production and Clean Development Mechanism in Livestock Farming project launch in Wuhan The 3 rd International Yellow River Forum in Dongying

5 Movie on WWF Qinling Project Soon to be Distributed The final editing of the Movie is just finished and it is ready to be circulated among WWF network, donors, partners and potential interested parties in Oct The movie is a summary of the work that WWF has done in the past six years in the Qinling Mountains. WWF renewed exhibition hall in Hunan In Hunan Forestry Education Center, WWF updated the exhibition in September. It s the third renewed version since its opening in 2002, introducing the latest work of WWF in and out of China, including the achievements of Yangtze Focal programme, as well as the achievements of Yangtze Focal programme. With great education value, the center introduced the biological system and special vegetation and animal resources of Hunan province. Students and government official are the main visitors. Yangtze vision A region where a living river links the Tibetan Plateau and the Pacific; A region where people thrive in harmony with nature, pandas play in forests, children swim with dolphins and fish in the clear water, pheasants dance among the rhododendron, and cranes sing at sunrise. A region where natural cycles sustain a rich and ancient culture. Page 5 Study Tour on Bio-energy in Sweden Invited by WWF Sweden, Mr. Ling Lin, the head of WWF Chengdu Office paid a 5-day visit to Sweden from September 9 to 14, 2007 to learn about bio-energy. Forest farms in Sweden are very experienced in applying advanced technique to turn the remains of logging into high-efficient bio-energy. They turn roots, trees and other scraps into flammable liquid or fuel bar. This kind of fuel features high efficiency and low pollution. If the technique were applied in the logging area in China, it would helpto save thousands of tons of oil and coal and dramatically reduce co 2 emission every year. For further information, please contact: Zeng Ming, communication Manager Yangtze programme WWF CPO Tel: ext Fax: mzeng@wwfchina.org

Yangtze Programme Newsletter

Yangtze Programme Newsletter Protect & restore viable populations of focal species & their habitats Bamboo Blooming in northern Minshan Bamboo blooming happens in partial areas of Northern Minshan, but may not pose a major threat