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(cont.)
Bringing people on-side
A key dimension of conservation is of course the
local human population, and how they are obtaining
their resources especially around the edges of nature
reserves.202,203 While some conflicts are inevitable,
we believe there is great scope for synergy between
institutional conservation and more ecological approaches
to land management by communities.204,205,206,207,208,209
Since 2006 our team has included Hil Padilla, a veteran
of sustainable farming in Southeast Asia and former head
of KFBG's Agriculture Department. He has undertaken a
range of workshops and other activities alongside partner
charities across China, and has begun working with Li
villagers and reserve staff at Yinggeling toward integrated
and intelligent farming systems that work with nature; he
has also begun educating the rest of our Team as to the
all-important farmer's perspective. Local communities
will be key in our future education work, where their
field knowledge is a strong foundation for building more
sustainable resource management.
Hil Padilla (left) strives to incorporate integrated land-use approaches and concepts (with elements of food production and biodiversity conservation) into the design and planning of farm plots |
We also plan to deepen the education component of our
work by working with other key multiplier groups; not
least, Living Forests readers.210,211 We have contributed to
visitor education materials at Damingshan180 and Hainan
Normal University,212,213 and to initiatives enabling
identification, such as a key to Hainan's vertebrates.214
Meanwhile our scientific information has been taken up
in nature tourism publications,215 while our photographs
are widely used in online educational tools.216 Building
on the strategy initiated by Sharon Chow, our new team
including Wylie Chu, Philip Lo, Ela Lam and Lu Gang is
keen to take the education work forward; we have begun
with a permanent China exhibition at KFBG itself, and
are working on a series of accessible regional field guides
on selected wildlife groups.
The mission and stable resources of KFBG have given
us an opportunity we never take for granted. We are
constantly aware of the need to improve our effectiveness.
For a moment though, we should all take pride in
our collective efforts to look after natural heritage.
Conservation is good work.115
The next decade
So what will the next ten years bring? It's difficult to
make firm plans in conservation; the dynamic climate
- physical and social - can quickly change priorities
and opportunities. It feels we are in a race between
environmental decline and the awareness needed to
reverse it; new technology could accelerate both, but
the former has a big head start. In CP we hope to bring
a counterbalance, contributing to how nature is valued
and conserved. We seek increasingly to support others in
their pursuit of lasting values, at Yinggeling and elsewhere.
In this the original Kadoorie Farm philosophy, "helping
people to help themselves", still applies. If the first decade
is anything to go by, while we can all expect difficulties
as well as successes, the effort will be worthwhile and
memorable. We thank the many people who have guided
us and worked alongside us up to now, and look forward
to our further collaboration. A biodiverse future is
still possible!
Results generated from the rapid biodiversity surveys conducted in some 40 forest areas were collated and published into field reports |
References
- Anon., 1996. Dinghushan Man and Biosphere Reserve,Guangdong. Porcupine! 14: 17-21.
- Anon., 1996. Chebaling National Nature Reserve, North Guangdong. Porcupine! 15:25-32.
- Fellowes JR and Hau CH, 1997. A Faunal Survey of Nine Forest Reserves in Tropical South China. Unpublished report, Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, Hong Kong, 169 pp.
- Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, 2001-2004. South China Forest Biodiversity Survey Report Series: Nos. 1-40. KFBG, Hong Kong SAR (in English).
- Fellowes JR, Chan BPL, Ng SC, Lau MWN and Lee
KS, 2003. Summary of findings from some rapid
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