Presentation prepared for the symposium "Finding common ground [for conservation] across the rangelands of Central Asia and Tibetan plateau" at Conservation Asia 2018; held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, on August 6-10, 2018. See http://conservationasia2018.org/.

1. DEVELOPING CHINA’S
PROTECTED AREAS
Dr J Marc Foggin
Acting Director, Mountain Societies Research Institute
University of Central Asia
All photographs © Marc Foggin All
rights reserved
Inclusive approaches to conservation… with
lessons learned… for achieving sustainability

2. PROTECTED AREAS
ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU
Changing Land Management Regimes on the Tibetan Plateau
How herding communities are affected by, and responding to, large-
scale transformations under China’s National Parks
• Major changes in land management systems over the past two decades
• More participatory and inclusive approaches have been trialed
• National park system now
in development
• Challenges and
opportunities

3. PROTECTED AREAS
ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU
• Pastoralism as sustainable food system
• Local community conserved areas
• National nature reserves, etc.
• National parks
…observing change since 1994

4. • Tibetan Plateau ～ 1/4 of China
• Extensive rangelands, wetlands,
deserts, high mountain ranges
• Climate, agriculture, population
6%
94%
TIBETAN PLATEAU
IN CONTEXT
Source: Foggin 2018

5. Source: Li et al. 2015 Ecological Red Lines

6. Source: Cao et al. 2015 Xu et al. 2017 China’s PA Network
Legislative context of PAs

7. Source: Miller-Rushing et al. 2016 China’s PA Network
Protected Areas in China (as of 2014)

8. Source: Foggin 2016 Sanjiangyuan Region

9. Traditionalpastoralismin
theSanjiangyuanregion
Domestic livestock
Sociocultural
context

10. Traditionalpastoralismin
theSanjiangyuanregion
Life on the edge
Sociocultural
context

11. Traditionalpastoralismin
theSanjiangyuanregion
Seasonal mobility
Sociocultural
context

12. Traditionalpastoralismin
theSanjiangyuanregion
Dependence on yak
Sociocultural
context

13. Majorrapidchanges
occurring
‘Nomads without pastures’?

14. Majorrapidchanges
occurring
Urbanization? What future?

15. WHAT TRANSFORMATIONS?
• Household situations
• Access to markets
• Communications
• Natural resource
management
• Land fragmentation
• Human-wildlife conflict

16. Timeline of major transformations…
Local initiatives
from ~1990 to present
Traditional period
until major changes,1958
Modern period
from 1958 to present
• Western Development
Committee, Wild Yak
Brigade
• Village wildlife laws
• Local civil society, local PAs
• Initial trialing of community
co-management, focus on
snow leopard in Muqu
• Revolving funds and
herders’ cooperatives
• Community-based tourism
and other targeted poverty
alleviation
• Hunting livelihood
• Subsistence only
• Tracking of wildlife
• Traditional knowledge
• Tribal organization
• Risk minimization strategy
(vs. profit maximization)
Until relocation of local
community in 1958…
• Communes created
• Privatization of assets
(especially livestock)
• Household Contract
Responsibility System
• Grassland Laws, etc.
• Western Development
Strategy, eco-migration,
other development policies
• SNNR plans adapted, now
including co-management
• Trial phase of National Parks
• Communes created
• Privatization of assets
(especially livestock)
• Household Contract
Responsibility System
• Grassland Laws, etc.
• Western Development
Strategy, eco-migration,
other development policies
• SNNR plans adapted, now
including co-management
• Trial phase of National Parks

17. LESSONS LEARNED
Source:Foggin2018
BiodiversityLivelihoods and culture
in protected areas

18. Moreinclusiveapproaches
Communication and
partnerships

19. Community co-management
Moreinclusiveapproaches

20. ESTABLISHING NATIONAL PARKS

21. HOW ARE HERDERS COPING?
The CHANGES
• Moving from nature reserves (focus on conservation only) to
national parks – dual goals, conservation and development
• Support from national park management authorities, focus on
capacity development, serving as community wardens
• Local voices are increasingly heard — yet not uniformly or entirely,
and still some relocations are deemed necessary

22. HOW ARE HERDERS COPING?
The RESPONSES
• Facing relocations, herders are exhibiting mixed reactions:
• Sometimes with hope for a better future, especially for their children;
or for some people, keen adoption of new livelihood opportunities
• But other times, with real concern about how to respond to policies;
or sadness at anticipated loss of culture and traditional practices;
or with some apprehension about all the changes and unknown

23. Community associations trialed
and developed, incl. ‘community
development revolving funds’ –
building local business and
administrative capacities
LESSONS LEARNED
through development of
community associations

24. Local herders’ cooperatives
established – supporting the
development of endogenous
and environmentally-friendly
business ventures
LESSONS LEARNED
through development of
community cooperatives

25. Source: Foggin 2018
LESSONS LEARNED
through recent transitions
Summary of

26. BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE
KEY QUESTIONS
• What is China’s BRI?
• How can BRI benefit/threaten
biodiversity? protected areas?
• What does BRI mean for the
mountains of Central Asia?
• What partnership should be
developed?
Map created by Peter Cai, reproduced with
permission of the Lowy Institute for use in
Foggin 2018

27. FINDING COMMON GROUND,
KEY MESSAGES FOR POLICY MAKERS
• Need to incorporate environmental and social considerations (cf.
integrated approach, “three pillars of sustainability”)
• Local perspectives and voices should be
included in project prioritization, planning,
implementation (cf. inclusive approach,
synthesis of different ways of knowing)
• People-to-people exchanges under BRI can
bring multiple benefits (cf. dialogue, mutual
learning)

28. THANK YOU!

29. REFERENCES
• Cao, M.; Peng, L.; Liu, S. Analysis of the Network of Protected Areas in China Based
on a Geographic Perspective: Current Status, Issues and Integration. Sustainability
2015, 7, 15617–15631.
• Foggin, J.M. Environmental Conservation in the Tibetan Plateau Region: Lessons for
China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the Mountains of Central Asia. Land 2018, 7, 52.
Available at: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/7/2/52
• Foggin, J.M. Snow Leopard Landscape Conservation: Partnering with Local
Communities in Western China and Central Asia for Conservation and
Development. 2016. Available at: https://bit.ly/2Hvx2Gg
• Li, Y.; Lu, C.; Lu, U.; Deng, O. Ecological Characteristics of China’s Key Ecological
Function Areas. J. Res. Ecol. 2015, 6, 427–432.
• Miller-Rushing, A.J., et al., A Chinese approach to protected areas: A case study
comparison with the United States, Biological Conservation 2016. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.05.022
• Xu Weihua et al. Strengthening protected areas for biodiversity and ecosystem
services in China. PNAS 2017, 114(7):1601-1606. Available at:
www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1620503114

30. Dr Marc Foggin
Acting Director, Mountain Societies Research Institute
University of Central Asia
marc.foggin@ucentralasia.org