Community-based Laojun Mountain Biodiversity Conservation

Challenges and Objectives

Located in Lijiang Laojun Mountain National Park in Yunnan Province, Liju Village is home to the Yunnan golden monkey, a national-level protected animal. However, grazing and poaching have posed a direct threat to the Yunnan golden monkey population, and deforestation and the expansion of villages have led to the degradation and fragmentation of the monkey's habitat.

Lijiang Laojun Mountain Biodiversity Conservation Centre has been working with local villagers and the government to explore the road of conservation and community development while at the same time developing the local special economy and enhancing the villagers' awareness of protecting the ecological environment.  A strategy of "a group of monkeys + an expanse of forest + a group of the people + a team of patrollers" has been established to achieve the goal of harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature in Liju Village.

Collaboration Partners and Roles

In 2018, with the support of several organizations, including the Lijiang Laojun Mountain National Park Administration, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Yunnan Green Environment Development Foundation (YGF), the Lijiang Laojun Mountain Biodiversity Conservation Centre (the Centre) was officially established and authorized to participate in the conservation work of the Laojun Mountain Yunnan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Protected Area. The conservation center aims to make sure the habitat of the Laojun Mountain Yunnan snub-nosed monkey and the surrounding areas initially achieve sustainable conservation, management, and use of natural resources.

Lijiang Laojun Mountain, National Park Administration, is responsible for the issuance of concession permits and stewardship of natural resources within the boundaries of Laojun Mountain and has been authorized to entrust the Centre to carry out conservation work. TNC provides the guide to strategic planning and conservation science, and Dali University East Himalayan Research Institute carries out scientific research. YGF and Ant Forest (an environmental initiative of Ant Group) provided funding and publicity support to the program.

The local villagers formed the patrol team and participated in daily patrols in the protected area, participated in the ecotourism reception and handmade wool felt production. They also share traditional knowledge to enrich the nature-education curriculum and guided tour.

Revitalisation Activities

The Lijiang Laojun Moutain Nature Conservation Centre has been working with the local villagers of Liju Village, different departments of the county and township governments, as well as other parties, to explore the path of conservation and community development while at the same time taking into account the development of the local special economy and enhancing the villagers' awareness of ecological protection.

Currently, the community-based conservation work focuses on the following three sectors:

• Scientific Conservation: With the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey as the umbrella species, we have developed conservation actions for the core area and comprehensive monitoring of Laojun Mountain to protect the original forests, flora, and fauna and have implemented long-term monitoring of benign species and habitats to understand the current status and dynamics of biodiversity in specific areas.
• Community Development: Working with the actual situation in the area, they have formulated a sustainable industrial upgrading and development plan based on the conservation of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, which has brought economic income to local villagers through paid patrols, eco-tourism, nature education, and handicrafts production.
• Nature education: Through providing nature education courses on the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey conservation theme, they promote public and community participation in conservation practices so that participants can understand the importance of biodiversity and ecosystems and enhance the social impact of the conservation work.
  

Revitalisation Outcome

From the environmental perspective, during the project carried out at Laojun Mountain, 16 wild animal species, including the Yunnan golden snub-nosed monkey, and 20 bird species were photographed by the trapped cameras. The biodiversity and forest landscape have been protected. Meanwhile, the number of Yunnan golden snub-nosed monkeys, which is the flagship species in this place, has increased.

From the social perspective, through the community nature courses, local children in Liju Village are enabled to gain a deep understanding of the colorful flora and fauna around them and plant a seed in their hearts to protect the forest and care for the environment. These children also motivated the adults around them to protect the local environment and raise ecological awareness.

From the economic perspective, the project involves villagers in the conservation and benefits from their participation through daily patrols and the development and production of wool felting products. It has also led to the prosperity of local eco-tourism and nature experience activities, providing the basis for the villagers to transform into a service industry.