Biodiversity Strategy and Action Planning- Community Involvement andSustainable Development

Alpine Grassland Regional Development Plan -- Demonstration project on integrated sustainable development in the Qinghai-Xizang plateau

The goal is to establish a demonstration project on the Qinghai-Xizang plateau that incorporates local input and addresses the interplay between biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in this harsh environment. The BWG has liaised with Plateau Perspectives (Canada) and FFI (UK) to work at the local level in support of the Upper Yangtze Organization on the Alpine Grassland Regional Development Plan. Tent schools have been established to promote environmental education for all age groups, environmental monitors have been trained operating out of fully functional field stations, four local protected areas have been established - each targeting a threatened species, and economic incentives for biodiversity conservation are being pursued. The project clearly shows how to achieve integrated sustainable development and preserve biodiversity on the Qinghai-Xizang plateau.

Biodiversity Planning Support Program for Northeast and East Central Asia Region

BWG was working as the focal point of the Biodiversity Planning Support Programme on Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for North and Central Asia sponsored by UNDP/UNEP/GEF, 2000-2001. The project covers 9 countries (Afghanistan, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) in the region as defined. It was resulted in the establishment of a regional list server and a website where specialised information on biodiversity planning and conservation are now being shared regularly. Two workshops on NBSAPs in the region were held in April 2000, and June 2001 in Beijing. Six issues of the Newsletter of NBSAP for Northeast and East Central Asia, and an information kit and a training material package of NBSAPs were produced and distributed to related NBSAP key persons in those countries, especially China.

Develop provincial biodiversity strategies and action plan Many of the key actions in implementing the CBD need to take place at the provincial level, reflecting regional differences in biodiversity and decentralised responsibilities for resource management. Regional BAPs are of great importance in a big country such as China. The BWG recommended a program to prepare biodiversity strategies and action plans at the provincial level. These regional plans should be very practical with concrete objectives and operational programs. They should define the roles for the various economic sectors (including the Provincial departments of forestry, agriculture, fisheries, marine affairs, tourism, science and technology, transport, energy, trade and education, in addition to the Provincial Environmental Protection Agency and private enterprise), as well as outline the major activities needed to implement the CBD at the provincial level. The provincial BAPs would set out the major policy directions for the province to ensure that biological resources are used sustainably and continue to play a critical role in the economic and social welfare of local people. The BWG has started the BSAP of Dujiangyan, Sichuan.