Community Participation In Conservation Action Planning (CAP)

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) defined protected areas as the lands or the oceans which are used to protect and maintain the biodiversity, natural and cultural resources by laws and other effective ways. China’s protected area system includes Nature Reserves, Forest Park, Wetland Park, National Park, the World Natural and Cultural Heritage site and Geological Parks, etc. The categories and quantities of protected area are many, but conservation effectiveness of most protected areas is not very ideal. Systematic and scientific protection methods are vital for improving the management effectiveness of protected area. Additionally, most protected areas are located in remote areas and communities exist in China, is a remarkable characteristic different from protected areas in other countries. As the most direct stakeholders in protected areas, community residents are the real owners and traditional manager of the land. Community residents are supposed to have absolute say in protected areas management, but in fact, they were often neglected during decision-making process of natural resources conservation and management. Therefore, coordination of the relationship between community development and protection business is also a very key factor for protection effects.At the beginning of this century, China project of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) cooperating with the State Forestry Administration and other government departments has introduced Conservation Action Planning (CAP). CAP, a conservation planning method following project management, is widely used in resource management of protected areas and helps conservation teams focus on focal targets and critical threats. Lijiang Laojun Mountain project is one of the first several practical application cases of CAP since it introduced into China, which already has nearly10years of application history. However, field research shows that CAP of lijiang Laojun Mountain hadn’t been carried out very well. Without combination with the actual situation of protected area in China and Lack of communication with community results in insufficient community participation which is an important factor affecting on application of CAP in Laojun Moutain.The author chosen Liju administrative village located in Shitou Township, Yulong County, Lijiang City, as study area and conducted field investigation in community of Laojun Mountain National Park by the research methods such as household interviews and questionnaire survey. Investigation and analysis of economy and life condition, environmental awareness and the natural resource utilization in Liju contributed to know communities’ demands and the way they utilize resources and realize that in order to enhance the initiative of community residents to participate in the CAP, communities’ needs should be taken full consideration into CAP process and reflected in conservation strategies. Studies have shown that the most basic requirement of communities in protected area is to reduce poverty, including improving livelihoods, having decision-making power on resources management, acquiring development opportunities, etc. However, these requirements did not reflect in the old CAP. Just try to add the following actions to conservation strategies of CAP when they are designed to improve community participation:(1) carry out environmental education among communities, strengthen the community resident’s subjective consciousness of protection;(2) help communities develop alternative energy to save more labor force;(3) help community implement sustainable resource management to improve their ability of resource management and increase unit yield of non-timber forest products;(4) assist community residents in applying for product certification for specialty there to increase income by direct connection with markets;(5) strengthen community capacity building and provide community technical support. At the same time, the author also gives suggestion on how to promote application of CAP in China, including using CAP as a tool or method for some planning documents preparation, as an alternative method except management plan as well as developing CAP adaptation and expand the application fields.