Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Alterra, Wageningen UR has taken the initiative to search for solutions on the competing claims of the wetlands in China. As a first activity, 10 experts of Alterra, Wageningen UR, Nanjing Agricultural University China and Wetlands International China have joined forces to establish an integral approach to assess and evaluate opportunities and risks of biodiversity in wetlands in a socio-economic context.
China has millions of acres of wetlands, providing a very rich environment for many different species of plants, mammals, fish, birds, and insects. However, economic development poses a strong pressure on biodiversity. Some 50% of coastal wetlands have already been lost and nearly 1,000 lakes have disappeared, whereas in the parts of China where economic development has been strong, over 90% of the vast wetlands have been drained and converted to farmlands.
In this approach:
- the DPSIR framework is promoted to pinpoint the main drivers that cause biodiversity loss;
- the Contingent Valuation Methods is promoted to assess the economic value of non marketable ecosystem services;
- the LEDESS model is promoted to visualize the ecologic consequence of land-use scenarios;
- different participatory approaches are promoted to evaluate the sociological aspects of land -use scenarios of wetlands and to increase the involvement of local communities to enhance social acceptance.
A workshop was held in China in 2008 with the aim to select potential wetland sites for which the approach can be applied in order to develop a wise use of wetlands plan for the sites. Three coastal wetland sites were selected and their location and site description is given in the report. This activity has resulted in a report and a leaflet in Chinese and English.
The financial resources needed for the execution of the case study will be the main concern to be explored on short term.
More information:
Wise use of wetland in China; Integral approach to assess and evaluate opportunities and risks of biodiversity in wetlands in a socio-economic context; Chris Klok, Bert Harms, Shi Xiaoping, Ou Weixin, Zhu Lina, Zhu Peixin, Bianca Nijhof, Michiel van Eupen, Annemarie Groot & Chen Kelin, publised: 15 Jan 2009
Download Alterra report 1763
Chris Klok, +31 (0)317 481452,
Bert Harms, +31 (0)317 481647
http://www.alterra.wur.nl/CN/ (Chinese)