Energy supply, felling reduction and better forest protection.
The project is aimed to develop biogas-generating pits in the buffer zone of Chebaling Biosphere Reserve (China). Chebaling National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Province, located in Shixing County of Guangdong Province, was established in 1981 as a nature reserve at county level and entitled as a national nature reserve in May 1988. Chebaling National Nature Reserve was listed in “Chinese Biosphere Reserve Network” in 1995 and was entitled an “Environment-Educational Base” by CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and taken as a teaching practice base for Life Science and Technology College of Ji’nan University, and became Guangdong Popular Science Education Base in 2004.
More than 1000 villagers live in the Reserve, and Chinese people in the mountainous areas have to change the tradition of living by the mountains due to establishment of the Reserve. In a sense, the villagers in the Reserve are either willing or forced to make great contribution to development of the Reserve.
Although villagers cannot make income from lumbering and hunting, daily domestic fuel is also obtained by felling trees in the Reserve. In order to further improve environmental protection in Chebaling National Nature Reserve, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization determined to encourage villagers in the Reserve to use biogas pools to reduce felling so that quality of life of villagers can be improved and forests can be better protected.
Positive Impacts of the Biogas Project in the Biosphere Reserve:
- It restored confidence of villagers in using biogas so as to promote popularization of biogas in the Reserve and achieve the goal of felling reduction and better forest protection.
- It achieved the global objective of energy saving and emission reduction for biogas projects are of energy-saving and emission-reduction project, and reduction of felling promoted by the biogas projects also helped increase carbon sink.
- Ease conflict between the Administrative Bureau of the Reserve and local villagers in terms of environmental protection and improvement of quality of life.
- Provided training for local bricklayers to master a technology and employment opportunities for local unskilled workers to make some extra income.
More information: unesco.org
Demonstration on Community Sustainable Development in Chebaling Biosphere Reserve, Guangdong Province GEF project
