I chose to investigate the
reforestation project of the Qiang ethnic group, who "mainly inhabit the valleys of the Minjiang River (a
main branch of the Yangtze) in Sichuan Province." The basic idea here is that they used the group's practice of planting trees in alternating rows so that they could also plant medicinal herbs in between the rows, in the shade from the trees. These herbs are part of their economy, and their practice of growing trees first and thereby maintaining forest is a smart way to integrate local economic needs, indigenous knowledge, and the awareness of the importance of forests.
My action for this mission also focused on the importance of forests, which I learned from reading Jared Diamond's book
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. This is, I believe, perhaps the most important book on the planet.
I also found a
current article about this group, in the China Daily News. It tells of how hard-hit this region and group was by the devastating earthquake of 2008 and of how they are using cultural performances to raise money to preserve their culture. They are trying to develop tourism in this way, but the importance of the group's contribution to environmental concerns is still noted:
Wang cautions, however, that the development of tourism will only benefit some local people and have a limited impact in terms of saving
Qiang culture. He suggests that apart from selling local products and
catering to tourists, Qiang people can contribute more to the nation.
The Qiang live in a geologically unstable area near the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers that is vital for the
environment of China, Wang said.
“Using their traditional knowledge, the Qiang can play an important role in China’s environmental protection. I hope the central government
will allocate funds to let the Qiang safeguard western Sichuan’s
forests.”
The article, published on March 26 of 2010, calls upon the government to provide funds to the Qiang so that they can continue their work of reforestation. There is still recognition of the important environmental restoration work the Qiang are doing,
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