Regional Environmental Technical Assistance 5771
Poverty Reduction & Environmental Management in Remote Greater
Mekong Subregion Watersheds Project (Phase I)

RRA REPORT OF XISHUANGBANNA
DAI NATIONALITY AUTONOMOUS PREFECTURE

Watershed Profile

By

Bo Zhou
Meng Guangtao
Fang Bo
Dai Yiyuan

CONTENTS

1. BACKGROUND

Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture is located in Southwest part of Yunnan Province, 99^o58 ^o to 101 ^o 50 ^o E, and 21 ^o 09 ^o to 22 ^o 36 ^o N, with a total land area of 19,124.5 km², of which hills and mountains account for 95%. The Prefecture borders Burma and Lao PDR. There is a provincial route of highway accessible to the capital Jinghong City of the Prefecture from provincial capital Kunming, with the length of about 730 km. The flights from Kunming to Jinghong only take about 50 minutes.

Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture is also located in the drainage area of Lancang River water systems, in which 2,762 great and small rivers are distributed. Mainly, there are 16 arterial anabranches such as Luosuo River, Nanla River, Liusha River, Nanxian River, and Nanguo River, and 65 secondary anabranches in the region. The great rivers (main streams) flow 187.5 km in the Prefecture. There are 53 waterpower stations in the region, with 61,003 kilowatts of installed capacity in total.

Under influences of both the Indian Ocean monsoon and the Pacific Ocean monsoon, the region has characteristics of monsoon climate in the transition zone of northern tropics and southern subtropics. All the year round, dry season and rainy season are clearly demarcated. The mean annual precipitation is 1,193.7–2,491.5 mm, while the mean annual temperature is in the range from 15.1 to 21.7�. The rainy season ranges from May to October every year, and the precipitation in the rainy season accounts for 84.1% of the all-year total.

Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture covers one city and two counties, i.e., Jinghong City, Menghai County, and Mengla County, and 40 townships, 198 administrative villages, 2,095 villager committees, and 11 state-own farms. Among 40 townships, there are 7 townships belonging to 506 aid-the-poor townships of Yunnan Province, which are charged as fortified positions by Provincial Government (average annual incomes for individuals below 500 CNY according to the fixed price in 1990, and average annual possessing food for individuals below 300 kg). Average annual incomes for individuals and average annual possessing food for individuals of agricultural population of the whole Prefecture are 1,471 CNY and 664 kg respectively. In whole Prefecture, present poverty population is 50 thousand people, of which minority population represents over 95%. According to statistic results in 1997, the length of frontier line in the Prefecture is 966.29 km, and the total land area is 19,124.5 km². Of which, the area of infields and farmlands is 104,000 ha, with 123,840 ha of plantations, 10,444.67 ha of forestlands, 596,333.3 ha of barren-lands and grasslands, 18,666.67 ha of water areas, and 25,160 ha of other kinds of land. Owing to unreasonable land use system, the area of soil and water loss accounts for 29.03% of the Prefecture’s total. With the development of crop production, there is a trend that the areas of soil and water loss will be further expanded in the near future.

The total population of Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture is 838,400 people inhabiting in 212,201 families, of which the total minority population is 619,220 people, accounting for 73.86% of the Prefecture’s total. The natural population growth rate is 5.58%. Among the minority population, the population of Dai minority represents 34.66%, with 18.84% of Hani people, 5.69% of Lahu people, 4.17% of Bulang people, 4.2% of Yi people, 2.1% of Jinuo people, and 1.9% of Yao people. Census and statistic data of the Prefecture revealed that the population mounts up rapidly. For instance, the total population of the Prefecture was 210,349 people in 1950, 240,751 people in 1955, 311,054 people in 1960, 402,894 people in 1965, 480,005 people in 1970, 598,212 people in 1975, 622,522 people in 1980, 691,442 people in 1985, 781,710 people in 1990, and 817,772 people in 1995. We can get the information from above data that the total population of the Prefecture has increased 2.89 times in late four decades.

The Governments of Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture have been recognising and thinking much of education and health care. There are only 2 middle schools and 11 elementary schools in the whole Prefecture in 1950, in which 20 teachers were engaged and 300 students were enrolled. In 1997, however, there are 61 middle schools and 545 elementary schools in the Prefecture, in which allocated 8,911 teachers and recruited 140,941 students. In whole Prefecture, 254 health institutions have been established, in which 9,809 doctors, nurses, and other professional health workers are engaged in their occupations. Every township has one Township Health Centre.

Basically, Dai, Han, Hui, and Bai people who are engaged in paddy plantation and handicraft industry live in basins; so, we call them as basin nationalities or basin residents. Hani, Lahu, Jinuo, Bulang, and Yao people who are engaged in wadi and tea plantation, as well as collection and cultivation of other economic plants, live in mountainous areas; so, we name them as mountainous nationalities or mountainous residents.

Minority autonomous policies make the minority population grow in a certain extent. However, the growth of population, the widespread practices of slash-and-burn agriculture, and the continuous expansion of rubber plantation have resulted in further degradation of forests and environment. For instance, the area of tropical rain forests is 520,000 ha now, which has decreased about 40% comparing with the total in 1975. The area of rubber plantation please refers to annex.

Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve is located in 21 ^o 10 ^o –22 ^o 14 ^o of northern latitude, and 100 ^o 16 ^o –101 ^o 50 ^o of eastern longitude. The Nature Reserve was approved/admitted as a network member of MAB by UNESCD in October 1993. The total area of the Nature Reserve is 241,776 ha, accounting for 12.6% of the Prefecture’s total. The core area of the Nature Reserve covers 126,566.6 ha, representing 52.4% of the Nature Reserve’s total, while experimental zone covers 115,209.4 ha, accounting for 47.6% of the total. The main purpose of the Nature Reserve is to protect tropical rain forests, monsoon rain forests, rare wildlife population, and their habitats. Xishuangbanna is not only the most enrichment area of species in China, but it is also the region where has the highest value of biodiversity protection.

2. SELECTION OF SAMPLE VILLAGES

According to requirements of the Outline of Project Report, we, survey team, have comprehensively analysed many factors as follows:

After survey team and the Prefecture Government officials’ repeated argumentation, we selected four natural villages as our sampling villages. The four villages and their features are detailed as follows:

1. Xiaonuoyou Down Village, located inside Bannahe Provincial Nature Reserve, is the village in which Lahu minority lives. The Village is subordinated to Mengsong Township that is one of the 506 aid-the-poor townships of Yunnan Province, which are charged as fortified positions by Provincial Government.
2. Mansaoxiu Natural Village, located in basin area surrounding Mangao Nature Reserve, is the village in which Dai minority lives. The reason why we chose it as sample village is that the village is located in basin area, but its economic development is very behindhand comparing with other villages in basin areas.
3. Manping Natural Village, located in experimental zone of Shangyong Nature Reserve, is the village in which Yao minority lives. The village is one of the relocated villages from core area of the Nature Reserve.
4. Naxiu Natural Village, located in experimental zone of Mengla region of the Natural Reserve, is the village in which Hani minority lives. The village is one of the 17 aid-the-poor villages of Mengla County, which are charged as fortified positions by the County Government.

The four villages we selected contain main minorities of Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture, of which not only includes basin nationalities such as Dai minority, but mountainous nationalities have also been involved, such as Hani, Lahu, and Yao minorities. All four villages are typical poor villages, which are located in the areas inside or surrounding the Nature Reserves. Under the influences and affections of living custom and economic condition, the sampling villages have their respective characteristics of resource utilisation and environment degradation.

We, using Village Profile Chart, Problem Analysis Chart, and Questionnaire for Household Interview, have taken the interview method of semi-structure. Four villages’ interviews have been accomplished through filling Village Profile Charts for each village, filling 12 Questionnaires for Household Interview during interview. At the same time, using relief map of the region where the sample village is located, we have drawn land use systems and types for each village. Moreover, combining field investigation, we have identified the range and outline of soil and water loss and land degradation, and analysed the reason resulting in soil erosion, soil and water loss, and land degradation and probable approaches and solutions.

We have collected a lot of secondary information from different authority institutions, such as Prefecture Government, Prefecture Bureau of Environment Protection, Prefecture Aid-the-Poor Office, and Management Bureau of Nature Reserve, and many County-level institutions such as Bureau of Environment Protection and Statistic Bureau of Menghai County and Mengla County. We organised many colloquia with participants of administrative officials of the Prefecture, Counties, and Townships respectively. From the colloquia, basic characteristics of the Prefecture and basic situations of communities surrounding the Nature Reserve were available, which provided the greatest help for our selection of sampling villages.

3. ROUGH AND ELEMENTARY OPINIONS

3.1 Traditional Land and Natural Resource Use Patterns Affecting Environment

In the long period of historical development, every nationality in Xishuangbanna harmoniously gets along with the nature, such as Dai people’s culture of sacred forest and hill, artificial fuelwood forests, paddy agriculture, and etc. All of these perfect custom and patterns are compliant with local ecological environment. If we earnestly make a conclusion of the custom and patterns, we can extend them to other regions where have the similar natural background, such as Burma and Thailand. Mountainous residents’ main agricultural production pattern is the widespread practice of slash-and-burn agriculture. Based on plentiful lands and adopting proper methods, traditional slash-and-burn agriculture does not take more affection to the environment. Moreover, through the agriculture pattern, sufficient manure and fertiliser will be gained from forests, and the fire used in the slash-and-burn agriculture may benefit for weed and pest and vermin control. Overmuch, with the social development, population expansion, the slash-and-burn agriculture undoubtedly brings on serious degradation of environment. The problems raised from crop production in the three investigated villages also show human severe pressure to natural environment.

3.2 Elementary Opinion of Education, Health, and Development Plan

The education condition of the Autonomous Prefecture still stay in the primary phrase, and there is no college or university in the Prefecture. In 1991, there are only 7,362 students who graduated from vocational schools and middle schools. Most residents in Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture are illiteracy. More than half of residents over 12-year old cannot read. Excepting Jinuo minority, two third of mountainous residents are illiteracy, and most of them are female. In the rural area, it is essential to develop complete elementary schools and to popularise elementary education.

The lowest level institution of health care has been built in administrative villages. In the whole Prefecture, every administrative village has one rural clinic, in which only one or two health workers are employed. The health worker only can treat some simple and common diseases and carry out immunity work of maternity and child assigned from upper health institutions and governments. Four investigated villages are located in remote areas, resulting in conditions of lack of doctor and shortage of medicines, and it is very difficult to see a doctor for local people.

In poor villages, the incompletely settled problem of drinking water cannot guarantee local villagers’ clean drinking water, which severely threatens villagers’ health. Most of villagers were infected by malaria, with high incidence of the disease.

Mountainous villages are lacking of agricultural techniques and preventive knowledge of livestock diseases. Commonly, administrative village has no agricultural technician and veterinarian to provide appropriate services for local farmers. Excepting Mansaoxiu Natural Village, no hold a training course on agricultural technologies in other investigated villages.

The lowest level institutions of Rural Credit Union were established in the places where the township governments are located. Common rural people hardly to be granted a loan from Rural Credit Union. Micro-credit, which has gained obvious and great achievements in other areas of Yunnan Province, is not extended into these regions. We, survey team, have learnt from field investigation that rural development is restricted by lack of financial resources, resulting in good projects and plans cannot to be implemented although local villagers have many nice desirability and programs.

3.3 Land Use Conditions

In 1980s, same as other regions all around China, the contract responsibility system of farmlands has been carried out in Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture. Farmers and villagers can plant all kinds of crops as their wishes and gain profits from the responsibility lands. According to the policy of ‘Liangshan (two kinds of forests in mountains in Chinese, i.e., responsibility forests and household forests) allocated to households’, local villagers can independently manage these two kinds of forests and forestlands, while Villager Committee on the behalf of villages enforce the ownership of collective forests. Originally, according to custom and practices of slash-and-burn agriculture in mountainous villages, local governments demarcated a certain areas for shifting cultivation. Every household can reclaim dry lands in these areas base on their labour force capacity. Since 1998, Central Government and Provincial Government have been conducting Natural Forests and Protection Forests Conservation Project in whole country, which requires that dry lands must be fixed, and felling of natural forests are forbidden. And then, activities of destroying forests are strictly controlled. Our survey also find that, for the purposes of matching the requirement of food and expanding economic forests, the areas of forests and shifting cultivation, and fishery resources have obviously decreased for late decade. However, damages of environments still can not make local people shake off the poverty, furthermore, made them step in a vicious cycle.

3.4 Agricultural Production Technologies

The productive force level of investigated villages is low, which presents as lack of efficient irrigation systems and lack of agricultural sciences and technologies, resulting in low yields and outputs; for in stance, the yield of paddy lands only ranges from 3,000 to 7,500 kg per ha. Local people cultivate farmlands only once (a season) a year round, that is, the multiple crop index is low. With the expansion of population, four surveyed villages whack up food gross outputs commonly through distending the areas of farmlands. Average annual possessing food for individuals, however, does not increase so much.

3.5 Human Pressures to Forest Resources

The forest coverage of Xishuangbanna Prefecture decreases rapidly. The forest coverage of the Prefecture was 66.9% in 1950, which decreased to 33.9% in 1983. Local people in Xishuangbanna region damage forests in various patterns, which mainly include:

1. Miscarried policies such as the policies of ‘Liangshan allocated to households’ and ‘The Great Leap Forward’;
2. Human pressures arisen from natural population growth and overmuch relocatees, resulting in overmuch developing crop production that commonly give priority to rubber, sugarcane, and tea; and
3. Most energy resources of industries and households thoroughly depend upon forests.

The survey revealed that every household in four investigated villages needs 4 – 5 m³ of fuelwood per year, and local villagers are facing the present condition that forest annual increment is less than annual consumption and sustainable development of forest resources are lacking of potentiality. Therefore, villagers have to go into nature reserves, state forests to collect fuelwood and fell timber. In addition, mountainous residents plant amomum fruit and some other economic crops inside nature reserves - regarded as reasonable development of bio-resources. If it is not strictly controlled, in the near few years, most natural forests will be converted to artificial forests.

4. SUGGESTIONS

(1) Developing education in Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture is a very important work. It is suitable to take the following activities:

1. To establish complete elementary schools;
2. To establish vocational schools and middle schools;
3. To debase the pass line of college and university enrolments for minority students in Xishuangbanna region; and
4. To develop facilities of newspaper, broadcast, and television related to commonalty education.

(2) Health condition needs to improve.

1. To help local people to alter their imperfect traditional living custom;
2. To resolve the "three accessible" problem for poor villages, i.e., drinking water accessible, electricity accessible, and routes accessible; and
3. To establish prevention and medical treatment systems for human and livestock, in particular prevention of tropical contagious diseases.

(3) Agricultural techniques and agriculture-related facility need to extend and promote.

It is very essential to establish extension and training systems of agricultural techniques, such as management techniques for agriculture cultivation, techniques for pests and diseases and weed control, in rural area, especially, in mountainous villages. Meanwhile, it has great contributions to local people to help them to build efficient irrigation systems for increasing multiple crop index and single yield of paddy lands. Increment of food yield not only can match local needs, but also can bring a certain economic incomes for local people.

(4) Management measures of natural forests need to strengthen

Through protecting natural forests, decrease the extent of damaging forests and reclaiming farmland by destroying forests. Xishuangbanna is the unique region where numerous tropical forests have been protected in China. The region is the perfect places to conduct study on biodiversity origins, to organise instructional and educational activities of environment and nature resources. Economic development brings on severe pressure to the environment, meanwhile, is a common phenomenon in the region, which are also valuable instructional materials. For instance, consequences of different land use systems show the great contrasts, which are successions from fresh green tropical rain forests to lots of barren lands due to over-exploitation.

(5) Land use systems need to rationalise

As stated above, since 1998, Central Government and Provincial Government have been conducting Natural Forests and Protection Forests Conservation Project in whole country. The project requires returning the grain plots to forestry, where the gradient is over 25 degree. Aimed at surveyed villages, the following measures are suitable to be taken:

1. To convert slope farmlands to terraces;
2. To establish steady high-yield fertile lands to meet local food consumption;
3. To develop agroforestry systems or Taungya systems to plant high-efficiency tropical economic forests;
4. To develop artificial fuelwood forests, such as planting Cassia siamea.

(6) Suggestions for second phase

After survey and study on the four natural villages, we have analysed integrated factors and conditions of the region in every direction. Based on the visualisation of regions co-operation project in second phase, it is suggested to let feasibility study of second phase emphasise particularly on borders between China and Lao PDR. The village sequence to execute feasibility study is Nanping, Naxiu, Xiaonuoyou Down Village, and Mansaoxiu. Primary plan is to make the sites in China connect with villages in Lao PDR, with their residents’ active participation, which will be formed a regions co-operation project, and to implement the feasibility study of second phase as soon as possible.

Table of Rubber Plantation of Xishuangbanna Prefecture

Table of Census and Nationality Breakdown of Xishuangbanna Prefecture

Table of Illiterate Rate of Main Nationalities over 12 years old
of Xishuangbanna Prefecture

Sources: Yunnan Vital Statistics Compilation, Yunnan People’s Publishing House, 1990; and
Yunnan Minority Vital Statistics Data, Yunnan People’s Publishing House, 1992.
Statistic Bureau of Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture
Notes: mu is a Chinese land measure, and 1 ha = 15 mu

Annex to RRA Report Xishuangbanna