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Sustainability Evaluation of the Grain for Green Project: From Local People’s Responses to Ecological Effectiveness in Wolong Nature Reserve

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Abstract

This article examines the sustainability of the Grain for Green Project in the Wolong Nature Reserve. Pertinent data were collected through a questionnaire survey and a spatial analysis of reforested lands. The study results identified four critical issues that may influence the sustainability of the project in the study area. The first issue is concerned with the project’s impacts on local sustenance. Because local grain consumption depends greatly on compensation awarded by the project, the potential for sustainability of the project is compromised. The second issue is that the project causes negative effects on local incomes in the Wolong Nature Reserve, which may undermine local economic prospects. The third issue is that the project failed to deliver suitable habitat for the giant panda, although two of the suitability requirements that deal with landform features were met. Lastly, the project neglects great differences among geographical areas in the country, providing the same compensation and length of compensation period to all participants. Appropriate compensation mechanisms should be established and adapted to local economic, environmental, and social conditions. In managing nature reserves and moving toward sustainability, ensuring all aspects of local socioeconomic and ecological/environmental issues are properly addressed is a real challenge. Based on our study, some recommendations for improving sustainability of the project are given.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants 40621061 and 30300052 from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. We are grateful to Mr. Wang James and Peter Towbin for their help in editing our English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resource, Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, 105 North Road of Western 3rd-Ring, Beijing, 100037, People’s Republic of China

    Jian-Ying Xu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Urban & Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, People’s Republic of China

    Jian-Ying Xu, Li-Ding Chen, Yi-He Lu & Bo-Jie Fu

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  1. Jian-Ying Xu
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  2. Li-Ding Chen
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  3. Yi-He Lu
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Correspondence to Li-Ding Chen.

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Xu, JY., Chen, LD., Lu, YH. et al. Sustainability Evaluation of the Grain for Green Project: From Local People’s Responses to Ecological Effectiveness in Wolong Nature Reserve. Environmental Management 40, 113–122 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-006-0113-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-006-0113-1

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