Bai Shan Zu Ecotourism Project

1. Introduction - General Information.

The Bai Shan Zu Conservation Area is located in Qingyuan County, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China. It is part of the Feng Yang Shan - Bai Shan Zu National Nature Protection Area and covers an area of 10,880.1 hectares located in the northern part of Qing Yuan county, approximately 38 km from Qing Yuan city. The area contains numerous scenic areas and historical sites, including nature conservation zones, ancient villages and many other cultural and ecological features.

Due to various social and economic factors, tourism within the area has not developed to its full potential. On the 8/11/2006, after lengthy investigations into the viability of an ecotourism development program, the county government signed an ecotourism development contract with an Australian investment company.

The main objective of the management contract is to promote the unique natural environment and local culture of the county to develop foreign and domestic tourism. This will be achieved through the management company: Bai Shan Zu Ecotourism Development Company Ltd.

2. Economy & Population

Qing Yuan County has a total area of 1898 square kilometers, and a total population of 794,100 people, comprising 20 towns and 349 administrative villages. Total domestic production for 1999 was 1,078,340,000 RMB, per capita domestic production was 5,591 RMB, and agricultural per capita income was 2,047 RMB. The majority of the population are employed in agricultural and related production. The main products are edible mushrooms and fungi, bamboo and wood products (pencils, chopsticks etc), swords and knives, many varieties of fruit and organic tea.

Bai Shan Zu area contains 8 administrative villages with a total population of 3,487 people. Population density is 31.02 people per square kilometer. Per capita income in recent years has been between 1900 - 2100 RMB. The majority of the people rely on income from timber, bamboo and forest by-products for most of their income.

3. History

Prior to the Communist Liberation indiscriminate logging, hunting and collecting had damaged much of Bai Shan Zu’s ecology. During the hundred years of reactionary rule prior to liberation, little effort was made to preserve environmentally sensitive areas. However, due to natural barriers and difficulty of access, large areas of Bai Shan Zu remained undisturbed and after the overthrow of the reactionary government, measures where taken to ensure proper management and conservation of the natural resources.

Historical Milestones:

In 1958 the Qing Yuan County Wan Li Lin Forestry Centre was established to preserve and manage forest resources.

In 1963 Mr Wu Mingxiang of the Qing Yuan Count Forestry Research Office discovered the Bai Shan Zu Fir tree.

In 1985 Zhejiang Province Peoples Government approved the establishment the Bai Shan Zu Provincial Nature Conservation Area.

In 1992 the State Council approved the combining of Feng Yang Shan and Bai Shan Zu into the Feng Yang Shan - Bai Shan Zu National Nature Conservation Area.

In 1998 South China Tigers were observed in the centre of the conservation area, creating intense interest in the area from Chinese and international researchers.