1. Project name: Conservation Sustainable Use of Bio-diversity in The Qinling Botanical Garden of Shaanxi Province, China

2. Location: Zhouzhi County, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, and P.R.China.

3. Aim: Biodiversity conservation, Arid and Semi-Arid Zone Ecosystems

4. Implementation Unit: The Qinling Botanical Garden of Shaanxi, Province, Shaanxi Environment Protection Bureau, Poverty Relief Office of Shaanxi Province.

5. Project linkage to national priorities, action plans, and programs:

West Development Strategy; Biodiversity conservation is an important part in China’s Agenda 21-White Paper on China’s Population, Environment, and Development in the 21st Century; China completed its Biodiversity Action Plan and Promulgated the Regulations of Natural Reserves in 1994; Pasture Law in 1985; the Conservation List of Wild Animal and Plant in 1988. And begin to carry out the Conservation Program of Natural Forest since 1997; Project of returning slope farmland to forest and grassland since 1998; Project of greening mountain and clear water since 1999.

1. The overall objective of the project: To create new opportunities for Shaanxi peasants and lead them actively participating in actions on bio-diversity conservation; to promote sustainable development and management of bio-diversity; to enhance the peasant’s consciousness of conservation and improve economic income and quality of life in impoverished mountainous areas.
2. The specific objectives of the project are to:
   1. to build ecosystem bio-diversity monitor system; and combine biodiversity dynamic monitor system in Shaanxi with international biodiversity network system.
   2. To conserve the plant and animal are in imminent danger.
   3. To optimise the landscape pattern of ecosystem, and solve the conflict between exploitation and bio-diversity conservation; control the degeneration of typical ecosystem.
   4. Enhance consciousness and capability of local people particularly the rural women’s role in participating in biodiversity conservation, realize community conservation of bio-diversity; improve income and quality of life through participatory programming.

The co-financing project is named “Conservation Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in The Qinling Botanical Garden of Shaanxi, (BQBGS) (Issued by Shaanxi, No. [2002] 784), which was ratified by the leading group of BQBGS and finance department of Shaanxi on Jan 10, 2001. The total investment is 1.0 billions RMB for a period from 2001 to 2005 (Normally it will be extended according to long-term plan). The aim of this project is to promote the Qinling Botanical Garden of Shaanxi area, Considering conservation of biodiversity and protection of environment is the prerequisite for resource sustainable use and integrative exploitation, the co-financing project has made a careful plan in this regard and many conservation actions have been implemented, such as ex-situ programs, surveys of bio-diversity, returning slope farmland to forest and grassland, stopping cutting forest and grazing in pasture in the area etc. The grant or loan will be used as seed money for more conservation actions and plans with global and national significance in Shaanxi.

1. Bio-geographical importance: Shaaxi is situated in mid-west of China, E105°29’-111°15’, N131°42’-39°35’, Total area, 0.2056 million km2. It is the transiting region from humid subtropical evergreen forest zone in south to dry desert zone in north, the altitude ranging from 300 to 3700 m. The south is the edge of sub-tropical zone, the famous refuge for animals and plants of tertiary. In the central part, there is Qinling mountain and Mt. Taibai is the highest peak in middle of China, where is the international biodiversity significance area (One of nine key important biodiversity in China and identified by IUCN). There are not only a lot of surviving animals and plants of tertiary, but also many kinds of evolutional special species, such as the famous endemic and relic species, giant panda，Rhinopithecus roxellanae, Andrias davidianus, Kingdonia uniflora etc. In all province, 9 natural reserves have been established, among which, Taibai forest ecosystem, Feping wild animal natural reserves have been listed in Man & the Biosphere Program. Therefore, Shaanxi is the most typical biodiversity region in mid-west of China.
2. Richness of Species Diversity and cultivated:
   Shaanxi has 210 families (1100 genus, 4100 species) of vascular plants. There are 37 species of plants and 78 animals in Shanxi that have been listed in the Red Book of China. Shaanxi is one of the biggest rally areas in China. It lies in the China-Japan centre, which is one of the 12 cultivated plants gene centre in the world. There are 12 types of crop, such as cotton, oil, sugar, fruit, vegetable etc, with the native and wild affinity species about 17,000 varieties (breed). In addition, there are 6000 varieties of economic plants, native horticulture plants, farmland green manure and different wildness resource. They are the most valuable heredity resource in the global biodiversity.
3. Uniqueness of Ecosystem Diversity:
   Qinling mountainous region ecosystem: The subtropical plants are dominant. Based on subtropical evergreen deciduous broad leaf forest with safeguard function, the ecological region is typical of humidity and high yield. The cold-resistance plants derived from north sub-tropical zone are distributed in this area. This region is representative for the basic ecosystem types in East Asian temperate and subtropical zones.
4. Overview of problems/threats:
   1. The background of bio-diversity resource is not clear.
   2. the species of plant and animal are in imminent danger status
   3. Restoration measures are not efficient for degenerated ecosystem
   4. Poverty of people
   5. the contraction between integrative exploitation and biodiversity conservation is standing out.

1. Set up bio-diversity catalogue and monitor system, including 60 data and information collecting sites, 4 field observation stations, and 1 synthetic center;
2. establishment of 20 co-managed habitat/community conservation sites;
3. establishment of 8 in-situ sections and demonstration spots mainly for agro crop variety conservation;
4. establishment of 1 digital of main species;
5. Training at different levels for some 1,000 selected people, including government officers, community leaders and particularly villagers will be provided.

1. surveys of bio-diversity status make catalogue monitor system and the herbarium in Shaanxi;
2. important plant and animal conservation;
3. demonstration base construction of biodiversity protection and utilization in Qinling mountain economy sustainable development;
4. selection of locations and setup of in-situ and ex-situ conservation areas;
5. timely capacity building and training courses and workshops at different levels.

1. local decision makers of governmental departments for planning, finance, environment, agriculture, water resources, and forestry at provincial, municipal, and county levels;
2. Various investors, including central and local governments, multi- and bilateral financial institutions, international and domestic companies;
3. local communities;
4. concerned institutes and universities.

Shen Maocai
Add: Easter Road 3,XiaoZai Xian, shaanxi Province
Tel: 86(29) 5244620 & 5242688
Fax: 86(29) 5244651
　

The Qinling Botanical Garden of Shaanxi Province, China;
Xian branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
They prove to be an extraordinary agency in organizing, coordinating and implementing trans-sectional, multi-purpose and sophisticated development projects with environmental sound.
The Office of The Qinling Botanical Garden of Shaanxi, are government functional department and specifically assigned the responsibility as the managing office for the Qinling Botanical Garden of Shaanxi Province for the implementation of the co-financing project. The governor of Shaanxi province is concurrently head of the groups. The offices will form a kind of mixed committee to coordinate the different institutions and personnel involved in this project from both Academy and the Shaanxi.