Vignettes of Bengda 1999

VIGNETTES OF BENGDA

Notesof ourfirst impression of the place,thepeople, the nature reserve,ecotourism& agroforestry

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TheCare& Share Foundation September 1999

VIGNETTES OF BENGDA:NOTESOF OURFIRSTIMPRESSIONS The purposeof this paperis to provide an in-housesummaryof our first impressionsof BengdaDistrict , and someinitial commentson eco-tourism& agro-forestry.This papâ‚Źr later(by Oct 3lst 1999)by a full technicalreport. will be supplemented The initial aim of the project wasto conductan ecotourism& agro-forestrybaselinestudy basedon a six weeksproject(4 weeksin the field). This hadto be drasticallyrevisedto a pre-feasibilitystudybasedon a four weekproject (8 daysin the field) The paperhasbeencompliedby an editorial team(Keith Richardson,SuzanneEwing & John Studley)with input from :- Rob Alcoclq Kate Armstrong Glyn Davies,Maria Difinizio Marc Foggin,Patrick Gleave,PeterGunner,StevenKempton,Paul Lund, David Rutledge,

Achievements In sprteof limited time the teamwasableto completethe following in Bengda:1) 5 meetingswith officials - CommunityProfile 2) 24ay tour of LNR (Easternpart (BengdaDistrict) 3) 6-daytour of LNR (Easternpart @engda& ZhendaDistricts) 4) Outdoorpursuitsstudies(Bengda& Dengke) 5) Botanystudies 6) Wildlife studies(Bengda& Dengke) 7) Accessstudies 8) Fibreplantcollection 9) Ecotourismimpact assessment & skill base 10) Micro-financestudy 1l) Forestryimportanceassessment Ethicsstudy 12)Conservation 13)Building studies(Bengda& Dengke) 14)lndge impactassessment I 5) Agro-foresfiysiteidentification 16)lvlappingstudies 17)Naturereservelegal & ethical studies 18)Landusestudies 19)Media & photographicstudies 20) Cultural studies 21) 6 socialsurveys(forestry/conservation/lodge impacVtourismimpacVskills/micro-finance) l)Meetings - (with District Secretary& leaders) Ecotourismwasexplainedin detail - they explainedthat they were not expertsbut trustedus generally made us welcome - the current County government emphasisis on :- road communication& tourism.Many of the local peoplewerevery involved in upgradingthe road to Yushu(shouldbe readyby August3l st 1999).They requesteda medicaltearnnext time, and they did mentionpossiblehelp with communication,education(especiallyin Manzheng)and hydro-electricity(S villagesneeda 5 KW supply)

RoughBengdaItineraryFri 23rd July to Thursday5th August

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District

Prollle:

District Secretary* Population(families) -Changge40 (7) -Manzheng321(56) -Kabar21(22) -Bengda190(32) -Deka235(42) (includescompound Honze,Beiyu + Razhi) -Yingba r7s (32) -Gerony165(31)

1247(2 FIanChinese) 222 families

Families

222

Family Size

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FromInterviewsJSKRMF

Nomads(est)

50 tents280 people

NomadYak (est)

2500(50x 50)

CultivatedLand

4979mu/331.93ha

CultivatedLandlhh

22.42mu

21.lmull.406ha

CultivatedLand % of hh

100%

rc0%

Yak (exclude.Nomads)

6182

Yak per hh

27.85

Yak ownershipas% of hh

75%

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7.05

RoomsArh

5.8

Nomads& Farmers Artisans(full/parttime) Oflicials Monks

47% 47% 5o/o

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Wealthindex/hh**

56.05

Schools(3) curriculum : Tibetan Chinese,Maths

Deka(gov) Manzlrcng(village) Yingba(village)

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Deka

Doctor(Tibetantraditional)

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Monasteries2 Bengda,Manzheng ** Basedon numberof Rooms,mu of land,no. of Yak & estimatedincome

2 Outdoor pursuits Bengda is seemingly ideal for those seeking a "Total Tibet experience" (adventure/remote/wildlife/botany/culture) andthe Luoxu NatureReserve(LNR) lendsitself to ponyfrekking,camping& trekking.Potentiallyaccessto Bengdais possibleby mountainbike andra& with Jeepsupport,andthe fastestexit in emergencyappearsto be by Jeep,via YushuXining - Beijing. a o Improvementsare suggestedto horse tack, U) Ynrr rt vt particularly adjustable stimrps and more otl "iJ^f padding ++ ( ",or fr ilmt fio' .

Tongtr r '{.il* Next stepscould includeexploringthe NW t' 3 ;frfi part of the reserve (in Zhenda District) jl'rrlr it-1.-.r mountainbike trials and river rafting trials cS = ia both Bengda to Dengke and Zhenda to a a Bengda(especiallythe TongjiaGorge)

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3 Wildlife Giventhe time constraintsit wasnot possibleto surveya completerangeof wildlife species but to focus mainly on a bird census.During the courseof the project47 bird specieswere identified in and aroundLNR , and 12 other specieswere reportedto be present,4 mammal specieswereobserved(including45 blue sheep)and9 otherspecieswerereportedto be present.

A largenumberof nomadsandtheir Yak existin LNR andtheyposea threatto the sustainability of the reserve.Ways must be soughtto reduceherd size by introducingalternativemeansof income(involvenomadsintourism,value-addingto livestockproducts,medicinalplant sales).

It is suggested that all areasabove4,500m shouldbecomecoreareasof the reserve(understrict protection) Next step:visit the NW of LNR (ZhendaDistrict) 4 Acces studies 5.01Deneketo Bensda Accessproved to be a major limiting factor, delayrngthe ecotourismproject and preventing materialsandhumanresources reachingtheir intendedgoal.Two recce'swereconductedto ixsessamongotherthingstlre suitability& safetyof theroad,and its potentialfor tourist access.

The first 30 km of the road to Bengda,is situatedmostly on cultivatedland andthe remainder on pasture& scrub.For mostof its lengthit is very attractivewith pleasantviews of the Yanglze and the mountains.Thereare no dangeroussections,and comparedto the road acrossErlang Shanor Obalait is very easy.It would help truck accessto Bengdaif the Wuntoobridgejust westof Dengkewasrepaired,but most otherbridgesonly requirevery minor repairs.

There were two sectionsthat might poseproblemsfor very inexperienceddrivers with large highsidedvehicles.Onewas avery smalllandslide(which couldbe clearedin 10minswith a spade)and the other was an overhang.It is true that in placesthe road did drop 150mto the Yanglze,but wasminor comparedto otherdrops(e.g.ErlangShan).

TheCountygovemmentinformed us(2217199) that the road was suitable,for "Jeeps, trucks & bus's with local drivers" andthis provedlargely to be true. While we were in Bengda,trucks, Jeeps& motor cyclesappearedto be the most commonforms of motorisedtransport.Trucks, for instance,werebeing usedto upgradethe Bengdato Yushuroad.

During PD1995the forestryteam renteda truck to visit nomadsat Obalaandtravelled in the back.Oneteammemberchoseto fravel back from Bengdato Dengkein the back of the truck.

The person saidthat as far asthey were concernedit was saferand lessdusty.Anotherteam membersaidthattheywouldnot hesitateto drive a truck to Bengda.It wasunfortunatethat the

oneJeepownedby a teammember,broke a spring,which exacerbatedthe situation.

4.02Benedato Yushu While the team were in Bengda,many of the local people, and horseswere involved in upgradingthe roadto Zhenda& Yushu.We were informedthat the road shouldbe readyby 31stAugust ln emergency thereis no questionthatthe easiestandquickestroute out of Bengda is by Jeepto Yushu- Xining and aircraft from Xining - Beijing.

5 Agro-Forestry Studies 5.01PlantFibrecollection Samplesof Willow, Poplar,Wheat& Barleywerecollectedfor bio-compositestudies (Resultsavailablelater) 5.02 Medicinal Plant $tudy & Nursery Identification Most people interviewed (Studley) collected medicinal plants both for their own use and for sale. One valuable speciesof medicinal herb collectedwas "Bei-mu" (the smallwhite bulbsof Fritillaria roltlei), whichis usedfor TB, Asthma& lung conditions.

A demonsfration medicinalplant nurserycould be establishedin the vacant"kitchen garden"to the northof the governmentcompound.A steamruns very closeto this site.

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"Ber-mu" (Fritillafl Townshio.

Benoda District We havebeen asked to explorethe possibility of propagating"worm-grass"(C. Dong chong xia caoT. YarchaGomba)[This is a ghostmoth caterpillar-usually Hepialidaethitarodesinfested with the mycelium & fructifications of a fungus Corbtceps singnsisl. The Royal Botanicalgardens(ChineseMedicinal Plant AuthenticationDepartment)havenot studiesthis speciesandwe needto contactinstitutionswith expertisein entomology& mycolory.

To datewe arein theprocessof establishingcontact with: The Natural History Museum,CABI Bioscience,& the Universitiesof Bristol, Clemson(USA) Leeds& Reading. It may be possibleto raisethe caterpillarsor culturethe mycelium(which is alreadybeing donein some Chineselabs).Theformer would lend itself to a "low-tech, cottageindustry" which may prove more sustainablefor conditionsin ShiquCounty(Bengda,Dengke,or Shiqu).

5.03Agro-forestrySiteIdentification Giventhe importanceof usingthe bestagriculturalland for food (wheat& barley)or possibly for high value medicinalplant crops,the only suitablesitesfor fibre cropsare on the risers betrveenagriculturalcrops,or abovethe fieldson very steepbanks.The only speciessuitablefor this are poplaror willow speciesgrolvn on a very shortrotation.

6 Ecotourism& Eco-lodgeImpact Studies 6.01Impactassessment Most peopleinterviewed(Richardson& Studley)in Bengdahad only a limited understanding of "eco-tourism" or the negativeimpact that masstourism might bring. A few expressed concernsover loss of cultural identity and erosionof Tibetan spoken& written language&

Buddhism.Althoughthe naturereseryeis officially designatedat nationallevel thereis a clear lack of knowledgeaboutthis, and most peoplethoughtit was only in ZhendaDistrict. Most people were preparedto welcomeforeign guests,to Bengda, into their homes,and to allow minor alterations. A few expressedconcernover the languagedifficulties tourismmight present.On the basisof the house/familycheck list preparedduring Recce 1998 and the interviewdata(Studle, therewould appearto be a numberof potentialhomes/familiesthat fit (Ewing)that more researchand ttrecriteriafor adaption(especiallyin Honze),but it is suggested Onesuggestion would be for consultationis requiredbeforea modeleco-lodgeis considered. eco-touriststo campuntil suchtime asa lodgeis established.Another suggestionwould be a phasedapproach(say2 westernguests/noalterations--->severalwesternguests/eco-lodge) 6.02Tourismskills base Interviewees(Richardson)were ableto demonstratebetweenthem a variety of existing skills that could be adaptedfor tourism :agriculture, cultural skills (poetry, painting, music, singing & dancing), craft skills (spinning, weaving, knitting, carpentry, woodworking, carving, metalwork, dressmaking). They all expressed aninterestin leamingnew skills for tourism(i.e. wildlife gurding,accommodation,design& productionof crafts) 6.03Micro-FinanceStudy Among those interviewed (Richardson)there was enthusiastic supportfor micro-financeschemes,basedon the GrameenBank model.Onefamily indicatedthat they would usesucha loan to set up a motor cycle repair unit, gtven both road improvementsto Yushuandthe prospectof tourism.

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a Honze girl spinning wool

7 Forestry & ConservationStudy 7.01Tree& ForestImportance Most ofthose interviewed(Studley)revealedan understandingof environmentalprocesses,the need for conservation & a link between BuddhismlFolkBuddhism& conservation.The reasonsgtvenfor forestimportanceincluded:-: water regulation, environmentalprotection, a link with Buddhism,to ensurethe blessingof * local gods,asa wildlife habitat,for beauty& to E enhancethe livestock economy.Three sacred mountains were identifred (tr{yowyee,Nyaji drawgu & Sawara) and the role of local monasteriesin conservationand re-forestation wasnoted

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7.02ForestPerceotion& Conservation Ethics From the evidence,among those interviewed (Studley) there appearsto be a strong conservationethic basedon Buddhism & local folk religion.Localpeople,however, only weakly associatethemselveswith conservation,wildlife & forest.Huntingl of anysortwould not be welcomed,and someof the local monasterieshave

beenvery active in preventingit. * Controlledhunting,possiblyby foreigners,is plannedin the reserve,for income.

S Local Culture 8.0lDialect Bengdahasits own uniqueTibetandialect e.g.

8.02Costume& Ornamentaticin Bengdagirls canbe recognizedfrom Shiqugirls because theydonthaveasmanysmallplaits and green they decoratetheir hair with flowers and andwhite preciousstones 8.03MarriageCustoms Bengdahasa uniquemarriagecustomwherethe bride and groommeethalf way betweentheir homesandthe girl canies a pail of water & cow dungto the groomshome.

8.04Religion

TibetanBuddhismexists, in Bengda,side by side with folk religion, and althoughno one interviewed(Studley) mentionedbeinga follower of Bon, that doesnot meanit doesnot exist.

There are two monasteriesin the District, Bengda (Balege) which is Salrya, and Manztreng which is "Cradayf'(assumedto be Kagyu)Both havemorethan 50 monksandBengdahasa Rimboche.

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a A youngmonkin Balegegomba recitingBuddhistscripture

In addition there are rurmerousanimistic gods(of rocks,fiees, homes,flocks hearthetc) and "Jotta" is thelocal protectinggod of Honze,BeryuandRazhi . Accordingto thoseinterviewed

(Studtey)it was reportedthat Jorba would "bless" the people,with good harvestsetc if the forestsandwildlife were protected(SeeAppendix) There were at least two sacredmountainsin ZhendaDistrict (near Puma),Nyowyee,Nyaji drawgu & Sawaraand the peopleof Bengdacommonlyvisited the Ba who chu valley (N of Bengavillage) in LNR whenthey wantedto "pay their respects"to Buddha.

8.05 FuneralArrangements decidewhich is most auspicious;sky bwial, waterburial, ground,or other ih. Lu111ur 8.06Festivals E*h y.* B"ngda sendsa dancetroupeto the ShiquCountyFestival,andthe Bengdatemple holds a festival eachwinter.

8.07FamousPeople monastery, becamea very famousRimboche(Re-incamate"Lama") A nunfrom thelvlanztreng 8.08Art Most of the local artistspaint religious art, but they are ableto alsoproduceditems suitable for nonBuddhistWestemtourists(e.g.LocalAnimals& Landscapes) .a

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Dance and Music play an important part in the cultural life of Bengda,and eachyear a dance/musictroupe are sentto the Shiqu Festival.

S.ll History Historically Bengdaappearsto havecomeunderthe rule of the Kings of Dege & Ling, although it does not appear in any literature of westernersknown to have visited the region (eg Teichman,Rheims,David-Neel,A-K etc) . Downstreamfrom Bengdais the old ferry crossing(Drenda)on the old Yushuto Kandingroad. Todaythe ferry hasbeenreplacedby a suspension bridgeabout5 hn downstreamfrom Bengda.It is not known if the tbridge are one and the same ferr! crossingand the suspension repute are known place. Various travellers of o\ o\ to have crossedthe Yangtze at Drenda (Rijnhart, David-Neel, - ** h (l) Rockill etc).Bengdais famousfor its FemaleRinbochewho was cq basedat theManzhengGomba.In 1955Xikang (old namefor W. = a Sichuan)becamepart of SichuanProvinceandBengda(thenNo I district in DengkeCounty) cameunderthe authority of Gami and in 1979Dengke TibetanAutonomousRegion.In 1976Deka townshipwas established, andShiquCountywasformed.In 1986the US UpperYanglzeRiver Countywasdown-graded, RaftingExpeditionvisitedBengdaandin 1990the Sino-UKHovercraftexpeditionpassedby BengdaDistrict on its way to the sourceof the Yanglze.

9. Building Studies BengdaDistrict comprisesof 6 settlements(Changge,Manzheng,Kaba,Bengda,Yingba,& Gerong) one township(Deka) , two monasteries(Manzheng& Bengda)and a numberof seasonalsettlementsand nomadicencampments(say 50). Deka includesthe government compounds(4) andthe villagesof Honze,Beiyu & Razhi.

"The Compounds" (4), which wereprobablybuilt in the 50'slie adjacentto the main compounds Thegovemment roadbetweenDengkeandZhendaon a low lying agriculturalplateau.They comprisean admin compoundthat includesgovernmentoflices, guestrooms,a communalTV room, andkitchen & eatingfacilities,a compoundcontaininga shopandschool,a compoundcontainingstorage facilities and a squareusedfor dances,and a compoundcontaininghomesfor government officials.

A willow lined irrigation canalrunsbetweenthe compounds,providing a water supplyand the accessroadsareunevenandmuddy.Elecfiicity appearsto be suppliedfrom the hydro supply nearBengdavillage,communalTV via a satellitedish,andthereis evidenceof a telephone connection.The admincompoundalsocontainsa numberof derelictbuildings,a derelict stable, a communalloo, anda kitchen garden Honze o\ o\ o aa .o

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Honze,which is in Dekatownship,comprisesaboutsevenhouses.It is situatedon a cliff overlookingthe Yangtze.The housesare roughly situatedalonga West- Eastaxis.Thebeachbelowwhich is accessible by foot path is suitablefor swimmingor to launchrafts or kayaks.it accessibleby Jeepalonga roughtrack from the NE or by pathfrom the Deka compound

Beiyu Beryucomprisesof aboutten houses,and is situatedabovethe Yangtze & BalegeGompa.Most housesincludea compound andbetweenHonze andmanyavegetablegarden.Awillow lined irrigationcanalrunsto the southof the village. It is accessibleby path from the Deka compound

Razhicomprisesof about30 homes,andis the largestvillagein Deke.

It is locatedin a cleft in the hills to theNorth ofDeka compound.Access is via a roughroad from the compoundand could probablybe usedby a Jeep.A willow lined irrigation canal [usedfor washingand water] crossesthe road to the southof the settlementand a mani wall (+ god box) marksthe enfranceto thevillage.Cavesandprayerflags are visible in the cleft behindthevillage.Razhihasboth traditional Tibetan"Ll' and o'L" shapedcourtyard housessteppedinto the slopingterrain with accessvia a seriesof roughpaths.

The BengdaGomba The BalegeGomba(Bengda)housesabout60 monksanda Rinboche(reincarnatelama).It belongsto the Salryaschool of Buddhism.

Eachyearthey hold a festival in the winter.

BensdaVillase Bengdacomprisesca 30 homes,with a numberof sizablepropertieswith courlyardsandwalled vegetablegardens.It is approachedby road from an offshootof the main BengdaZhendarcad, and hasa watermill at the lower endof the approachroad.A hydroelectricplant (120kw)is situatedtothe SEofthe village SeasonalSettlements During the two tours four settlementswere observedDzamPengLong (BengdaDistrict) Puma,Galagedog,Rasoltol(ZhendaDistrict) insidethe LNR -DzamPengLong (nearCunp I ) comprisedof catwentysouthfacing stone& timber dwellings clustered adjacentto a water course running into the Ba Who Chu. The buildings were uninhabitedand appearedto be in averagecondition with a number of missing roofs and dilapidatedwalls.

-Puma (near Camp 3) is about 2km upstreamfrom Donrongda(confluenceof rivers) and consistsof 5 housesin verypoorcondition(onesetinto rock face). Sunoundedby Yak carcases andrubbish.Blue sheepobservedandbirdlife excellent.

-Galagedog(SE & upstreamfrom Camp3) consistsof 2 housessituatedin an openplain (ca from last yearswinter.

4263m)and surroundedby heapsof Yak caxcasses -Rasokol(SE& upsteam from Galagedog)consistsof 4 housessituatedin a marshyarea,one of which appearedto be inhabited.

10 Eco.LodgeAdaption The authorscannotcommenton the installationof variousappropriatetechnologiesinstalledin Dengke in the courseof PD99 as this was led by others, and there would be dangersof

extrapolatingthe lessonslearnedfrom Dengketo Bengda.

11 Interviews & Social Surveys TheBengdaDisfrict Secretarywasinterviewedby a formal questionnaireand Six social surveys impact/tourismimpacVskills/microwereconductedin the disrict (forestry/conservatioModge finance) mainly in Honze,Beiyu, Razhi & aroundDeka compound.

For ihe social surveysa mixture of social soiencetechniqueswere usedincluding openended questions,a checklist, Linkert scaling,etc The interviewerstried to ensurethat : a) a representativesampleof the population (male, female, young, old, rich, poor etc) was chosen, b) that bias wasnot introducedand c) that questionswerenot loaded.

We were not ableto formally interview the Rinboche(althoughsomeof the teammet him) orany oftlre monks(who were performinga 30 day chant).This requiresfollow-up 12 Land Use& Mapping Studies Observation,sketch mapping, GPS, GIS & photography were used to fecord land use patterns (see full technical report) of all pertinentfeatures.Papermapswere digitized in theUK andall the dataincorporatedinto a GIS. This is not only a recordof the projectbut will form the basisof future development.

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AvieryofRtzhi,thecompound, Beiyu& Balege (Bengda) intb backgromd tfie hills Gomba and ofQinghai

13 park status and code of Ethics Discussionswere held with both the Dengke Arbitration Judgeand Shiqu County Forestry Director, and the legal statusof LNR was established,.and rules relatingto access,protection, prohibited underChineselaw in naturereserves, exploiation etc.Althoughhuntingis seemingly somesort of legislationmust be in placeto facilitate contolled hunting (which is plannedin LNR). A draft codeof ethicswaspreparedfor LRN visitors

14 Media & PhotographicStudies Material was gatheredfor a publication, and a variety of photographicmedia (prints slides, video) wasusedto recordpertinentsubjects [5 Boany Due to time constraintsit was not possibleto collect, and pressa wide rangeof herbaceous plants,that hadbeenplanned.TheBotanysurveywasreducedto makingnotesin the courseof a six dayjourney throughLNRI

16 Conclusions *Total BengdaDistrict appearsto be an ideal location for thoselooking for adventureand a Tibetan Experience-with uniqueflora & faunawith potential in LRN for trekking, camping, ponyfiekking,& experiencingnomadhospitalityandoutsidetheLNR for river rafting,mountain biking and for experiencingTibetanculture.

To overcomethe problemsof acclimatization,to relieve pressureon LNR and to sharethe that organizedtours shouldtake advantageof the benefitsoftourism morewidely it is suggested wildlife resourcesand OP opportunitiesaroundDengke,the Long Cheevalley to the north of Dengke,andthe YanglzebetweenDengkeandBengda.

The Dengketo Bengdaroad appearsto be suitablefor mountainbiking andthe river (Bengda to Dengke)for river rafting.

The nomad population (& Yak) within the LNR appearsto be too high and posesa threatto natureconservation.Measuresare requiredthat reduceYak and/ornomadnumbers.

Roadaccessis suitablefor Jeeps& tucks, andwith theupgradingof the Yushuroademergency evacuationis possiblevia Yushu.

The local peopleappearto be opento limited tourism,guestsin their homes,minor house skills that would adaptwell to tourism.Therearehowever,very modification,andto possess real fears that "mass tourism" will lead to the erosion of spoken& written Tibetan and Buddhism. whichfit the eco-lodge Basedon lnterviewdatathereappearsto be a numberof families/homes selectioncriteria(preparedduringCSFRecce98). Severalhomesin the village of Honzeappear o'guestsuite" and spectacularviews of the Yangtze. to be prime candidates,with a Thereappearsto be a strongconservationethic, althoughmeansshouldbe consideredto peoplemorecloselywith conservation,forest & wildlife. Sporthuntingwould appear associate not to be welcome.

Thereappearsto be potentialin BengdaDistrict for fibre treesandhigh valuemedicinal crops,but not for fibre crops.Cultivatablevalley land is very limited andthe priority hasto be for wheatandbarleyproduction.

At presenttourism, natureconservation,& research infrastructureappearto be lacking in Bengdaand Dengke,and as a temporarymeasureit might be possibleto establisha campsite in Bengda& renovateseveralof the derelict buildings in the admin compound(to include :- a tourismrecepioncenfie,a naturereserveoffice, researchoffice, craft workshops& stables).The old landlordshouseinDengfte,if refurbished,hasthe potentialof becominga tourist reception centre.

Given the remotenessof Bengda,andthe dangersof exceedingits social& natural "carrying capacity",thereappearsto be the needto "package"Bengdawith otherplaces (i.e Bengda&Zhenda, Bengda& Dengke,Bengda& NW Ganzi).

17 Recommendations that CSFbuilds on the findingsof PD99,and considersa mini-projectin It is recommended some/allof the following:Bengda&Zhendaassoonaspossible,andaddresses 1) temporarycampsites 2) phasedguestintroductionin HonzeVillage 3) the studyof the Zhendapartof the LNR 4) the Yanglze(Bengdato Dengke& Zhendato Bengda)by river raft & kayak 5) the Dengketo Bengdaroadby MountainBike 6) the upgradingof somebuildings 7) LRN Demarcation(at 4500m) 8) alternativeincomestreamsfor nomadsandherdreduction raisingneeds 9) training& awareness 10) improving horsetack (mostly leather,buckles,rivets andmarinequality thread) (Globalstar) 1l) the improvementof communications 12)medicinalplant propagation l3) the raisingof "worm grass"or the culturingof Cordycepssinensismycelium 14)the identificationof suitable"Ecotourism"candidatecompaniesin the West l5) dialogueandadvocacywith officialdom(re ecotourism-as-development) I 6) hyro-electricitysupplyimprovement 17) healthimprovement I 8) educationimprovement 19)a follow-upon micro-finance(structuring,committeeidentification& formation) 20) marketanalysisof ecotourism& agro-forestry

Still waiting for reports from -Maria -Kate -Mel