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China: Lashi Lake

Lashihai
Lashi Lake
© Bob Moseley/TNC

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Rich in cultural and biological diversity, the Lashi Lake watershed is home to two minority ethnic groups, the Naxi and the Yi, and provides critical habitat for the endangered black-necked crane. The watershed is also the primary water supply to a large downstream population and the rapidly growing tourism industry in the historic city of Lijiang.

Threats
In recent years, the Lashi Lake watershed has been seriously degraded. The natural forest in the upland parts of the watershed is being cleared for agricultural use and for wood-burning stoves, resulting in soil erosion, flooding, and chemical pollution of the lake. Rare and endangered birds are being over-hunted, and the productivity of the area's fishery is starting to decline.

Plants
The forests between Lashi Lake in Lijiang County, and Wenhai, a smaller alpine lake beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, are home to more than 15 rhododendron species.

Animals
Lashi Lake provides habitat for the endangered black-necked crane and about 71 migratory bird species—representing 43% of Yunnan’s and 21% of China’s total bird species. As many as 80,000 birds migrate to this wetland during winter. The forests surrounding Lashi Lake also host the Asiatic black bear.

Our Conservation Strategy
The Conservancy is working with the Lashi Lake Nature Reserve staff to prepare an improved management plan for the reserve. The plan includes ecotourism planning and development as well as sustainable livelihoods for local people, fisheries management, and alternative energy use.

What the Conservancy Is Doing
The Conservancy's Lashi Lake project includes:

  • Sponsored an ecotourism project that allows tourists to view wildlife in the nature reserve, learn about the cultural traditions of the minority Naxi and Yi people, and trek through the upland areas on the slopes of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.  Local people have recieved training in natural and cultural resource protection, interpretation, guiding, marketing, and business planning.
  • Established a Community Conservation Development Fund so that local communities and ecotourism enterprises can contribute a percentage of tourism-related income to natural resource management in the Lashi Lake area. Tourists also contribute to the fund through the purchase of Visitor Guides which offer information on the area’s biological and cultural diversity.
  • Developed a comprehensive fisheries management plan that encompases harvest limits, seasons, sites, methods, wildlife needs, pollution abatement, water-level management, and marketing of fish with commercial value. Also under study are proposals for farming introduced fish species, and the potential for negative impacts on native fish and wildlife.
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