PRIORITY ACTION FOR THREATENED TREES AND OTHER WOODY SPECIES: CHINA

China is a centre for plant diveristy, with 10% of the world's plant species. It is also a priority for tree conservation, with 189 globally threatened tree spcies, with Yunnan, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces holding the highest number of endangered species. The Global Trees Campaign is working with a number of research insitutes, botanic gardens and local communities to ensure the survival and sustainable use of these species in the wild

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY FOREST IN TENGCHONG COUNTY, YUNNAN

The Global Trees Campaign is working with the Yunnan Institute of Environmental Science to raise conservation awareness among local communities and authorities and to initiate the restoration of 7ha of forested land by planting native species.

Located in the immediate vicinity of Dahetou Village, the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve, includes some 2,000 ha of temperate forest, half of which is oficially owned collectively, while the other half is managed at household level. Disputes over tenure boundaries, deforestation and transofrmation of large parts of the forests into plantations have however led to a significant decline in important trees species, including Magnolia catchcartii and M. doltsopa.

The project aims to raise awarness among the local community and authorities of the ecological significance and economic potential of the forest's native plant diversity, and to help them develop and manage the forest more sustainably. More specifically, the project will initiate the restoration of some 7 ha of formerly forested land by planting native tree species.

In the first year of the three year project, a plant species inventory of the community forest will be established and public outreach materials will be developed. Local communities will be trained in the collection of plant propagation material. Nurseries will be established to build up a stock of target species for the implementation of forest restoration in the second and third year.

RECOVERING THREE RARE CAMELLIA SPECIES THROUGH ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN GUANXI

The global Trees Campaign is working with Guangxi Insititute of Botany to initate habitat restoration of a 5ha pilot site using three rare camelia species.

Despite its protected area status, the botanically rich Golden Camelia National Nature Reserve is threatened by habit loss (timber plantations) and indiscriminate extraction of natural resources. Situated in the Guangxi Zhan autonomus region, this project aims to initiate habitat restoration of a 5 ha pilot site of the forest using a number of native woody species, including Camellia nitidissima, C. euphlebia and C. tunghinensis, as well as Acronychia pedunculata and Mallotus philippensis.

In the first year of this three year project, a stakeholder workshop attended by representatives from the local communities and authorities will be convened to agree on the location of the pilot site, and initiate collection of plant propagation material and nursery establishment.

RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF DEGRADED FOREST THROUGH THE ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN GUANGDONG

The Global Trees Campaign is working with the South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou to promote and contribute to forest restoration suing native tree species.

Large-scale plantations of non-native pine and eucalyptus species have massively reduced the native, monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests and its rich botanical diversity of Heshan County, Guangdong Province.

This project aims to promote and contribute to forest restoration using native tree species including Castanopsis hystrix, C. fissa, Elaeocarpus apiculatus, Liquidambar formosana, Cinnamomum burmanni, Machilus chinensis, Ormosia pinnata and Euodia lepta.

In the first year of the three year project, forest vegetation and socio-economic surveys will be carried out, and a three day stakeholder consultation workshop will be convened in Heshan City. At the meeting, various restoration techniques will be discussed and the location of a pilot restoration site will be identified. Nurseries will be established where target species will be propagated to build up stocks of plants for population reinforcement programmes.

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