title: Public perception of an ecological rehabilitation project in inland river basins in northern China: Success or failure.
abstract: The need for environmental protection challenges societies to deal with difficult problems because strategies designed by scientists to protect the environment often create negative effects on impoverished local residents. We investigated the effects of China's national and regional policies related to environmental protection and rehabilitation projects in inland river basins, by studying the effect of projects in the Heihe and Shiyang river basins, in northwest China. Interviews and surveys were conducted at 30 sites in the lower reaches of these two arid basins, an area that has experienced severe ecological degradation. The survey results show the ecological rehabilitation projects adversely affected the livelihoods of 70.35% of foresters, 64.89% of farmers and 62.24% of herders in the Minqing region in the lower Shiyang River Basin; also, the projects negatively affected 51.9% of residents in the Ejin Qi in the lower Heihe River Basin. This caused 16.33% of foresters, 39.90% of farmers and 45.32% of herders in the Minqing region to not support the project and 37.5% of residents in the Ejin Qi region said they will deforest and graze again after the project ends. The negative impacts of the policies connected to the projects cause these attitudes. The projects prohibit felling and grazing and require residents to give up groundwater mining; this results in a great amount of uncompensated economic loss to them. Extensive survey data document the concerns of local residents, concerns that are supported by the calculation of actual incomes. In addition, the surveys results show poorer interviewees believe the projects greatly affected their livelihoods. While citizens in this region support environment protection work, the poor require considerable assistance if one expects them to support this type of work. Governmental assistance can greatly improve their living conditions, and hence encourage them to participate in and support the implementation of the projects within and outside the districts where they live.
authors: Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China; The College of Tourism and Environment, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, Shaan Xi Province, China. Electronic address: qifeng@lzb.ac.cn.
authors: Qi
authors: Q
authors: Feng
authors: Organization Department of Gansu provincial party committee, Communist Party of China, China. Electronic address: Miaoz@gspst.com.
authors: Zheng
authors: Z
authors: Miao
authors: Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. Electronic address: lizxhhs@163.com.
authors: Zongxing
authors: Z
authors: Li
authors: Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. Electronic address: lijianguo@lzb.ac.cn.
authors: Jianguo
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. Electronic address: jianhuas@lzb.ac.cn.
authors: Jianhua
authors: J
authors: Si
authors: Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. Electronic address: syh@lzb.ac.cn.
authors: Yonghong
authors: Y
authors: S
authors: Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. Electronic address: changzq@lzb.ac.cn.
authors: Zongqiang
authors: Z
authors: Chang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D017753:Ecosystem; D058735:Environmental Policy; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006802:Human Activities; D011640:Public Policy; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D053833:Wetlands
keywords: Desertification; Gansu; Heihe River; Shiyang River; Survey