title: Traditional Livelihoods, Conservation and Meadow Ecology in Jiuzhaigou National Park, Sichuan, China.
abstract: Jiuzhaigou National Park (JNP) is a site of global conservation significance. Conservation policies in JNP include the implementation of two national reforestation programs to increase forest cover and the exclusion of local land-use. We use archaeological excavation, ethnographic interviews, remote sensing and vegetation surveys to examine the implications of these policies for non-forest, montane meadows. We find that Amdo Tibetan people cultivated the valley for >2,000 years, creating and maintaining meadows through land clearing, burning and grazing. Meadows served as sites for gathering plants and mushrooms and over 40 % of contemporary species are ethnobotanically useful. Remote sensing analyses indicate a substantial (69.6 %) decline in meadow area between 1974 and 2004. Respondents report a loss of their "true history" and connections to the past associated with loss of meadows. Conservation policies intended to preserve biodiversity are unintentionally contributing to the loss of these ecologically and culturally significant meadow habitats.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2100, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Urgenson
authors.affiliation: Geology Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: UW Botanic Gardens, University of Washington, Box 354115, Seattle, WA 98195-4115, USA.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Combs
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2100, USA.
authors.forename: Stevan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harrell
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2100, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hinckley
authors.affiliation: Science Department, Jiuzhaigou National Park, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Qingxia
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Aarhus University, Building 1540, Room 318, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ziyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Sichuan University, 24 S Section One, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, 610065 Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yongxian
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Sichuan University, 24 S Section One, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, 610065 Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Lü
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hongliang
authors.affiliation: Division of the Social Sciences, University of Chicago, 5828 South University Avenue, Pick Hall 301, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacIver
keywords: China's forest policy; Cultural landscape; Ethnobotany; Meadow loss; Nature reserves