Project Data
Name: Sino-German Technical Cooperation on Protection and Management of Watershed Area of Miyun Reservoir
Duration: Sept 1998-Aug 2007
Districts: Miyun County, Yanqing County, Changping County, Badaling Forest Farm, Shisanling Forest Farm, etc.
Goals
Overall Goal: To improve and sustain the water protection function of forests and small water bodies.
1.Integrated small watershed plans are implemented and approved
2.Water protection forest stands are ecologically transformed based on forest management plans
3.The ecological restoration of small water bodies based on water management plans are implemented in pilot areas
4.Innovative mechanism of sustainable financing of ecosystem services are elaborated and promoted
5.The current policy mechanisms of regional and inter-sector cooperation in water resource protection are strengthened through project partnership agreements and other processes initiated by the Project
6.The capacities and qualifications of all relevant stakeholders in promotion, planning and implementation of close-to-nature landscape restoration and management with a focus on sustainable multifunctional forest management and clean water in water protection zones are improved.
Implementation and Achievements
The Sino-German Technical Cooperation Project “Protection and Management of the Watershed Area of the Miyun Reservoir†(1998 to 2007) was the first international cooperation project in China, which concentrated on water resource protection forestry in the context of a natural resource oriented, integrated watershed management. The project developed six technical models, including close-to-nature forest management, integrated management of small watersheds in water protection zones, participatory community development a.o. by introducing advanced technologies of water resource area protection and landscape restoration from Germany and integrating natural resource protection with social development. The models have proved to be successful in the world wide effort to improve sustainable development of water resource area protection.
In the watershed areas of the Miyun reservoir, forests play an important and irreplaceable role in source water protection. However, 67% of the areas are dominated by young and middle-aged forests which are classified as sub-healthy, the result of which is that the forests’ water conservation capacity cannot meet increasing demand for water. Meanwhile, poor rural livelihood, due to extremely stringent water conservation regulations which includes restrictions on industrial development and land use in upper watershed areas, has added to the environmental challenges. Currently, local farmers rely more on the forest for their livelihood (e.g. fuel wood, Chinese traditional medicine etc.), which poses threats to local forest resources.