Watershed: Case of Nan-a in Xishuangbanna and Deqin in Northwestern Yunnan

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Water is the key source of life. Therefore, in the next century, as predicted, people will face the competition of water as the war they are fighting for oil today. The potential for a water war exists not only in globally or regionally concerning transboundary management of international rivers such as the Mekong, but also frequently it takes place in a small-scale watershed among stakeholders or in most cases between upstream poor and downstream farmers. Water issues are complicated. Since watersheds provide a key function for water catchments and protection, water issues are always associated with resource dynamics of a watershed, such as land use changes, soil erosion, land degradation, infrastructure development, as well as other human development activities. Thus, global concerns on watershed management have increased rapidly in last decade.

In the case of the region, environmental challenges such as achieving efficient water allocation, recovering habitat, halting forest conversion, and preventing pollution are important both domestically and internationally. Since the Mekong provides livelihoods for a significant majority of the basin’s 65 million people, it is an important source of economic development. Since the last decade however, with economic development and demographic changes, the watershed is undergoing a significant transformation. Development activities in the upper Mekong River in Yunnan, China, such as agriculture expansion, government-initiated projects (e.g. rubber plantation) associated with forest degradation, and hydropower development have impacted the watershed dynamic, especially leading to an increase in water consumption, availability, and quality.

A. Integrated watershed management in the Nan-a watershed (-A)

It is clear that some of these macro issues within the also exist in micro- watersheds in China. In the Nan-a watershed of Yunnan, China, upstream development in the form of rubber plantations, conversion from forest land to tea plantations, mining, overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, and increasing water use all have contributed to impacts on downstream communities. As evidenced, some downstream people have suffered from polluted water from mining in the upstream area of the -a watershed. In addition, approved infrastructure such as reservoirs continue to drive the watershed dynamics. Facing the dilemma of development and conservation, contestation and dispute between upland poor and lowland farmers, often between ethnic minority groups and the Han majority exists. It is therefore significant to initiate grassroots action research for integrated and participatory watershed management and development at -a watershed.

B. Enhancing the understanding of watershed governance and local livelihoods in Deqin/south