A Pupil Workshop

Moderator: Chen Yongsong

Notes taken: Ms. Wei Qing, Ms. Liu Libo

Participants: 94 ( See Annex 2. Participants List of Pupils' Workshop)

Venue: Meeting Room, Lashihai Holiday Resort, Lijiang County , Lijiang Prefecture

Time: 15:00 pm, - 16:30pm

Topic: Bird protection

Rubbish classification

Moderator: This morning everybody took part in the bird watching activity. Our guides explained you the life and habits of the birds on Lashihai wetlands. Most of you seemed obtained quite a lot of from your observation. Now it's an opportunity for you to state your idea on how to protect birds. This is a participatory workshop, and everyone has an equal chance regardless whether you are professor or officers. However, we have experts and officers here who may answer some of your questions, too.

1. Questions and answers

Wang Qijue ( Wucheng Primary School ) :

How many months do the flood season last?

Mr. Peng Guihong:

We usually say it rainy season. It begins in May and ends in October.

Chen Chen (The Affiliated Primary School to Southwest College of Forestry) :

We found many pieces of bird feather from grass this morning. Was the feather lost naturally or caused by someone who killed the birds?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

The feather you mentioned is the Common crane's, which sheds old feather for new one regularly.

Zhao sihan (The Affiliated Primary School to Yunnan Normal University ) :

Goosander likes to eat rape. But there are not any rapes by the lake. What else do they eat?

Mr. Peng Guihong:

You may fail to see that there are lots of rapes growing somewhere else by the lake.

Shen Shikai ( Mingtong Primary School ) :

Then what about the rape there if goosander eats it? What we can do to help the farmers for their loss?

Mr. Peng Guirong:

There used to be a critical issue before the establishment of Lashihai Plateau's Wetland Nature Reserve Office in June, 1998. Now local government appropriates 1.07 million rmb to compensate the loss of the farmers each year. The government set up several food points for feeding the birds by the lake, too.

Zhao Sihan :

Does human fishing cause any threat to birds, which eats fish?

Mr. Peng Guihong:

A little, I think. Usually, only weak and ill fish would become an easy prey of the birds.

Chen Chen:

Where does Lashihai Lake water flow?

Mr. He Ligang:

There are two outlets of the lake water: one is called Luoshuidong, where water flow down and disappear. The other one is an artificial channel drawing lake water into the ancient town.

Shen Shikai:

Is Lashihai lake water drinkable water?

Ms. Xiong Ping:

Yes, the water belongs to Type II quality water. It is the drinking water resource of Lijiang Ancient Town .

Liu-Yang Yujin (The Affiliated Primary School to Yunnan Normal University ):

Are there any impacts on the protected area if more and more tourists arrive?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

Yes, there are. In the sense of environmental protection, the less the tourists the better the environment will be. Anyway, everyone should live peacefully with birds. Keep away a certain distance from birds when watching them. Give them a quiet living space.

Xia Jianxiang ( Wucheng Primary School ):

Who will pick up the rubbish from the protected area during ebbing?

Mr. Peng Guihong:

The employee of Nature Reserve and guides from Xintuo Eco-tourist Co. will do.

Yang Meng (The Affiliated Primary School to Yunnan Normal University ): What do you do

if anyone kills bird?

Mr. Peng Guihong:

We seldom see this happens after the establishment of Nature Reserve Office in Lashihai in June, 1998.

Zhang Jiuhua ( Kunming No8 Middle School):

We know birds migrate from far north to south. Do they bring any virus with them?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

Birds might stop for rest on the way of migration. Some might bring virus with them. Bird experts are checking and testing on them to make sure that they are free of virus.

Zhu Ziyue (Wucheng Primary Scool)

What method will be used when Common crane is died of poison?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

Most of the time we will make it into a bird specimen as you saw at noon

Zhang Jiuhua:

Does the virus-affected bird infect upon human being?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

Watching bird from long distance will keep you free from virus affection

Li Hanji ( Mingtong Primary School ):

Does bird watching activity affect breeding?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

Yes, it does. A few sub species might hide them from disturbing when they breed. They will give up breeding if disturbed

Chen Qiongwei ( Wucheng Primary School ):

We picked up some discarded plastic bags from the protected areas. Do they hurt birds?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

Yes, they do. Some even cause bird die.

Yang Meng:

Is there any fight between birds? What will happen on them?

Prof. Wang Zijiang:

Generally speaking birds will live peacefully. For different species may take different foods. For example, plants, grass, seeds, insects and so on.

Zhu Ziyue:

We picked rubbish from the bird watching site. I think it's the mistake of Environmental Protection Bureau.

Mr. He Runlin :

It is now a closing period of the lake. I saw many boats on the lake. Do they interfere fish breeding?

Mr. Peng Guihong:

Yes they do. I hope that villagers follow the local government regulations on fish protection during the close of the lake.

Ms. Zhang wenling (Journalist, China Youth Daily):

What is the major danger that the Nature Reserve face? What difficulties lie in the environmental protection?

Ms. Xiong Ping:

The quick development of local tourism will cause danger to the protected area. So we encourage eco-tour, stop building up any chemical factories or undertake any polluted projects. However, the most difficulties that are hard cope with are the conflicts between local farmers and birds, economic development and environment protection.

2. Classification of Rubbish

Moderator: I think you still have more questions to ask. Could I share some chances for pupils from Lashihai so that we can have some local voices in our meeting?

Ms. He Hongyun (Vice Secretary of Communist Youth League Committee of Lijiang County): I bet that Lijiang pupils have as many words as their Kunming counterparts to say.

Moderator: I believe so. Now you see the trophies on the table. Could you tell me the name of each item?

Both Lijiang and Kunming pupils raised their hands and named the items of the rubbish one by one, they are:

Woven plastic bag, drinking plastic bottle, wasted paper, wasted fishing net, wasted batteries, one-time foamed plastic bowl, broken glass, DDVP bottle, cigarette case, cigarette end, beer bottle, tin, chemical fibre.

3. Conclusions:

•  Rubbish can be recycled: None

•  Dangerous matter: All

•  Poisonous matter: DDVP bottle and battery

The meeting ends with decisions that 1) to hand over the rubbish to local EPB and 2) to work out a bird protection proposal the next morning