(Originally published on 10/21/2016)

October 13, Qinghai– As part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Global Environment Facility (GEF) Qinghai Project in Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve (SNNR), herdsman in Qinghai Province recently received catering and cooking trainings, as well as recieving newly installed solar street lights and clean water facilitaties. Such activities are part of the project’s community co-managment work, to stengthen the effectiveness of protected areas system and promote models of community co-management in protected areas.

The participation and capacity of local communities plays a crucial role in protecting and managing local areas and communities. To further promote community engagement, the UNDP-GEF Qinghai project have established 12 community co-management pilot sites in the SNNR since August 2013, with local villagers participating in the nature conservation efforts and work together with the project to improve the local livelihood. 

Catering and Cooking Training: New Career Options for Young Herdsmen

A seven-day catering service and cooking training was held in August in Makehe area. Supported by the project, this training aimed to provide new employment options for young herdsmen and increase their income.

In the past, Herdsmen in Makehe area used to rely on harvesting the summer Yartsa Gunbu or herding as their main income source.  This training, taught by the first-class chiefs from Qinghai Cuisine Association, provides 59 local herdsmen with the chance to learn about cooking and dish preparation with local food such as beef, mutton and wild mushrooms. The herdsman learnt the skills that can provide catering services to the tourists that visited the villages as well as apply for jobs in nearby cities.

The project has been working on expanding career options for the local herdsmen to help them improve their livelihoods in sustainable manners. Prior to this, the project organized motorcycle training, and it plans to organize traditional yak hair weaving training to cater the development of local tourism industry.

Gerize Village: Solar Street Lights Illuminate the Night Road

While herdsmen in Makehe area received trainings to expand their career opportunities, villagers in Gerize recieved 30 sets of solar lights thanks to support from the project.

Located in the forest region at the provincial border between Qinghai and Sichuan, Gerize village is impoverished due to logging becoming prohibited. Furthermore, villagers have very limited income sources. Due to lack of funding, they cannot afford to install lighting system along the village’s main road.

In August, the project introduced solar street lights into the village, after finding out the urgent needs of the villagers. The street lights have brought great convenience to villagers’ lives. Now, the road is light at night and herdsmen don’t need to worry about losing their cattle or sheep when walking home in the dark. 

Makehe Baocang Village: Clean Water Points Built for Greater Convenience

Since the begining of October, the 54 families in Maheke Baocang Village can now enjoy clean water from the newly built 4 clean water points with the support of the project.

Baocang Village has been struggling due to the lack of basic clean water infrastructure. Due to improper design of the old water points which did not have enought pressure to extract the water, the villagers had to walk down from the moutain to the valley to gather water from the river, and then carried the heavy water buckets back up the moutain.

As a priority of the local co-management committee, the project worked together with the village to solve the clean water issue. 2 kilometers of water diversion pipes has been built to connect the 4 drinking water points, which provided 54 local families clean water for their domestic use.