Qingwen Min

Standards of ecological compensation for traditional eco-agriculture: Taking rice-fish system in Hani terrace as an example

Traditional eco-agriculture provides many ecosystem services which are important for the local environment, especially in mountain areas. In order to encourage the farmers to engage in eco-agriculture, it is necessary to establish an eco-compensation mechanism for them. As the compensation standard is one of key issues in establishing eco-compensation mechanism, this paper calculated the standard based on the farmers’ willingness to accept (WTA) and the input-output analysis of eco-compensation. We took the traditional rice-fish eco-agriculture as the research object, conducting field surveys in Hani Terrace of Honghe County. Through the questionnaires in 2011, we obtained the farmers’ willingness to accept government compensation and market compensation. Then, the research evaluated the output of eco-compensation, the economic value of rice-fish paddy ecosystem services. Finally, under different market compensation standards, we compared the input and output of government compensation. The results show that, in 2011 the government should to pay farmers 7462 yuan·ha−1·a−1 to meet their willingness, but the output (ecological benefit) was only 7393 yuan·ha−1·a−1. However, when the rice price increases 1 yuan·kg−1 because of the limited use of chemicals in the next year, the government just has to pay farmers 4062 yuan·ha−1·a−1 and the surplus will be 3331 yuan·ha−1·a−1.

Adapting to droughts in Yuanyang Terrace of SW China: insight from disaster risk reduction

Despite international focus on how to facilitate adaptation to droughts in a changing climate, a good deal of adaptation will be enacted at the local level. Focusing on the Yuanyang Terrace of SW China (a very famous agricultural heritage site), this study illustrates that land use change, dynamic adaptation and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) are the main measures to reduce the drought disaster risk and have the important role in adapting to droughts based on methodology of the land use survey, household questionnaire, local government and companies’ interview. And a new conceptual model of adaptation from the insight of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) was proposed in spatial, temporal and social dimensions. It is a good practice to adapt to disaster risk and agricultural heritage conservation by tourism development. Adaptive risk management is more important in adapting to disaster risk in order to maintain heritages conservation and local livelihood improvement.

Ecosystem service tradeoff between traditional and modern agriculture: a case study in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China

Besides crops, agriculture supplies all three major categories of ecosystem services (ES). However, agriculture also supplies an array of ecosystem dis-services (EDS) that may harm other ecosystems. The flows of ES and EDS are directly dependent on the management of agricultural ecosystems. The traditional method of Chinese agriculture, which supports sustainable agriculture, has been proven to increase ES and reduce EDS. However, there is a lack of a detailed understanding of the ES and EDS associated with traditional agriculture, and also of differences between traditional and modern agriculture.In this study, an investigation was conducted on the ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem dis-services (EDS) of traditional and modern agriculture in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China. Afterwards, the economic values of ES and EDS were quantified experimentally and calculated based on the market price. The results show that: the net economic value of traditional rice-fish agriculture was 3.31×104 CNY·ha−1 (6.83 CNY = 1 USD as of July, 2009) and that of rice monoculture was 1.99×104 CNY·ha−1. Significant differences existed between traditional rice-fish and rice monoculture fields for their economic values of some ES or EDS.A benefit and cost analysis (BCA) model was used to adjust the conflict between the economic income and environmental loss from traditional and modern agriculture. The BCA model not only calculates the net income but also monetizes the EDS of the agricultural systems. The results showed that the net income of rice-fish agriculture was 1.94×104 CNY·ha−1 higher than that of rice monoculture. However, the benefit to cost ratio (BCR) of rice-fish agriculture was lower than that of rice monoculture, indicating that the traditional agricultural model was not the most optimized choice for farmers. The value of the rice-fish agriculture was much higher than that of the rice monoculture. Thus, when considering the benefits that rice-fish agriculture contributes to the largescale society, these agricultural methods needs to be utilized. Furthermore, the labor opportunity costs were calculated and the comprehensive value of rice monoculture was negative. Finally, the compensation standard was calculated based on the comprehensive benefit analysis. The lowest level was 1.09×103 CNY·ha−1, and the highest level was 1.21×104 CNY·ha−1.

Conserving agricultural heritage systems through tourism: Exploration of two mountainous communities in China

Community plays an important role in the preservation of agricultural heritage system (AHS). Recently, many AHS have been valorized as interesting resources for rural tourism. The expectations are that tourism development (TD) can be supportive for the conservation of AHS while creating benefits for local communities. In this study, two mountainous pilot villages (Longxian and Xiaohuang) in a global conservation project for traditional agricutural systems — Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) were selected to identify the relationship between AHS conservation and TD. The study undertook in-depth interviews, and questionnaires of village residents and informal discussions with local villagers. A t-test and a linear regression model were implemented to explore the comparative dimensions of the two communities with different geographical location, economic situation, and stage of TD. The research found some similarities and differences in the two mountainous communities during AHS conservation and TD. Firstly, AHS are preservaed well in both villages unconsiously, while the residents in Xiaohuang value more highly the heritage elements than the respondents in Longxian, and the villagers in Xiaohuang are more worried about their heritage system; Secondly, both villages expect lots of benefits from TD and they clearly perceive more positive than negative impact from tourism and thus approve TD, while the huge different perception on transportation and accessibility in the two villages reflects the bottleneck of TD in Xiaohuang village. At the same time, the respondents from Xiaohuang perceive more positive and fewer negative impact from tourism than the respondents from Longxian. Thirdly, the respondents in the two villages all show positive attitudes towards participation in tourism mostly motivated by the high income expectation. The main factors to determine the community perception in two villages were also analyzed based on the data process. A location-based conceputal framework of AHS conservation in partnership with TD at community scale is proposed at the end of the paper. The dynamics of tourism development, that could enhance a better understanding of the complex relationship between conservation objectives and tourism development are discussed.

Globally important agricultural heritage systems (giahs) of china: the challenge of complexity in research

Abstract The challenge of researching Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) as complex systems forms the subject matter of this study. Complex adaptive systems are those that combine natural ecological processes with human interactions to produce a mutually supportive agro‐ecological system. In China, these highly varied systems have the added dimension of long historical time, in that they have evolved over many centuries and thus add a historical dimension to the natural and human dimensions of complexity. In preparing research on GIAHS, it is clear that seeing GIAHS sites as whole systems is an essential starting and ending point. Examining the adaptive capacity of a GIAHS with its multiple scales and complex interdependencies is a major challenge for researchers accustomed to specialized disciplinary thinking. A GIAHS represents a mature agro‐ecological system with human agency as a central component that has been honed over many centuries, and has already adapted to many perturbations and changes. The beauty of the GIAHS is in the integration of custom, knowledge, and practice, and it should be studied for its “wholeness” as well as for its resilience and capacity for “self organization.” The agro‐ecological approach opens the possibility of researching a system as a whole and of taking its complexity seriously. This study reviews the essential features of the GIAHS as a complex adaptive system where uncertainty is normal and surprise is welcome and, in a case study of Qingtian rice–fish culture system, focuses on new perturbations, namely loss of young people and the introduction of tourism.

Agricultural Heritage Systems Tourism: definition, characteristics and development framework

Agricultural Heritage Systems Tourism (AHST) has increased considerably in the past ten years and is projected to continue growing in the future. Despite such growth, there is not a shared understanding of many aspects of the tourism development framework for all kinds of agricultural heritage sites. Given that meanings and characteristics are critical to determining the appeal of a particular activity among tourism consumers and because the development directions of AHST are essential for achieving heritage conservation goals, a study was conducted in 2014–2015 to assess stakeholder preferences for definitional phrases and their perceptions. This manuscript summarizes the characteristics of AHST in four aspects, taking agricultural heritage systems in China as examples: 1) synthesis of agritourism, cultural heritage tourism, and ecotourism; 2) annual variation of tourism attractions and activities; 3) the dominant role of artisan farmers; 4) the unique gastronomic experiences of traditional food. Finally, there are some objectives offered by this research from economic, environmental, cultural, social and political perspectives to build a framework of AHST according to its features and characteristics. Based on environmental and cultural objectives, with political and social support, through reaching the core objectives of economic development, AHST will be sustainable and agricultural heritage systems will be well conserved. This study carries important implications for the further applications of AHST.

Establishment of an eco-compensation fund based on eco-services consumption

Eco-compensation is a type of institutional arrangement that uses economic measures to adjust the relationships among stakeholders in order to conserve and/or sustainably use ecosystem services. The externality of the value of ecosystem services is one of the theoretical bases for eco-compensation. Different types of ecosystem services are consumed by people from different regions. Some are consumed by people living where the services originate, while some are carried by rivers, wind, vehicles or other natural or manmade means to other areas. Thus, the flow and consumption of ecosystem services should be seen as the basis for establishing eco-compensation funds. This paper uses satellite images of the Zhang-Cheng area near Beijing in 2013 to discuss how to establish an eco-compensation fund for stakeholders in this area. Firstly, six important types of ecosystem services in the Zhang-Cheng area were identified based on ecological function zoning, and the value of these ecosystem services was calculated based on ecological pricing methods. Secondly, the field intensity model from physics was used to analyze where Zhang-Cheng area ecosystem services flowed and calculate how much of these services were used by other areas. Thirdly, based on this analysis and calculation, the paper proposes the rates that different stakeholders should invest in the eco-compensation fund, based on their consumption of eco-services.

Specialization or diversification? The situation and transition of households’ livelihood in agricultural heritage systems

ABSTRACT Zhagana Agriculture-Forest-Animal Husbandry Composite System (ZCS) is the first Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems site in the Tibetan Plateau. Similar to many traditional agricultural regions, with the development of tourism and leisure agriculture, the peasant households in ZCS have gradually changed their livelihood strategies and livelihood activities in the past 10 years, resulting in the disappearance of some traditional farming methods and agricultural landscapes with a long history. By taking livelihood assets as the entry point and livelihood strategies as the core, this paper analyzed the basic situation of households’ livelihood and the transition mechanism of different livelihood strategies in order to offer suggestions for the dynamic conservation and sustainable development of Agricultural Heritage Systems (AHS). (1) The livelihood strategies of peasant households in ZCS can be divided into two major categories: specialized strategies and diversified strategies. (2) According to the empirical calculation of the livelihood asset accounting framework of AHS, the average livelihood asset value of peasant households in ZCS is 2.040, showing that the situation of peasant households’ livelihood is inadequate. (3) The transition of peasant households’ livelihood strategies from traditional strategy to specialized or diversified livelihood strategies is mainly influenced by natural assets, human assets, cultural assets, social assets and informational assets. In order to meet the growing material and spiritual needs of peasant households and achieve the sustainable development of ZCS simultaneously, it is suggested that the agriculture-forestry-animal husbandry-tourism composite strategies shall be taken as the development direction of peasant households’ livelihood strategies.

Ecosystem Service Evaluation

With the development of the ecology research, the in-depth understanding of the characteristics of different types of ecological systems, ecosystem observation techniques progress, all kinds of ecosystem observation data to accumulate, an value analysis and evaluation of the ecosystem make it possible for understanding the ecological system evolution and discussing the sustainable development of ecosystem. All parts of the ecosystem including humans and their environment, ecosystem provide all kinds of ecological services to human through the process of its function. Ecosystem services (ESs) is considered as no value by the existing economic model and theory for a long time, only part of the ecological products have the market price, in order to obtain tangible ESs, human damage or even destroy some invisible ecological services at the same time, led to a decline in ESs. Since the mid-1990s, the Chinese ecologists widely study the ESs and its value assessment research, contenting forest, grassland, wetland, farmland, and marine ecosystems. Through the general laws of ecological service value method and the time spatial heterogeneity of ESs space model method, we assess the ESs value in whole and reflect its spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Value assessment method of ESs is developing constantly, widely used in the main are valued based on the price per unit area, based on the function of laws of value and dynamic laws of value based on the single function time three types. Three methods are widely adopted, they are based on the price per unit area, based on the function of laws of value, dynamic laws of value based on the single function time. In a new paradigm to investigate the relationship between ecosystem and economic system, so as to promote an efficient economic decisions for resource allocation in the economic system and ecological system of integrated system framework. To cultivate and develop effective market mechanism for ecological service has become one of the hot spot of ecological service research and ecosystem management. Researching on ESs consumption and building ecological system efficient continuous consumption mode, we can hold the direction of the rational utilization of ecological system, and it is of great practical significance to safeguard the ecological safety. On the basis of understanding the principle of ecosystem consumption and consumption measurement model, analyzing consumption process, analyzing consumption utility function (UF), and analyzing the consumption process, we can realize ESs, and this provide a scientific basis to optimize the structure of consumption of ESs, and to build efficient continuous consumption patterns (CPs).