Ethnic minority development plan

The objective of the Xining Flood and Watershed Management Project for China is to reduce the impact of flooding and enhance the management of critical watersheds, thus protecting human life and property within Xining Municipality. The main negative effect of this project is to reduce some grazing land for forestation in the ecologically fragile and eroded areas. 14 of the total 21 communities containing ethnic minority residents have traditional grazing land being affected. The affected population is 17,000, about 600 are Tibetans, and 12000 are the Hui. Because of different forestation area and diverse livelihood activities, the degree of this adverse effect is various. Take Yuanshuer village of Qiaotou town Datong County for example, the forest rehabilitation will reduce no more than 12.67 hm², but the Shangmiao village is 1000hm². Mitigation measures of the project are: 1) the project adopted resident suggestions to support the barns rebuilding for ethnic minority communities in the project area and provide excellent breeders for villagers; 2) provide livelihood improvement projects as methane-generating pits, solar stoves and road building and so on to alleviate the loads of residents on labor; 3) the project will provide excellent cow and sheep breeders for Huis and excellent cow, sheep or pig breeders for Tibetans. The corresponding technology training, livestock medicine and information services will be offer to ensure practical benefits; 4) project office and Governments provide resources and technology for barns rebuilding, solar stoves and bio-gas pits etc. Poor households supply money or labors as their wishes and Governments afford all funds; well-off households supply money, labors and 50 percent counterpart funds; affluent households supply money, labors and all funds; and 5) consider partial funds are required from well-off and affluent households, whether participate are up to themselves to avoid loads. And project office and local governments will not limit the proportion of community participation.