Socio-economic impacts of the natural forest protection program on rural livelihoods in Gansu, China

Author: Huimin Zhang

AIT Library Call Number: AIT Thesis no.RD-07-20

Year: 2007

Academic Program: Regional and Rural Development Planning (RRDP)

Type: Thesis (M.Sc.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2007

Examination Committee: Mokbul Morshed Ahmad (Chairperson); Jayant Kumar Routray, Bernadette P. Resurreccion (Examination Committee Members)

Abstract: The social-economic impact of China’s Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) on affected rural communities is inadequately understood, as the focus of the past assessments has been heavily oriented to environmental aspects. To fill the research gap, this research tries to explore what effects that the localized implementation of NFPP policies has brought to the affected communities’ livelihoods in southern Gansu Province of China, focusing on forest utilization, forestry income, source of energy, and infrastructure conditions. The ways in which the NFPP policies have contributed to the change of social relations in the affected communities are also examined, highlighting gender and communal relations in particular. Discussions on these stated aspects are based on the primary data collected in two villages of southern Gansu province. In the end, policy recommendations are given as reference for the future forest policy-modification, policy-making, or program design of similar nature.

Scholarship Donor(s): Ford Foundation

Note: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Regional and Rural Development Planning

Advisory: Full-text is available at https://library.ait.ac.th/ (accessible to local ip address only)