Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
TNCbeganoperatinginChinain1998andmaintainsofficesinBeijing,HongKong,and
Kunming. From the beginning, northwest Yunnan figured prominently into its conserva-
tion strategy, and TNC representatives quickly established field offices in Lijiang, Shangri-
La, Deqin, and Gongshan. Chinese and foreign scientists in TNC collaborated closely with
provincial and central authorities to establish many of the reserve clusters that later be-
came the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Area. In tandem with its conservation ef-
forts, TNC has also promoted community-development and poverty-alleviation programs,
alternative-energy projects, and educational outreach activities. This sets TNC apart some-
what from other organizations with a similarly global reach, which detractors have collect-
ively dubbed “BINGOS” (big international NGOs), claiming that such organizations' sin-
gular mission to protect vast tracts of land often marginalizes the people who rely on nat-
ural resources for their livelihoods.
TNC's effectiveness seems to stem largely from a strategy in which pragmatism trumps
ideology. I interviewed Mr. Xu, a TNC staff member in Beijing whose work focuses on
freshwater ecology. The principal focus of the Freshwater Program is on the Yangtze River
basin, but the organization runs projects on many other rivers, too. Mr. Xu, who described
his work as a mixture of science, policy, and public outreach, conceded that “TNC believes
damsobviouslyhaveimpactsonnaturalsystems,ontheenvironment.”Buthewenttogreat
lengths to make it clear that the organization also recognized the benefits of dams for en-
ergy production and flood control. “Our role,” he suggested, “is to help find solutions, to
find ways to help minimize the negative impacts.”
As he explained the approach his organization takes to policy advocacy, it became clear
that two basic characteristics of TNC were fundamental to its success. First, the organiza-
tion tends to be nonconfrontational in its advocacy campaigns. As Mr. Xu pointed out, “If
you put yourself in opposition to development projects such as dams, you lose the oppor-
tunity to help improve performance. We will not always say yes to dams, but we will not
always say no, either.” Second, in line with the overall culture of the global organization,
TNC in China promotes a science-based approach to conservation that combines technic-
al solutions, policy innovation, and frequent compromise. In the arena of dams, TNC in-
vests a great deal of scientific effort in understanding “environmental flows”—sometimes
called “e-flows”—or the practice of maintaining a flow regime at a given dam facility that
provides the benefit of hydropower while also meeting key environmental requirements
such as water quality and availability, fish habitat, temperature, and sediment load (Postel
and Richter 2003). This goal is often accomplished by operating dams in such a way as
to mimic the river's natural-flow regime. Reflecting on his organization's use of science-
based advocacy, Mr. Xu remarked:
