Background

Mountain areas cover 20% of the world’s land area and are rich in resources, including forests and minerals, and are the source of much of the world’s freshwater. Forests in mountain areas provide essential ecosystem services, protect biodiversity and are essential for the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. In many countries, especially in developing countries, mountain areas are home to a disproportionately high percentage of poor people who depend on these resources for their lives and livelihoods. However, in many countries, especially in developing nations, these regions are homes to large populations of relatively poor people, whose lives and livelihoods depend on effective and appropriate management of the natural resources around them. Therefore, developing rural development capacity in mountainous forest areas, and improving rural societies, economies and environments in mountainous forest areas should be one of the top concerns of the international community.

The United Nations Conferences on Climate Change COP 10 and COP 16 which were held respectively in October and December of 2010, had just reconfirmed the importance of developing harmonious human-nature development models through sustainable ways of managing natural resources. However, how to balance between ecosystem and forest conservation and local economic and livelihood development, and achieve sustainability in both aspects has been a long standing problems that needs urgent solutions. Up to date, the utilization and development of non-timber-forest-products (NTFPs) is identified and considered to be one of the most important feasible solution for forest sustainable management and local community sustainable development.

The systematic development of ecosystems in China and many countries of the world have generated many successes and have produced many new models that lead to win-win situations. In these countries and regions, forest ecosystems have been protected and developed, and the economics of mountain and hill communities have improved.

This workshop will be held in Lin’an and Anji, both locations are commonly recognized in China and the international society as successful examples of integrated sustainable development in mountain areas. The well-developed NTFPs industries and eco-tourism, the affluent and modern mountain villages, the beautiful forest eco-environments, had impressed every visitor to Lin’an and Anji. The systematic experiences accumulated within these two locations provided a practical study bases for researchers and developers.

China is well-known in the world for the long history, large production scale and completed supply-chain of NTFPs development. For example, The traditional Chinese medicine utilizes NTFPs as materials for thousands of years, many species of animals and plants has been utilized, and a large scale traditional medicine productoin system has been established; China now produces 70% of hte worlds edible fungus; China does not only has the largest bamboo industry in the world, but also has a long established history of bamboo culture. The NTFPs development of China is an organic combination of sustainable resource cultivation, high-efficient industrial processing and smooth marketing network, and a constructive institutional culture. NTFPs and their production has become one of the supporting poles of the economic development in the forest areas in China.

This workshop will provide a platform for people from various levels and fields of works who concerns mountainous development, rural development, environmental protection and natural resource management, etc.. to share and explore the best practices in sustainable and integrated development in mountainous regions, especially, the technologies and products of NTFPs.

Workshop Organizers

MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China) is a central governmental agency under the State Council and it is responsible for the nation's science and technology activities. One of the important missions of MOST is to strengthen international cooperation in science and technology. INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rattan) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to reducing poverty, conserving the environment and creating fairer trade using bamboo and rattan. INBAR was established in 1997 and represents a growing number of member countries all over the world. Headquarters are in China and there are regional offices in Ghana, Ethiopia, India and Ecuador. INBAR connects a global network of governmental, non-governmental, corporate and community partners in over 50 countries.

Lin'an Modern Forestry Technology Service Center (LMFTSC) is a non-government organization in Lin'an, Zhejiang Province of China who provides training and consultative services to the governments, farmers and enterprises. It collaborates with INBAR in carrying out international training workshops for 10 years. It works with a number of Chinese forestry research institutes and universities and has been involved in more than 40 provincial forestry research projects

Objectives

Through carrying out the training workshop, to provide a platform for participating countries to share and exchange the best practices and experiences in mountain sustainable development, as well as experiences in NTFPs industrialization and commercialization.

Programme

Participants will register on September 6, 2025 in Hangzhou (Capital city of Zhejiang Province, China), and departure will be on September 26, 2011, totaling 20 days. The main indoor courses will include:

Part I

1. The ecological system construction in mountainous regions
2. Sustainable development of Economy in mountainous regions
3. Poverty alleviation in mountainous regions
4. Mountain forest sustainable management
5. The policy system for integrated and sustainable development in mountainous regions

Part II: Mountain forest sustainable management

1. Sustainable management, industrialization and commercialization of NTFPs
2. NTFPs in China and their development, industrialization and commercialization
3. "Company + farmers" – the best model for NTFPs industrialization
4. The main experiences in the sustainable development of China's bamboo sector and the bamboo processing technologies
5. Development of intangible resources in the Forest
6. The development model of eco-tourism and leisure industry in Lin'an and Anji, Zhejiang Province – a model which lead the local farmers on the way towards wealthy
7. The cultivation and processing technologies of wild medicinal plants and edible/medicinal fungus
8. The comprehensive development of forest bio-chemical products
9. Development of wild vegetables, fruits and nuts
10. The impact of NTFPs on poverty alleviation and rural sustainable development in the forest area
11. The role of government in promoting NTFPs
12. Industrial cooperation and NGOs are the links among companies, markets and farmers

Field visit program will be arranged in combination with the indoor courses during the workshop.

During the workshop, 70% of the time will be for field visit. This Workshop will give introduction to the successful model of integrated sustainable mountain development in Lin’an, and China’s NTFPs development experiences, especially on the aspects of industrialization and commercialization. The field visit will provide the opportunities to see the most developed and the largest-scale bamboo industry in China in Anji County, and the largest bamboo shoot and hickory production base of China in Lin'an City. The participants will be able to visit the homelands of Chinese Traditional Medicinal plants and edible fungus – Pan’an, and China's biggest honey industry base - Tonglu. There will also be chances to visit one of the most beautiful cities of China – Hangzhou.

Fees

Tuition of the workshop is USD 350.00 per person. All participants from developing countries can be exempt from the tuition. Expenses for food, accommodation and local transportation are USD 65.00 /person per day for shared room and USD75.00 /person per day for single room. All participants will be responsible for their own travel to and from the workshop as well as health insurance during the Workshop.

Participants

Professionals in mountainous, rural and NTFPs development, natural forest conservation and sustainable development, including officers, researchers, technicians from related departments of governments and NGOs, technicians and engineers from enterprises, supervisors working in grass-root agencies that are interested to the topics of this workshop. Because the Workshop working language will be English, participants must have basic English listening and speaking abilities. Principally, participants of this workshop should at least be graduated from a professional school or have similar education background.

The Workshop will provide an opportunity for each participant to exchange information/ knowledge/ experiences with the other participants, Participants who would like to give a presentation during the workshop are required to send their presentation to us by email before July 20th, 2011 to facilitate editing of training materials.

Weather during the Workshop

Hangzhou Zhejiang Province locates in the sub-tropical zone, usually, in September (during the workshop period) , the highest temperature will be 26 - 30℃, the lowest temperature will be 15℃ - 18℃, with plenteous sunshine. It is suggested that an umbrella should be taken during the Workshop.

Transportation and Registration

Registration for the training workshop will be on September 6, 2025 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The departure of participants will be on September 26 from Hangzhou. Our staff will pick up participants at the International Airport of Hangzhou. There are flights from Hong Kong, Taibei, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Chengdu, Tokyo and Singapore to Hangzhou everyday and it will not be difficult for you to select comfortable flights.

There are also shuttle buses from the Pudong and Hongqiao airports in Shanghai to Hangzhou, and high-speed train between Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Application

Please fill in the 2011workshopapp.doc and Curriculum Vitae.doc. The deadline for application to this Workshop is July 31st, 2011.

Location: Zhejiang Province, China
Working Language: English

Please send application to:

International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)
Coordinator:
Zhu Zhaohua, Jin Wei
Tel: 86-10-64706161 ext. 310
Fax: 86-10-64703166
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]