Sept 30, 2006
Chengdu, Sichuan province, China – You might be wondering why these old traditional honeybee boxes with the honeybee nest inside are displaying in this Chengdu Carrefour store. You're not the only one: since September 5th, numerous customers are being explained that they can buy traditionally made and natural honey as well as Sichuan pepper coming respectively from communities living around Wanglang in Pingwu county and Baihe Nature Reserves in Jiuzhaigou county.
The honeybee boxes are being used on a special display prepared by Carrefour and WWF, with the help of the Wanglang Nature Reserve. It is really attractive, and curious Carrefour customers are spontaneously asking questions about it: "What is this? Where is it coming from? How is it used?"
Volunteers from environmental student associations in various Chengdu universities are there to answer their questions, and explain WWF project to promote sustainable livelihoods for communities living in and around the panda habitat of the Minshan mountain range in Sichuan province.
'When consumers buy these products, they help people [in these communities] to make a living that is environmentally friendly, thereby contributing to the protection of forests and wildlife including pandas. We hope that through WWF’s partnership with Carrefour, we can create market demand and a stable marketing channel for these products, and ultimately improve the standard of living of these communities,' said Ding Jing, WWF China’s Corporate Partnership Manager.
The Minshan mountain range in Sichuan and Gansu is a particularly outstanding landscape for unique and endangered wildlife, with the largest population of giant panda. It is also home to Tibetan, Qiang, Baima and Han populations who, like pandas and other wildlife, depend on natural resources to earn a living. Their traditional livelihoods include logging, hunting, and the collection of traditional Chinese medicine. However, these activities form a big threat to the survival of pandas and other wildlife in the region.
The communities and their products
The Baima Tibetan communities living around Wanglang Nature Reserve are making two kinds of honey. The "white honey" comes from high-altitude wildflowers above 2000m. The "yellow honey" is made at the approximate altitude of 1500m.
The other product for sale is the Sichuan Pepper from Baihe Nature Reserve, located just next to the famous Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. This very specific pepper, very popular and largely used in the sichuan food is of very good quality.
"[Farmers selling to Carrefour] will have an annual income increase by about 5%-8%" said Liu Yuping, director of the Taiping protection station of Baihe nature reserve and in charge of the WWF-Carrefour project at this level.
Nowadays, city customers have high requirements for their daily food such as being able to choose Green food. Green food certification is the next step in this WWF community project: these 2 products are currently being applied for green food.
The Volunteers
Thanks to enthusiastic students who wants to get involve in volunteer actions, and organized in several associations in Chengdu universities, it is possible to communicate the project ideas
to Carrefour customers. The students associations [zh] have been coordinated to work together. They have received a specific training to be able to answers costumers questions.
"There are many volunteers who are interested in this action. They feel concerned by nature protection and they want to actively take part in it," said Deng Lemiao, a student of Sichuan University in charge of managing the volunteers actions. He added: "It's a hard job to talk about environmental protection to customers, but it is nice to see that many people feel concerned and interested!"
Carrefour involvement
‘Carrefour got involved in this project with the idea that we wanted to focus on what we do best, which is selling products. We felt that this is a lasting way to help local communities, as opposed to just giving them money. Teaching people how to enter their products into the market allows local communities to make money – and this is the best way to convince people living in the Minshan panda habitat to make a sustainable living,’ said Antoine Bloch in 2004, when he was Carrefour China’s National Hygiene and Quality Manager. Carrefour China has been a member of WWF China’s Corporate Alliance since 2002.
Lu Xidong, Responsible of the Fresh-Food division in the Great World Store of Chengdu added (in 2006): "Sells are good. The display is looking great and we are happy that the volunteers can explain the real aspects of these great natural products coming from communities living around the Nature Reserves."
Conclusion
Chengdu Great World Store was the 1st store that started the operation. Now it has spread to the other stores that did the operation last year (i.e. 3 other Chengdu stores, and 4 stores in Chongqing), and will soon be in newly participating stores in Beijing and Shanghai. Some stores (particularly the one in Shanghai and Beijing) are only selling Sichuan Pepper. This year the sale of the honey is particularly succesful with the improved packaging compare to last two fairs and until now several Chengdu stores have made the second order. The estimation of the production's value bought by Carrefour is 140 000 RMB which profit the targeted communities.
"What's this?" ask the customer attracted by this strange object on the display. "This is a traditional honeybee box" answers the volunteer who immediately take the opportunity to say more: "It is used by the Baima Zang community living around Wanglang nature reserve. They use it for beekeeping, and make natural honey... It's made from a tree trunk cut in half, and emptied to become a honeybee box, and to later get the honey from it. You can buy the result of this process right here, thanks to a project aiming at promoting sustainable livelihoods for communities living in the panda habitat..."
Press Release by Philippe Semanaz, French volunteer/Engref student in Chengdu WWF office
For further information: Li Ye, CoordinatorChengdu, Sichuan province, China – You might be wondering why these old traditional honeybee boxes with the honeybee nest inside are displaying in this Chengdu Carrefour store. You're not the only one: since September 5th, numerous customers are being explained that they can buy traditionally made and natural honey as well as Sichuan pepper coming respectively from communities living around Wanglang in Pingwu county and Baihe Nature Reserves in Jiuzhaigou county.
Volunteers from environmental student associations in various Chengdu universities are there to answer their questions, and explain WWF project to promote sustainable livelihoods for communities living in and around the panda habitat of the Minshan mountain range in Sichuan province.
'When consumers buy these products, they help people [in these communities] to make a living that is environmentally friendly, thereby contributing to the protection of forests and wildlife including pandas. We hope that through WWF’s partnership with Carrefour, we can create market demand and a stable marketing channel for these products, and ultimately improve the standard of living of these communities,' said Ding Jing, WWF China’s Corporate Partnership Manager.
The Minshan mountain range in Sichuan and Gansu is a particularly outstanding landscape for unique and endangered wildlife, with the largest population of giant panda. It is also home to Tibetan, Qiang, Baima and Han populations who, like pandas and other wildlife, depend on natural resources to earn a living. Their traditional livelihoods include logging, hunting, and the collection of traditional Chinese medicine. However, these activities form a big threat to the survival of pandas and other wildlife in the region.
The communities and their products
The other product for sale is the Sichuan Pepper from Baihe Nature Reserve, located just next to the famous Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. This very specific pepper, very popular and largely used in the sichuan food is of very good quality.
"[Farmers selling to Carrefour] will have an annual income increase by about 5%-8%" said Liu Yuping, director of the Taiping protection station of Baihe nature reserve and in charge of the WWF-Carrefour project at this level.
Nowadays, city customers have high requirements for their daily food such as being able to choose Green food. Green food certification is the next step in this WWF community project: these 2 products are currently being applied for green food.
The Volunteers
Thanks to enthusiastic students who wants to get involve in volunteer actions, and organized in several associations in Chengdu universities, it is possible to communicate the project ideas
"There are many volunteers who are interested in this action. They feel concerned by nature protection and they want to actively take part in it," said Deng Lemiao, a student of Sichuan University in charge of managing the volunteers actions. He added: "It's a hard job to talk about environmental protection to customers, but it is nice to see that many people feel concerned and interested!"
Carrefour involvement
‘Carrefour got involved in this project with the idea that we wanted to focus on what we do best, which is selling products. We felt that this is a lasting way to help local communities, as opposed to just giving them money. Teaching people how to enter their products into the market allows local communities to make money – and this is the best way to convince people living in the Minshan panda habitat to make a sustainable living,’ said Antoine Bloch in 2004, when he was Carrefour China’s National Hygiene and Quality Manager. Carrefour China has been a member of WWF China’s Corporate Alliance since 2002.
Lu Xidong, Responsible of the Fresh-Food division in the Great World Store of Chengdu added (in 2006): "Sells are good. The display is looking great and we are happy that the volunteers can explain the real aspects of these great natural products coming from communities living around the Nature Reserves."
Conclusion
Chengdu Great World Store was the 1st store that started the operation. Now it has spread to the other stores that did the operation last year (i.e. 3 other Chengdu stores, and 4 stores in Chongqing), and will soon be in newly participating stores in Beijing and Shanghai. Some stores (particularly the one in Shanghai and Beijing) are only selling Sichuan Pepper. This year the sale of the honey is particularly succesful with the improved packaging compare to last two fairs and until now several Chengdu stores have made the second order. The estimation of the production's value bought by Carrefour is 140 000 RMB which profit the targeted communities.
"What's this?" ask the customer attracted by this strange object on the display. "This is a traditional honeybee box" answers the volunteer who immediately take the opportunity to say more: "It is used by the Baima Zang community living around Wanglang nature reserve. They use it for beekeeping, and make natural honey... It's made from a tree trunk cut in half, and emptied to become a honeybee box, and to later get the honey from it. You can buy the result of this process right here, thanks to a project aiming at promoting sustainable livelihoods for communities living in the panda habitat..."
Press Release by Philippe Semanaz, French volunteer/Engref student in Chengdu WWF office
WWF China Chengdu Field Office
Tel: +86 28 68003625
E-mail: yli@wwfchina.org
Prss release on WWF China website: http://www.wwfchina.org/english/loca.php?loca=405
WWF's alternative livelihoods flourish in Minshan
