Bazhu villagers believe the deities would come to dine during the raining season from June to October. At this time, the forest should be kept quiet and intact, not even an axe should be allowed on any mountain. Otherwise, the mountain deities may be annoyed and in anger elicit landslides and rainstorms on the people as punishments. The faith in sacred mountains has deep roots in the minds of local people. They stand in awe and respect the holy mountains, which in turn bless them with a good environment and ecology. The Bazhu folks also believe that trees are sacred deities, especially those trees close to water sources and near their ancestor’s houses. These holy trees give people clear spring water and good fortune for their families. The holy trees never falls. In Bazhu, along the brook and around the villages, holy trees are found everywhere. Some of these trees are walnut trees, hundreds of years old. The Village made a rule in 1998 not to collect live wood as firewood. The villagers say trees are and should be loved and respected. Only dead wood could be used as firewood. The simple thought comes from their religion, Tibetan Buddhism. They serve their living Buddha (incarnate lama) in the local temple, pay respect to the monks and believe in the truth of Buddha’s teaching. Fig.1 Bazhu Elder Villager and Lama Initiate the Religious Ceremony Even local officials would say that the official governance and religious practice are one. Thus government policies could be promoted among villagers in a religious way. Whenever there is a religious gathering in the village, the monks would come to the administration and ask if they could use the event to help promote government policies. Bazhu villagers trust the mountain deities who would bless them for their good deeds in protecting the forest. The more and the better the work they do, the greater the blessing would be. Such thoughts of ‘reaping what you sow’ reflect the villagers’ longtime practicing of their religion. From the outside, it may seem that they have indeed reaped fruitfully from their good deeds that they have sown. Starting from 2008, Yunnan Province has suffered from prolonged and severe droughts that have seriously harmed people’s lives. However, Bazhu is as yet relatively untouched by climate change and still enjoys nature’s blessings of spring water flows and timely rainfall. The villagers’ life goes on as before and their incomes grow steadily. Now, wild mushrooms that grow on the mountain regularly yield about RMB300 per villager. While the neighboring villages are pressed hard to survive dry spells, Bazhu has been receiving national and provincial awards amounting RMB1000 per household a year since 2011, for their work in protecting the local forest ecology. II. ISSUES However, there are some concerns. The Community is being challenged by globalization: High external demand for precious natural resources such as the Chinese yew (Taxus sp.) has placed great pressure on the Community and their ecological resources. Proceedings of the International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the 131 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
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