Friday, March 4th 2011
A fire has ravaged the TianZi Rainforestation Farm, one of the world's most advanced projects for rainforest restoration, destroying many acres of precious forest, more than 3.5million seedlings, 6 tons of seeds and hundreds of thousands of orchids. Hundreds of local people have been fighting the blaze at the site of the project in the Bulang mountains of Xishuangbanna, but they have been unable to prevent a severe loss of bio-culture.
"This damage is of global significance. The destruction of millions of seedlings and a large part of the orchid collection is deplorable," said Friedhelm Göltenboth from the University of Hohenheim-Stuttgart.
The fire was started deliberately either as occasional burning of rice fields, or to expand the territory of a neighboring cattle farm, but it was poorly managed and spread out of control on February 28, due to high temperatures and prevailing strong winds. At about 14:30 pm, the fire entered the borders of the TianZi-owned property and spread rapidly with inferno-like flames for most of the following 24 hours.
An international delegation of partners, researchers and sponsors had to make an emergency evacuation of the site as the fire engulfed the project of TianZi, designed and implemented with numerous international collaborators including NatureLife-International, Guerlain, New Nordic, Lufthansa and the University of Hohenheim-Stuttgart. Two newly built traditional village houses on the project site were completely destroyed. A preliminary investigation of the damage suggests 90% of the 6 km2 conservation estate was affected along with the bulk of its species. One member of a Lahu community living inside the TianZi land survived the blast unconscious. Even the memorial grave of TianZi founder Dr. Josef Margraf was almost burned together with the forest he created.Over the previous four years, the TianZi Rainforestation model farm planted hundreds of indigenous tree species on the site of a former rubber plantation with the aim of restoring key environmental functions, including water retention and soil protection, while conserving and restoring local biodiversity.
Controlled burning should be done: • In accordance with ALL land-owners • In accordance with the local wind and weather conditions and not just on any day • With all kinds of necessary precautions in placeNone of these precautions applied on the day of the fire. As a result, about 4 years of hard work and funding were gone just in a few hours. We are now assessing whether the project can be restarted.
TianZi Director, Ms. Minguo Li-Margraf pledged to continue efforts to preserve the remaining ancient tea forests of the region, by further promoting a sustainable near-to-nature agriculture. “This is a heartbreaking setback for a project of crucial importance to the living heritage of Xishuangbanna. We are deeply distressed at the loss of many years of work, but we must try to start again. It's too important to give up." She thanked the hundreds of local people that tried to prevent the worst and is grateful that nobody was killed in the firefighting effort.
We fervently hope this will be a wake-up call that encourages people to join us in protecting and reconstructing a unique living landscape in these mountains. Xishuangbanna and the Bulang Mountains are too precious to be left to the greed and irresponsibility of a few landowners.
More photographs and video are available on request.
Please follow existing coverage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/feb/28/blaze-chinese-rainforest