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Introduction
Caohai Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, China, has been the scene of sweeping
transformations of the landscape accompanied by equally radical changes in philosophies on how
natural resources should be managed. The nature reserve, a major wintering ground for the rare
black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis), has played a major role in the lives of local farmers who
live within its boundaries. The role the reserve plays, however, has not been static. It has
changed dramatically in the past decade. Following the establishment of the reserve in 1985,
many local natural resource uses, such as fishing at certain times of the year, hunting, and land
reclamation were criminalized. In the late 1980s and early 1990s nature reserve managers who
enforced regulations against fishing were often verbally abused and even physically attacked by
local people. In the early 1990s, with the influx of funding from Western donors and
nongovernmental organizations, and the training of reserve personnel in community
development and participatory methodologies, the focus of reserve managers’ activities shifted
away from the enforcement of resource regulations toward the implementation of small-scale
community development and outreach programs. Now, many local farmers no longer view
nature reserve management as an adversary. Instead, reserve management is perceived as a
patron, a purveyor of social services. Because most government-sponsored poverty alleviation
programs have done little or nothing to benefit impoverished farmers in this poor, remote area,
the nature reserve has become the most important provider of social services and development
aid. While the development programs are small-scale and unlikely to eradicate rural poverty,
they have been effective in offering farmers more choices and economic opportunities. While
Convention