Dam Construction and the Rights of Original Inhabitants to Participation

Abstract

As a villager living along the Jinsha River, I totally believe that the area of First bend of Yangtze River and Tiger Leaping Gorge is a real “Shangri-La”. The area covers the grandest scenery of the Three Parallel Rivers and owns abundant and unique natural resources, in addition, a great quantity of cultural relics and heritages can be found in this area. Many ethnic groups such as Naxi, Bai, Tibetan, Yi, Lisu live in the area, and create brilliant ethnic culture. From the viewpoint of economic development, the Jinsha River valley is the most fertile land in Lijiang municipality and Diqing prefecture. In order to protect the ecosystem of the river, we organized a villagers association on water resource protection. Recently, we heard that a big dam will be built in Tiger Leaping Gorge, which will flood a large area of land and a hundred thousand people will be resettled. The dam will have a big impact on the ecosystem and local culture.

The article is from the viewpoint of the local people interpreting how the people, as the most important stakeholders should participate in decision-making, so that the sustainable development of Jinsha River watershed can be realized.