Naxi Mountain Villages Coalition
Guardians of the Jinsha River Valley, Yunnan
The Jinsha River, the upper reaches of the Yangtze, winds through Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, and Sichuan. In Yunnan, it joins the Lancang and Nujiang rivers, forming the stunning “Three Parallel Rivers” region—a hotspot of biodiversity and ethnic cultures.
Flowing through Lijiang’s arid valleys, the Jinsha River nurtures the ancestral lands of the Naxi and Moso peoples, where terraced fields and the rich Dongba culture thrive. Amid rapid social and environmental changes, mountain communities remain vital, providing water for half the world and preserving diverse cultures. As custodians of this bio-cultural system, the Naxi people sustain both their heritage and humanity’s.
Three Villages Nourished by Jinsha River
Stone Village
Perched atop a colossal mushroom-shaped rock, Stone Village traces its origins to the Yuan Dynasty's Zhiyuan era (1264-1294). Its name aptly reflects its unique location, where pioneering inhabitants carved out dwellings from the rock face, constructed stone steps, and implemented irrigation systems, laying the foundation for their agricultural life amidst the mountainous terrain. Now home to 220 households, mainly Naxi people.
Bridging Tradition and Science:
A Collaborative Journey for Agrobiodiversity Conservation
In 2013, with support from the FSN, UNEP-IEMP, and other partners, a participatory action research project was launched. The project aimed to promote the conservation and sustainable use of Naxi bio-culture and agrobiodiversity by integrating traditional wisdom with modern scientific knowledge. Through a series of participatory activities, mainly led by women, a holistic approach to jointly conserving and utilizing agrobiodiversity was established by combining traditional knowledge with seed biological science and facilitating knowledge and benefits sharing.
Building on the project’s success, in 2015, the three villages came together to form the Coalition, carrying forward the indigenous bio-culture, exploring joint efforts with scientists and small-scale farming communities to protect and sustainably utilize biodiversity, water and other resources, improving the sustainable development model of community-based bio-culture, and realizing the harmonious coexistence between human and nature.
Education
2015-2017
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2011-2014
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2007-2010
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