ABSTRACT

In 2000, the Yongjia County Government (YJCG), Wenzhou Municipality, Zhejiang Province, began to plan the construction of the Nanxi River Water Conservancy Project (NRWCP), which was considered to greatly benefit social, economic and environmental areas. The proposed NRWCP included Baojiang reservoir and Yongle Water Diversion Works. It was proposed that the former be located within the buffer reserve area for the famous Nanxi River Scenic Spot, which was named the National Tourist Scenic Spot by the State Council in 1988, and that the latter be located just inside the area of the Scenic Spot. According to the national laws and regulations for the review and approval of construction projects within scenery and cultural heritage areas, the project could not be recognized until the feasibility of its siting had been demonstrated by the specialists in scenery and cultural heritage conservation. However, the comments from the specialists were that the location selected for the proposed project was both unsuitable and unreasonable because it would impact on the ecosystem and destroy the resources of natural scenery and cultural heritage. In order to resolve the conflicts between development and conservation, the Wenzhou Municipal Government held meetings to hear comments and suggestions from specialists and relevant agencies.