ABSTRACT
This research examines the geographic distribution, cultural history, cosmology, and conservation status of China’s village fengshui forests (fengshuilin)—woodlands protected to bring good fortune to lineage members across generations. Fengshuilin survive in ten to fourteen provinces, comprising ecologically significant remnants of tropical and subtropical broadleaf evergreen forests of central and southern China. Despite their broad distribution and socio-ecological importance, 226 fengshuilin are little known among urban populations and lack official recognition across most of their range. Some have been incorporated into nature reserves and community-based protected areas. State-local agreements catalyse new conceptions of fengshui and human-environment relations, improving prospects for large-scale biodiversity conservation networks based on local community interests.
