In the same year, we worked with the National Park Lancang River Head Zone Administrative Committee to conduct 8 intensive guide training sessions and dozens of door-to-door training for the households selected to host nature experience tourists in Namsee Town, Zadoi County. We have prepared several management protocols, including the Draft Bylaw of the Namsee-Nyantho Village Ecotourism Cooperative for Poverty Alleviation, the Draft Administrative Measures for Nature Experience at Namsee Co-management Station in the Lancang River Head Zone of Sanjiangyuan National Park, and the Code of Conduct for Nature Experiencers. Our designs also include materials for the nature experience program, such as the Nature Watch Handbook in Chinese, English and French, the Boarding Family Manual in Chinese and Tibetan, and the family brochures for nature experience reception. We have also launched the website “Valley of the Cats” (https://valleyofthecats.org) for the promotion and reservation of nature experience trips in Namsee.
As of December 2018, 22 host families in the town had welcomed 61 nature experience teams from all over the world, generating an income of 432,000 yuan in the community. Of these earnings, 45% went to the host families, 45% to the community and 10% to nature conservation. In March 2019, Namsee’s cooperative was officially approved to carry out its pilot-chartered business within Sanjiangyuan National Park. This innovative operation has provided valuable experience for the establishment and improvement of the national park charter mechanism.
In 2018, the Namsee Work Station completed a total of 50 volunteer sessions, demonstrating a further step to build a medium for the public to participate in the establishment of national parks.