ngo networking and partnering 12 section ... - wilson center · together many mainland and...

12NGO Networking and Partnering

Section IINGO Networking and Partnering

Networking and Partnering Strategies of NGOs in Mainland China, Taiwan,and Hong KongJennifer L. Turner and Fengshi Wu, Woodrow Wilson Center

Networking isthe lifeblood of non-governmental orga-nizations around theworld, for buildingstrong partnershipsamong various socialgroups can stren-gthen the capacity ofNGOs and therebyincrease their im-pact. It was apparentfrom the talks byPlato Yip, WeiChieh Lae, andChen Qing that en-vironmental NGOsin Hong Kong, Tai-wan, and MainlandChina are aware ofthe need to create

strong partnerships with government, business, andother NGOs in the society. It can be a challenging task,however, for NGOs to maintain a close relationship withgovernment or businesses without losing their inde-pendence. One key point raised in discussion was theimportance for NGOs to avoid overstretching their ca-pacity, for if groups overemphasize networking theycould waste valuable financial and human resources.Each NGO should carefully evaluate the extent of theirnetworks and make full use of existing partnerships.Below are some observations on the characteristic ofnetworking in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and MainlandChina.

• Hong Kong environmental NGOs are much morelikely than their Taiwanese or Mainland counterpartsto partner with the business sector. In light of the domi-nant role of the business community in the Hong Kong

political sphere it is logical that environmental NGOgroups work to improve communication with businessleaders. Naturally these green groups must be cautiousabout being viewed by the public as co-opted by thebusiness community. Green groups in Hong Kong havebeen able to build stronger NGO networks throughtheir participation in government advisory panels.

• Networking among Taiwanese NGOs is verystrong. In fact, the environmental movement in Tai-wan was borne out of environmental activists joiningtheir groups together for joint campaigns against gov-ernment policies that protected polluting industries orignored conservation issues. In his keynote talk, LinShen Tzung noted the important role of the EcologicalProtection Federation. There are, however, other um-brella organizations active in Taiwan that bring togethermany NGOs to campaign on island-wide environmen-tal issues. Lae’s talk in the networking panel describedthe broad range of NGOs that joined together in a re-cent anti-nuclear power plant campaign in Taiwan.

• Networking could play a particularly importantrole in Mainland China to strengthen the capacity ofNGOs, for green groups are in their nascent stages ofdevelopment. Many Mainland Chinese NGOs havebuilt strong relationships with government agencies,community associations, and/or international NGOs.Jin Jiaman noted in her keynote talk that existing lawson registering civil society organizations do not permitNGOs to create branches outside the area in whichthey registered. These rules combined with the ten-dency of the Chinese government to view overly largenetworks suspiciously lead environmental NGOs inMainland China to focus predominantly on buildingpartnerships with groups in their own local area. EarthDay celebrations in Beijing in 2000 and 2001 did bringtogether many Mainland and international environmen-tal NGOs. It also merits mention that student greengroups have created some networks among universities.

Fu Chia Cheih (a.k.a Joyce) from theGreen Formosa Front enlivens theparticipants before the NGO Network-ing and Partnering panel

012-016-R2.p65 1/28/02, 3:46 PM12

13Hong Kong Conference Report

The Green Citizen Action Alliance and the Anti-Nuclear Movement in TaiwanWei Chieh Lae, Executive Director of Green Citizen Action Alliance

The Green Citizen Action Alliance (established in1992 under the name Taiwan Environment ProtectionUnion, Taipei Chapter and changed to Green CitizenAction Alliance in 1999) includes a broad range of in-

dividuals from various social classes who are concernedabout environmental issues in Taiwan. The members ofthis organization believe that the collusion of the Tai-wanese government with corporate interests has forced

rentraPfoepyT slaoGdnaseitivitcA srentraP

snoitazinagronoitcaekuN-itnA ehtgnizinagronidevlovnisrentraperoCngiapmac

,noinUnoitcetorPtnemnorivnEnawiaTneerG,noitadnuoFdnanoinU'srekamemoH

ytraP

snoitazinagrostoorssarG noitamrofnidnah-tsriftcellocdnarotinoMnostnalprewopfotcapmiehtno

tnemnorivneehtdnaseitinummoc

uynaluwaD,ecnaillAerutluClanigirobAsriaffAcilbuPuiquW,noitaicossA

lavivruS-fleSekuN-itnAoalnaiJ,noitaicossAlavivruS-fleSekuN-itnAuileY,noitaicossA

noitaicossA

ngiapmacnoitamrofnifoycnerapsnarTsnoitazinagro

cilbupfoycnerapsnartrofngiapmaCgnitroperdnagnikamycilop

-ocE,noitaicossAnoitavresnoCgnunieMasomroFneerG,ecnaillAnoitavresnoC

tnorF

strepxenoitavresnoc-ocE rehtagdnahcraesercifitneicsekatrednUnostcapmitnalprewopraelcunfoecnedive

smetsysocerevirdnanaeco

foyteicoS,ecnaillAnoitavresnoc-ocEnaecO,noitaicossArevid-abucS,ssenredliW

.dnuFnoitacudEdnaerutluC

snoitazinagrosthgirrobaL tcetorpotyllaicepse,ytefasrobalrofybboLnoitaidarmorfsrekrow

srekroW,noinUrobaLyrtsudnIlanoitaNrobaL,eettimmoCnoitcAnoitalsigeL

tnorFrekroW

snoitazinagrosuoigileR ehtgnomaefildnadnalroftcepseresiaRcilbup

naitsirhC,puorGecaePdnaecitsuJcilohtaCnoitaicossAtsilanoitavresnoC

gnidulcni(snoitazinagrotnemevomlaicoSlaicosdna,sthgirs'nemow,noitacude

)eraflew

ehttsniaga,yteicoslivicroftroppuSyrtsudnirewopraelcunehtfoadnagaporp

lanoitaN,dnuFnoitacudEytinamuHsthgiRnamuH,noitaicossAs'rehcaeT

noitaicossA

sOGNlanoitanretnI ekun-itnanonoitamrofniedivorProtinom,saerarehtonitnemevom

nidevlovnisnoitaroprocesenapaJ/naciremAnawiaTniyrtsudniraelcuneht

neerGnaeporuE,muroFnaisAeerFraelcuNlanoitanitluMgnirotinoM,seitraP

ecnaillAnoitaroproC

metsyslageL noitatnorfnoclagelekatrednU sralohcslageldnasreywaL

yrtsudnI snalpygreneevitanretlaesoporP snoitaroprocygolonhcetygreneelbaweneR

erutalsigeL troppusevitalsigeldnalacitilopetareneG eettimmoCtnempoleveDelbaniatsuS

aidemsweN noitacinummocdnanoitamrofniedivorP snoitazinagroaidemswenlacoldnatenretnI

Table 1.GCAA Networking, Partnering and Advocating for a Nuclear Free Taiwan, 2001

For example, the Green Student Network in Beijing—with the help of the Environmental Volunteers Associa-tion in Sichuan—has promoted communication amongBeijing-based green student groups. Thanks to the rap-idly growing attention from the international environ-mental community, Chinese NGOs have received fi-

nancial and technical support, as well as some inspira-tion. While today these transnational networks are help-ing the Mainland NGOs develop, these networks willenable the Chinese environmentalists to educate inter-national environmental groups on how to work effec-tively in China.

012-016-R2.p65 1/28/02, 3:46 PM13


Building Local Partnerships: the South-North Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentChen Qing, Director of the South-North Institute for Sustainable Development

The South-North Institute for Sustainable Develop-ment (SNISD) was founded in 1998 with the aim ofproducing environmental and energy policy studies, aswell as promoting the application of new energy effi-ciency technologies. SNISD currently has six full-timestaff, all first-tier college graduates, half of whom havestudied abroad. Their work at SNISD is challenging,but Chen Qing stated that they are a “hard-workingand happy group.”

SNISD’s small-scale biogas projects have been suc-cessful due to the creation of strong partnerships amongfarmers, local banks, researchers, schools, and otherNGOs. In cooperation with The Nature Conservancy,SNISD has helped farmers in two villages within theBaima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve construct small-scale biogas generating systems to provide biogas fordaily energy use and winter greenhouses. As a result, in

the public to protect the environment through streetdemonstrations and lobbying in the Legislative Yuan.Green Citizen Action Alliance’s (GCAA) activities fo-cus on social activism in order to: (1) organize peopleat the grassroots level; (2) educate the public on be-coming “green” consumers; and (3) spread conser-vation ideas and knowledge. In the future GCAA willdevote more time and energy to expanding their inter-national links and sharing resources and informationwith green groups in other countries. The Alliance be-lieves that only through cooperation across boundarieswill they be able to understand the world’s ecosys-tem and work to preserve it for the benefit of all hu-manity. This NGO supports itself through member-ship fees, donations, and sales from publications.

Mr. Wei Chieh Lae used the most recent wave ofanti-nuclear protests in Taiwan to illustrate the tech-niques used by the GCAA to mobilize local communi-ties and build diverse networks (See Table 1). The anti-nuclear power plant movement is the oldest and mostbroad-based environmental movement in the historyof modern Taiwan. This anti-nuclear movement beganin the 1980s and today involves more environmentalNGOs than any other green campaign in Taiwan. Dur-ing the fourth wave of anti-nuclear power plant cam-paigns in 2001, the GCAA (as one of the core players)cooperated with and helped organize a variety of socialorganizations to take up different duties (according totheir own expertise) such as campaigning, information

collecting, policy monitoring, legal efforts, and legisla-tive confrontation.

Mr. Lae and his colleagues believe that the anti-nuclear power plant movement is very comprehensivethroughout Taiwan, for it is an issue that potentiallyimpacts many sectors and people. For example, to cam-paign for the closure of a nuclear power plant, NGOsare responsible for providing alternative energy options,which requires communication and cooperation be-tween NGOs and renewable energy corporations. Itmerits mention that maintaining such a wide and looseanti-nuclear network is challenging. Mr. Lae pointedout that internal communication among all the orga-nizations involved is crucial to achieving the goal of themovement. Moreover, all of the participants in thisnetwork must be tolerant of each other’s missions. En-vironmental NGOs also need to be flexible to work witheach other to realize the general goals, instead of striv-ing for their own interests.

Contact Information for Green Citizens ActionAlliance

Office Address: No. 20, A.3, Lane 302, Hoping W.Road, Taipei, TaiwanTelephone: 886-2-23041950;Fax: 886-2-23061251E-mail: [email protected] Site: http://www.teputc.org.tw/

each village the consumption of firewood has been re-duced considerably. Moreover the families now are ableto grow profitable greenhouse vegetables to supplementtheir income. The total investment for the installationof the biogas systems is a combination of family contri-butions, local bank loans, and subsidies by SNISD.Beyond installing the technology, SNISD has conductedseveral follow-up activities. For example, SNISD invitedexperts and technicians to Baima Snow Mountain Na-ture Reserve to demonstrate to farmers how to growvegetables in greenhouses. To spread the knowledge ofthis clean and sustainable technology in the region,SNISD is helping a local school implement the four-in-one model biogas system, and turning the schoolinto a training center for biogas technology.

As demonstrated by the above example, SNISDworks closely with local governments, agricultural banks,

012-016-R2.p65 1/28/02, 3:46 PM14


s0891etaL-s0791etaL tneserP-s0991

sOGNfonoitcnuFcilbuP sgodhctaW sredivorPnoituloS

sOGNfoelytSgnikroW citsilaedIdetneirO-noissiM

sredaeLcitamsirahC/cioreH

citamagarPdetneirO-noitcA

krowmaeT

htiwpihsnoitaleROGNtnemnrevoG

lanoitatnorfnoC lausnesnoCdnacitsilageL

htiwpihsnoitaleROGNspuorGrehtO

pihsredaeL pihsrentraP

sOGNfoegamIcilbuP stsilareneGsioegruoBsetacovdA

srotsetorP/sreoDspuorGegnirF

stsilaicepSstoorssarGstsigetartS

srotatilicaF/srekrowteNspuorGlacitiloPmaertsniaM

Table 2. Evolution of Environmental NGOs in Hong Kong

and research institutes. Mr. Chen emphasized three keyissues to strengthen the effectiveness of NGOs that as-pire to introduce new technology and change publicpolicy. These NGOs should: (1) create feasible policyrecommendations; (2) develop or identify new tech-nologies that can be easily applied; and (3) undertakeor identify cutting edge scientific research. In their work,SNISD aims to disseminate information on their suc-cessful pilot projects so other institutions and local gov-ernments can replicate these energy efficiency projectsin the vast rural areas of China.

Mr. Chen believes there is a great need for moreenvironmental NGOs in Mainland China that focuson creating practical methods and policies for solvingChina’s environmental problems. At this phase of NGO

The Changing Style of Environmental NGOs in Hong KongPlato K.T. Yip, Assistant Director of Friends of the Earth, Hong Kong

Mr. Plato K.T. Yip drew on his experience as anenvironmentalist active in academia, government, andthe NGO spheres to paint a picture of the changingstyle of environmental NGOs in Hong Kong from thelate 1970s to today. Political, economic, and socialchanges in Hong Kong have prompted the gradual, yetdistinctive shift of environmental NGOs away fromidealistic and confrontational working styles. Today,many green NGOs in Hong Kong have a more coop-erative relationship with the government than in thepast. These changes stem in part from the political re-forms launched by the Hong Kong government in the

1980s. These reforms began to incorporate moregrassroots organizations into the government’s consul-tation system. Additionally, as Hong Kong’s economyhas rapidly expanded so have pollution problems andpublic demand for cleanup, which created opportuni-ties for environmental groups to expand their activi-ties. Gaining more power to shape environmental policyand more public support are the key factors that havechanged the role and character of Hong Kong greengroups. Additionally, the evolving character of HongKong environmental groups also stems from the suc-cess of early environmental campaigning and lobby-

development in Mainland China, NGOs can be moreeffective both in their work and in promoting the de-velopment of green groups by assisting, rather than criti-cizing the government. For example, NGOs can carryout grassroots conservation projects and issue policyreports that can help shape better environmental poli-cies.

Contact Information for the South-North Institutefor Sustainable DevelopmentZhongshan Park, Tiananmen, Beijing 100031, ChinaTelephone: 86-10-86521198Fax: 86-10-86522198Web Site: www.snisd.org.cn/

012-016-R2.p65 1/28/02, 3:46 PM15


ing. Green NGOs no longer need to be confrontationalto change government and public behavior and atti-tudes towards environmental protection.

Having summarized the major trends in the opera-tion of environmental NGOs, Mr. Yip explained thosechanges in more detail (See Table 2). EnvironmentalNGOs in Hong Kong initially arose to protest againstthe colonial government’s apathy regarding pollutionand conservation problems. Since NGOs have becomea part of the government advisory system the past con-frontational practices have been replaced by more con-sensual work styles. While NGOs used to play the roleof watchdogs or pressure groups, today their functionhas shifted to becoming solution providers and con-sultants for the government and the public. Over timemany of the groups in Hong Kong have become moreprofessional institutions with activists maturing intostrategists, networkers, and government partners. As theorganizations have become more professional and in-stitutionalized they are run more as businesses and teamsas opposed to simply a group of protesters or followersof a heroic/charismatic leader.

In the past, environmentalists in Hong Kong viewedthemselves as the leaders of the public and private sec-tors, but today most groups want to build up sustain-able partnerships with the public, corporations, andthe news media. The new character of environmentalNGOs working with government does not mean thatthey still do not pressure the government. Today, envi-ronmentalists use the law more often than street pro-tests to force the government to comply with their ownlaws.

The public and the news media also have shiftedtheir attitudes about the function of environmentalNGOs. Specifically, NGOs are no longer viewed asnature lovers who promote general environmental aware-ness; instead NGOs are seen as specialists to turn to for

advice. Another distinctive change has been that in thepast expatriate members dominated many of the envi-ronmental NGOs, but today Hong Kong Chinese makeup the majority of the membership. This has led thepublic to view green NGOs as local and accessible groupsrather than elite clubs.

As groups have expanded their level of activities,they have needed to improve fundraising, attract morevolunteers, and create a niche for themselves. There-fore, many groups have changed from being a smallgroup of “doers” or protestors to “networkers” who canobtain sufficient funding and support and as act as in-formation facilitators for the public and the govern-ment. Overall, environmental NGOs in Hong Kongare now accepted as one of the mainstream politicalactors.

In addition to talking about the shifting characterof environmental NGOs in Hong Kong, Mr. Yip usedhis own knowledge of the Friends of the Earth, HongKong (FoE) to illustrate how Hong Kong environmen-tal NGOs are using extensive networking to fulfill theirmissions (See Figure 1). Besides sponsors and the newsmedia, FoE (through a variety of projects) has estab-lished working relations with the Hong Kong and Chi-nese central governments, corporations, and other NGOgroups. For example, FoE built partnerships with theprivate sector, the Hong Kong government, and otherNGOs to implement a Plastic Recycling Project. FoEobtained support from the World Bank and UnitedNations agencies to set up a series of workshops andtraining classes on environmental issues. Together withthe Chinese State Environmental Protection Adminis-tration FoE is sponsoring an annual Earth Award inChina for Mainland Chinese organizations or individualswho have achieved extraordinary success in the envi-ronmental research or activist spheres.

Figure 1. The Network of Friends of the Earth, Hong Kong (FoE)

012-016-R2.p65 1/28/02, 3:46 PM16


Friends of Nature and the Tibetan Antelope BusLiang Congjie, Founder and Director of the Friends of Nature

Section IIINGO Environmental Education Methods

Editor Commentary:The Environmental Education Priorities in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong KongJennifer L. Turner and Fengshi Wu, Woodrow Wilson Center

The three talks by Liang Congjie, Sannie Chan LitFong, and Chung Ming-kuang revealed that despitedifferences in the political environs and the divergencein how nongovernmental groups have developed, manyof the NGOs from Hong Kong, Mainland China, andTaiwan have prioritized environmental education. Inthe 1980s as the economies in Hong Kong and Taiwanboomed, these “little dragons” became high consump-tion, high-waste producing societies. Mainland Chinahas followed this path of rapid economic developmentand explosive consumerism. All of the participants atthe April Hong Kong forum believed that NGOs couldplay a key role in educating the public about worsen-ing ecological problems caused by rapid economicgrowth, industrialization, and wasteful consumption.In discussions at the forum, attendees were able to swapmany stories of successful environmental education ac-tivities and strategies encouraging people to adopt“greener” lifestyles. The discussions highlighted thestrategies and skills that enable NGOs to achieve theirpublic education goals most effectively. Some key pointsraised in the discussions stated that NGOs should:

• Work to get to know and build trust in the com-munity the NGO aims to serve and educate, which

in turn will help the NGOs become more effectiveand sustainable;• Be creative in mobilization and organizing envi-ronmental activities; and,• Do not overextend the NGO’s capacity, for onegroup cannot educate everyone.

In Mainland China environmental education hasbeen an area in which the government has stronglyencouraged NGO activity. Mainland NGOs have takenadvantage of this political space and have been particu-larly active and strong in undertaking environmentaleducation work. Since 1949, the concept of nongov-ernmental organizations has been left out of the publicdiscourse and it is striking how quickly Mainland Chi-nese environmental NGOs have started to gain recog-nition and respect from the public through their edu-cational activities. In Hong Kong, Mainland China, andTaiwan there are NGOs and university student groupsthat work with schools to raise the environmental edu-cation among children. Because this is a particularlynon-sensitive area of NGO activity, environmental edu-cation is a topic in which NGOs in Hong Kong, Main-land China, and Taiwan can have fruitful communica-tion with their counterparts.

Ever since the first Chinese environmental nongov-ernmental organization (NGO) Friends of Nature(FON) was granted official legal status in 1994, itsfounder, history professor Liang Congjie has been pon-dering what a green NGO in China can do in terms ofprotecting the environment. Without further politicalreforms regarding social organizations, it remains im-possible and inappropriate for NGOs to lobby the gov-

ernment in China. In light of the fact that ProfessorLiang and many of his NGO colleagues lack technicalexpertise, they are not able to conduct scientific research.Therefore, instead of lobbying or doing scientific re-search, members of FON devote their energy to envi-ronmental education activities. They have two foci: 1)to improve the public’s environmental awareness; and2) to enhance environment education among elemen-

18NGO Environmental Education Methods

tary and middle school students.In an interview with Asiaweek after being awarded

the Magsaysay Public Service Prize in August 2000,Professor Liang explained FON’s flexible tactics. Hestated that his “strategy is to first support the govern-ment since it has the regulations to help improve theenvironment, but as an NGO, it is also our mission toact as watchdog.” He also commented at the GreenNGO and Environmental Journalist Forum in Hong Kongthat Mainland Chinese NGOs should start with smallactivities, not big propaganda campaigns (Chang GaoDiao). Moreover, even if they focus on environmental

education, greenNGOs in Main-land China todayneed to be aware ofthe balance be-tween cooperationwith the govern-ment and indepen-dence.

Friends of Na-ture has helped XiZhinong (co-founder of GreenPlateau) protectnatural forests inYunnan Province,and Yang Xin(Founder of GreenRiver, a ChineseNGO working onthe Tibetan Pla-teau) to conserve

the sources of Yangtze River. In 1996, when Xi Zhinongfirst began photographing and reporting on the endan-

gered golden snub-nosed monkey in northeast Yunnan,he was practically fighting a war against logging indus-tries all by himself. Fortunately, he got in touch withLiang Congjie who took advantage of FON’s networksamong journalists in Beijing and brought the story ofthe golden snub-nosed monkey to major newspapersin China. This reporting led to demands from the publicto protect the monkeys. High-level officials in Beijingsubsequently ordered that logging in Northeast Yunnanstop.

Professor Liang thinks environmental education inelementary and middle schools is especially importantfor the future of environmental protection in China.“We hope to turn the kids’ hearts green,” he said. TheTibetan antelope bus is the most popular and effectivechildren’s educational project FON has undertaken.Funds from a German organization have paid for a van,which tours schools, raising green consciousness amongpupils with environmental games and videos. To date,the Tibetan antelope bus has traveled around Beijingcity and many neighboring provinces. Together withthe China Youth Foundation (a government organizedNGO), FON has been training volunteers to advanceenvironmental education in Project Hope Schools inrural and remote areas. Another Friends of Nature projectthat merits mention has been their yearly surveys onthe quantity and quality of environmental reportingmajor Chinese newspapers.

Contact Information for Friends of Nature:315 Gonghe Building 10 Qihelou Beixiang, Beijing,China, 100006Telephone: 86-10-6526-1382Fax: 86-10-6523-31Web Site: www.fon.org.cn/

Meinung: Starting from a Small VillageChung Ming-kuang, Secretary General of Meinung Conservation Association

The Meinung Conservation Association is a grassrootsenvironmental and community organization in Taiwan.The group began as a loose protest movement in 1992and was transformed into a formal organization in 1994.In the early 1990s, the Taiwan water conservationadministration’s water resource committee quietly ap-proved the construction plans for a 147-meter high damin Meinung County without the agreement of the lo-cal citizens. The completed dam sparked fierce opposi-tion from the local community. These protests also in-

directly spurred Taiwanese intellectuals to begin to sup-port rural citizen-based environmental movements.Initially, citizens in Meinung County opposing the damorganized themselves into a core group of activists called“seven small working teams.” These small groups ofactivists eventually joined together to create theMeinung Conservation Association, as it exists today.

The Meinung Conservation Association hopes thatthrough ceaseless environmental education and com-munity cultural activities their movement can become

Professor Liang Congjie, founder ofChina’s first environmental NGO theFriends of Nature, provided aneloquent talk on greening people’shearts during the EnvironmentalEducation panel.


strongly rooted into the Meinung community. A strongmovement will empower the community to deal effec-tively with the environmental problems stemming fromthe Meinung Dam and face the challenges created bythe Taiwanese government’s longtime prioritizationof the industrial sector over agricultural and rural ar-eas. This movement will give new hopes to this oldrural community in Meinung.

The association’s experience in developing environ-mental education has led them to identify two impor-tant lessons for strengthening the effectiveness of localenvironmental activism:

1) Environmental education needs to be multifac-eted, for no single style of environmental campaigningcan be effective in every situation (See Table 3 for thescope of Meinung Conservation Association’s environmen-tal educational activities); and,

2) Local community groups need to set up or usetheir own news media organizations for their environ-mental activism.

Within Meinung County (population 35,000), theMeinung Conservation Association has used communitynewspapers, magazines, music tapes, the Internet andother kinds of communication media to develop a vari-ety of environmental education activities to target peopleof different ages. Members of the association believe itis very important for a grassroots environmental groupto fully utilize existing news media resources in the area,

not only because it is a practical strategy, but also be-cause the community will be more receptive to themessage.

One of the best examples of using local news me-dia was when the Meinung Conservation Associationhelped to support Moonbeam Mountain (Yue Kuan Shan)magazine, which is a community publication. Thismagazine has a 20-year history of uninterrupted pub-lication, but prior to their cooperation with the MeinungConservation Association the magazine had never takena stand on environmental issues. However, today themagazine has broadened and deepened its environmen-tal education coverage, which in turn has helped tostrengthen local environmental volunteer networks andsolidify the local green activist foundation. The Internethas become another strategy for publicizing the uniquequalities of Meinung County and building networks ofpeople who support protecting the environment andculture in this rural community. Continually updatedInternet Web sites and periodic listserv reports havebecome low-cost, fast methods for the association todisseminate information on the environment andgrassroots campaigns in Meinung County. WhileInternet use is particularly widespread among youngpeople, many of the rural people in Taiwan do not useit. Therefore, environmental groups interested in reach-ing rural communities should use a variety of commu-nication strategies and not be overly dependent on theInternet.

The Meinung Conservation Association also has

lacidoirePACMnahSgnauKeuY

ylretrauQlanruoJ

yratnemucoDcisuM,smliF

sgnidroceR

,tenretnIsrettelswen-e

detegraTecneiduA

,sneziticgnunieMdnasralohcs

stsilatnemnorivnenawiaTtuohguorht

dnasneziticgnunieMstsilatnemnorivnenawiaTtuohguorht

seiraVdnastnedutS

citsaisuhtneACMfosretroppus

tnetnoC sisylanA,yroehTACMfoseirotS

dnastnevesngiapmac

fosmlifdnacisuMlatnemnorivne

dna,stnevesngiapmac

nonoitamrofnIsngiapmac,stnevelatnemnorivnedna

ytilauq

noitubirtsiDsdohteM

liamralugeR liamralugeR seiraV tenretnI

slaoGnoissucsidetomorPsaedilaciteroehtfo

esaercnIlatnemnorivne

noitacude

esaercnIlatnemnorivne

noitacude

,srebmemetavitoMdna,skrowtendliub

esaercnilatnemnorivne

noitacude

Table 3. Meinung Conservation Association (MCA) EnvironmentalEducation Activities

20NGO Environmental Education Methods

worked with traditional musicians in Meinung to recordseveral music CDs. The songs on these CDs not onlyhighlight the unique local music and cultural connec-tions with nature, but also include anti-dam songs.

Meinung has attracted an endless stream of newsmedia attention due to the fact that this community isnestled in a scenic area with a distinctive cultural his-tory. The area is also infamous for its enthusiastic com-munity of people who have diligently worked to pro-tect their county from destructive development. Al-though news media reports have promoted positive in-formation on Meinung’s environmental campaigns andcultural events, outsiders who come to report (espe-cially Taiwanese mainstream news media organizations)often bring their own preconceptions and expect to betreated royally by the community. If, for example, thereporter encounters some difficulties in making arrange-ments to visit Meinung, the subsequent article mayhave a negative impact on Meinung. In light of somepast negative experiences with outside news media or-ganizations, the Meinung Conservation Association hasstressed the importance of creating a community-basednews media.

In addition to conventional news media methods,the Meinung Conservation Association also has organized

special ecological campaigns and activities. Once a yearthe association organizes a monarch butterfly watch inorder to assess how the dam has destroyed some of thenatural habitat in the monarch butterfly emerald val-ley. The Meinung Conservation Association uses the ar-rival of the butterflies in the valley each year to orga-nize both anti-dam events and ecological educationactivities. After six years of tireless work, these butterflywatches have become an important environmental cam-paign in southern Taiwan. The Meinung ConservationAssociation’s junior partner organization the MeinungYouth Committee also organizes an ecological camp ev-ery winter holiday. This camp helps to teach childrenand adults about their own traditional rural commu-nity and why they need to be concerned about theirlocal environment.

Contact Information for the Meinung ConservationAssociation:Chung Ming-kuang No. 12 Fu-Ann Street,Meinung, Kaohsiung County, TaiwanFax: 886-7-6810201E-mail: [email protected] Site: http://mpa.ngo.org.tw

Preserving Tradition and Promoting Environmental EducationSannie Chan Lit Fong, Founder Green Peng Chau Association

The Green Peng Chau Association (GPCA) is a non-profit grassroots environmental group set up in 1991on a one-square kilometer island, called Peng Chau (flatisland), which is located seven kilometers east of HongKong Island. Before the 1980s, Peng Chau Island wasfree of auto and industrial pollution and 70 percent ofthe land was unspoiled nature and rural areas. Localresidents had long maintained island traditions andcommunity ties. In 1990, one woman—who becameone of the founders of GPCA—returned to the islandof her birth after ten years of studying abroad only todiscover that the natural environment and local cul-ture on the island had undergone marked changes. Thebeautiful beach had vanished and people no longerappeared to value what nature had given them. Thiswoman joined some other women on the island (whoalso were discouraged about the environmental degra-dation) to create the GPCA. This grassroots group aimsto promote environmental awareness among island resi-dents. The GPCA members also wish to do everythingin their power to conserve the remaining beauty of the

island.The women running this NGO work to meet their

objectives by: (1) monitoring development planningon the island, and (2) organizing activities to promoteenvironmental awareness and education. Over the pastnine years, GPCA has tried to persuade the local gov-ernment to address the pollution dangers facing theisland, such as untreated sewage dumped into the seaand construction debris deposited in open spaces. In-directly, GPCA lobbying influenced a local governmentdecision to halt the planning of a new container termi-nal because of the pollution it would have created. TheGPCA also has organized educational workshops at lo-cal primary schools and kindergartens in order to ig-nite the minds of the young people of Peng Chau toprotect their island’s environment. By organizing greenoutings (e.g., tree planting and beach clean ups), semi-nars, and exhibitions, GPCA is actively educating thelocal people about greener lifestyles and eco-tourism.In light of this broad range of activities, it is not sur-prising that this nonprofit grassroots organization


staffed completely by volunteers often faces many fi-nancial pressures and staff shortages.

The local government on Peng Chau Island doesnot have a bold plan to improve the local economy,which is a predominantly residential area, possessinglimited agricultural areas and few valuable natural re-sources. The GPCA volunteers have, however, proposeda comprehensive “Green Cultural Island Plan” to de-velop the island into an eco-tourist area and create aneco-education center. This sustainable development planincludes the following activities and projects:

A green market during the Xu Festival. The Xu Festi-val is seen as an important tradition for local residents,businessmen, farmers, and fishers to exchange prod-ucts and goods during the Xu Festival (this holidayalso is celebrated in many places in China). Recently,however, the Peng Chau local government made a planto construct a modern new downtown district to re-place the old traditional markets. The GPCA counteredthis plan by proposing that the government maintainthe 200-year Xu Festival tradition and use the existingmarkets to hold a green market for local people to selland buy organic agriculture products during and afterthe Xu Festival.

Community organic farming. This is a plan to fullyuse fallow and wasteland on the island to create smallorganic farms. The GPCA will invite experts to intro-duce local farmers to the advantages and methods ofgrowing organic products, and encourage them to selltheir products through the green market during theXu Festival. Another component of this plan is to di-vide wasteland into small pieces and rent small plots tolocal residents, who are interested in being organic “va-cation farmers.” Some currently unused land also canbe given to local schools for environmental educationpurposes. This latter plan aims to provide a live class-room for local residents to learn about nature, and givethem an opportunity to work together outdoors withtheir families. Overall, this organic farming plan willfully utilize the soil resources on the island and helpreconnect people to their island’s environment.

A traditional Chinese culture and ecology research cen-ter. This center would combine traditional culture and

eco-education to promote the study of how traditionalculture has influenced human behavior. This centerwould also promote a new green lifestyle through text-books and exhibitions.

An eco-tourism and eco-educational center. Becausethe Peng Chau Island is rich in cultural traditions andcontains a beautiful natural environment, it is an idealdestination for eco-tourism and the island could de-velop an eco-tourist education center for Hong Kong.

Despite its small size, Peng Chau Island contains adiverse population, including businessmen, fishers, andlocal residents.While manyhave lived onthe island forgenerat ions,there are alsomigrants fromGreater Chinaand overseas.GPCA volun-teers hope thattheir sustain-able develop-ment planscan help bringtogether thisdiverse popu-lation to pro-tect theisland’s re-sources. Ac-cording toGPCA volun-teers, it is veryimportant toconsider bothn a t u r e - e c o -logical andh i s to ry -cu l -tural factors in order to design and implement success-ful environmental education plans for the island.

During the Air Quality ReportingWorkshop, Dr. Sai S. Chan (standing) gavea brief tour of intriguing topics in currentinternational research on environmentalhealth. He urged reporters to dig beneaththe surface on environmental stories andnot stop at the episodic level of reporting.

22Green NGO Capacity Building

Section IVGreen NGO Capactiy Building

Overview of Day Two at the Green NGO and Environmental Journalist ForumJennifer L. Turner and Fengshi Wu, Woodrow Wilson Center

On the second day of the Green NGO and Envi-ronmental Journalist Forum, the participants focused onNGO capacity building and NGO-journalist commu-nication. The morning session began with Simon Liaofrom the Wild Bird Federation, Taiwan (See essay in thissection) and Wong Kai Yi from the Tai-O Culture Work-

shop in Hong Kong (See feature box section) giving brieftalks on their respective organizations. Following thesetalks the participants were split into small groups todiscuss the challenges of building the capacity of greengroups. They focused on membership management,public participation, and fundraising. After breakout

sessions, each small group reported their insights to allof the NGO participants to evaluate. The lively mod-erators for this session were Chang Hunglin (Society ofWilderness) and Lu Hongyan (Environmental VolunteersAssociation). The highlights of these discussions are pro-vided on the following page.

While the NGO participants dis-cussed capacity building, the environ-mental journalists simultaneously helda workshop on air quality reporting. Theafternoon session brought together theNGO and journalist participants for anactivity to promote discussion on howto improve communication betweenthe two professional groups. In this ses-sion, environmental NGO participantswere split into groups and they had toimagine they were an NGO trying topitch a story to a journalist. The jour-nalists critiqued each group in turn. In-sights into the journalist sessions arehighlighted in the essays contained inSection V. of these proceedings.

In last session of the forum, theparticipants were able to explore howthe use of visual images can strengthenthe impact an NGO. In that session,three photographers who run environ-mental NGOs treated the forum par-ticipants to slideshows and presenta-tions explaining how they use nature

photography to promote their environmental educa-tion work. The three photographers were: Sun Dehui(Black-necked Crane Association), Xi Zhinong (GreenPlateau), and Hsu Jen-Shiu (Society of Wilderness) De-scriptions of their activities can be found in the featurebox section of this publication.

In breakout sessions, workshop particpants explore issues on how to improveenvironmental NGO capacity in areas of financing, membership, and publicparticpation. From left to right: Lin Shen Tzung (Eco-Conservation Associa-tion), Sun Dehui (Black-necked Crane Association), Ng Cho Nam (ConservancyAssociation), Huang Ming Hsuan (Wildbird Federation, Taiwan)


Small-Group Discussions: Member Management, Public Mobilization, andFundraising

Below are the highlights from the small group dis-cussions on NGO capacity building.

Groups One and Two: Membership ManagementTwo groups discussed how best to attract and keep

members in an NGO. Not all of the NGOs in the fo-rum were interested in signing up and managing mem-bers, for they viewed membership organizations assomewhat elitist and too cumbersome to manage. Oth-ers argued that building up a membership base doesnot mean an NGO is pursuing an elite approach, rathermore effectively expanding and sustaining its reach intothe community. A devoted membership also can offervaluable skills and knowledge to an NGO. Some of thecentral points drawn from the discussions are outlinedbelow:

1) Do not rely on an individual leader to sustainthe NGO. Sometimes a charismatic leader attractsa large membership, but when he or she leaves themembership disappears! Therefore, in order for anNGO to become a sustainable institution with amembership devoted to the environmental cause,the organization must downplay the individual anddevelop a system for regularly changing the leader-ship.2) NGOs need to make all members and volun-teers feel like part of the team.3) Discover the expertise of the members and orga-nize activities to enable members to exchange ideas.4) Take advantage of information technology (suchas e-mail, list-servers, Web sites) to improve thecommunication among members and NGO staff.5) An NGO should produce a high-quality jour-nal or newsletter to update members on theorganization’s activities.6) Frequent communication via email, phone andat events is crucial to maintain personal contact withmembers. Members need a sense of belonging toremain committed to the NGO’s work.7) If an NGO does highly visible and effective ac-tivities and campaigns the organization will improveits reputation and thereby attract more members.8) The success of an NGO should not be based onsimply having a huge membership. An excessivenumber of members can be expensive for an NGOto maintain and satisfy.9) In addition to overstretching the NGO’s capac-ity, too many members could turn an NGO into

an impersonal bureaucracy. A large membershipdoes not necessarily lead to bureaucratization in allNGOs.10) Training members and volunteers can be anattractive benefit to keep them interested and ac-tive in the NGO. Among the conference partici-pants some member-training activities include: (a)running classes on wildlife understanding andbirdwatching (Society of Wilderness; Hong KongBirdwatching Association, Conservancy Association,Wild Bird Federation, Taiwan, Green Earth Volun-teers); (b) teaching members to measure pollutionlevels in local streams and monitor environmentalindex (GreenRiver); (c) training on how to organizetheir community to monitor local industries(Meinung Conservation Association); (d) training onthe knowledge and technology of recycling, howto turn used cooking oil into soap, and how to com-post kitchen wastes (Homemakers’ Union and Foun-dation, Global Village of Beijing); (e) train journal-ists about environmental issues (Green Earth Vol-unteers, Global Village Beijing); and (f ) seminars fornature interpreters, environmental teachers, andconservationists (Environmental Volunteers Associa-tion at Sichuan University, Friends of the Earth-Guizhou, Black-necked Crane Association, Society ofWilderness).

Group Three: Public ParticipationAll of the NGOs attending the forum struggle with

stimulating and maintaining public participation intheir activities and events. Some of the main points fromthis discussion are outlined below:

More is not necessarily better! In other words, an NGOshould not simply gauge success by having lots of peopleat events. Certain activities and events may be moreeffective with smaller groups. It is important to decideon the scope of public participation according to thespecific aim of a project. For example, birdwatchingand trash pickup are activities that do not require ahigh skill level from the participants. While participa-tion in scientific investigation of the source of YangtzeRiver and work to prevent the slaughtering of Tibetanantelope (GreenRiver) require more specialized skills andknowledge. Such specialized activities often do not lendthemselves well to campaigns to promote public par-ticipation. Moreover, in cases such as the protection ofblack-necked cranes (Black-necked Crane Association)

ngo networking and partnering 12 section ... - wilson center · together many mainland and...

Documents