Chengdu Urban Rivers Association
Published in the Wilson Center’s China Environment Series, Issue 8
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CURA and Keepers of the Water talking over tea with farmers about creating a model watershed protection village. © Betsy Damon
Many environmental efforts in China fail because they are too narrowly focused and lack sufficient cooperation among the various sectors. After ten years of involvement in Chengdu, Keepers of the Waters has built many coalitions across government, NGO, and community sectors in the municipality. This network has been vital to facilitating the start of this rural watershed protection village program. However, ultimately CURA is the leader of this program, beginning with Duncan and the first group of volunteers who developed the vision and continuing with the current volunteers and CURA director Tian Jun, who are navigating the bureaucracy to keep the program moving forward. CURA’s networks with international and domestic NGOs and local governments will help create a model village program that demonstrates how development and watershed protection can go hand in hand.