From August 23rd to September 17th, 1999, I was in China working on a conservation project. The first two weeks I spent in Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan Province, and the second two weeks we spent in the field in the northwest of the province doing field work. The two weeks in Kunming consisted of conducting a workshop to train Chinese colleagues in the methods of conducting a Rapid Ecological Assessment. The two weeks in the field were used to survey as much of the area as possible using GPS and laptops to record information. As part of the preliminary work we used satellite imagery and other data (elevation, roads, rivers, towns) to compile a known data set that we would use in the field.

The two weeks spent in KUNMING were absolutely fascinating. From the frenetic pace of life, to the patient and very hospitable people, the amazing food, and interesting temples (I did a day trip to WESTERN HILLS), Kunming is a great place to visit.

While in Kunming I managed to get away for a weekend to the southern part of Yunnan (near the border of Laos), which has some tropical forest. Here I visited XISHANBANA ELEPHENT RESERVE. Xishanbana has one of the last remaining wild populations of Asian Elephants.

The Field Trip.

We then set out on the field trip. From Kunming we drove up to ZHONGDIAN (2 days drive), passing over the Yangtze River, and spent a day in the area.

We then drove from Zhongdian to DEQEN (2 days), again passiing over the Yangtze River.

From Deqen we drove up and along the TIBET border, following the Mekong River, and then back down to MEILI SNOW MOUNTAIN (6740m high) and spent some time at the monsoon maritime glacier (2 days).

Click here to see a 3D IMAGE of MeiLi Snow Mountain (created from a satellite image combined with a digital elevation model).

Then back to Deqen (2 days) where our trip was cut short by landslides (roads closed for more than a month) and then back to Zhongdian where we flew back to Kunming.