An Analysis of the Socioeconomic Effects of Hydropower Development in Nujiang Watershed

Annotation:::: The lead author, Bao Guangjing is a doctoral student and lecturer of School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University. His paper focuses on the resettlement of local residents caused by the protection of local natural reserves and industrial development of Nujiang prefecture, Yunnan province. The resettlement of local people and complicated human-land relationship are the main subjects of study, and the article mainly deals with life science and ecological security and only minimally with the issue of remittance. It elaborates on the displacement of local residents, and explores ways of solving the various conflicts between humans and land and other problems in the local society. The authors generally use the method of documental study, engaging in a quantitative analysis of several documents and pieces of literature related to the reasons for resettling local residents of Nujiang. Through their analysis, they find out that firstly, Nujiang is an ecologically vulnerable area with most of mountain people living under poverty line; secondly, it is necessary for those mountain people to move to other places with better living conditions; thirdly, development of a hydropower station helps promote local poverty alleviation; and fourthly, resettlement of mountain people plays a positive role in local socioeconomic development and also the protection of natural reserves.