For Immediate Release The Field Museum, Greg Borzo (312) 665-7106 gborzo@fieldmuseum.org “This inventory helped convince the authorities to reconsider damming the Nu, and Prof. Yang’s role was critical,” said Gerald Adelmann, Executive Director of Openlands, which also participated in the RBI. “Opposition to the dam is a litmus test for China, which is allowing dissent about the Nu dams and earning respect worldwide for its openness and environmental concern on this issue.” In addition to being the home of incredible biodiversity and breathtaking scenic beauty, the Nu runs through the home of many diverse cultures. In fact, the Yunnan province is home to 25 of China’s 55 recognized ethnic minorities. Many of these peoples, whose culture and heritage have been closely tied to the land for hundreds of years, would lose their way-of-life if the Nu dams were built. Other dam projects around the world have endangered, displaced or destroyed communities. The RBI surveyed ethnic minorities living near the Nu, including the Han, Lisu, Bai, Dai, Yi and Hui. It identified resources and capacities that could help the communities develop economic activities, such as ecotourism, that would be compatible with the local ecology and culture. The Nu dams are planned to generate hydroelectric power to help fuel China’s rapid growth. They would provide 21.3 million kilowatts of electricity, surpassing the power of the controversial Three Gorges Dams on the Yangtze River by more than 3 million kilowatts. Small wonder that Nu means “ferocious” in Chinese. “Due to the inevitable devastation that the Nu River dams would inflict on the environment and culture, we strongly oppose them,” said Debra Moskovits, Vice President of Environment and Conservation at The Field Museum. “Prof. Yang’s commitment to conservation and scientific research, as well as his recognition of China’s global responsibility, is clear.” Established in 1996 by an anonymous donor, the Parker/Gentry Award honors an outstanding individual, team or organization in the field of conservation biology whose efforts have had a significant impact on preserving the world’s rich natural heritage – and whose actions and approach can serve as a model to others. The Award bears the names of the late Theodore A. Parker III and Alwyn Gentry, ardent conservationists and leading naturalists. Parker, an ornithologist, and Gentry, a botanist, died on August 3, 1991, while surveying hill forests of western Ecuador. The pair worked closely with Field Museum scientists on several joint efforts, including the rapid inventories for conservation. Digital images available: * Prof. Yang Yuming, Vice President of the Southwest Forestry College in Kunming, China and winner of The Field Museum’s 2004 Parker/Gentry Award. Photo courtesy of The Field Museum. * Rice paddies outside the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in China’s Yunnan Province, through which the Nu River runs. One of the primary threats to the reserve is chemical runoff from such fields. Photo by Debra Moskovits, courtesy of The Field Museum * Many plants found during the Rapid Biological Inventory of the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve are new to science. This fungi of the Marasmius genus has not yet been named. Photo by Greg Mueller, courtesy of The Field Museum