Governance of Biodiversity Conservation in China And Taiwan

geographical distribution of green NGOs and social organizations nation-wide
are non-existent’.^40 We agree emphatically with Ho’s assessment.
In the sections following we discuss each type of ENGO, illustrating it with
examples. The common questions discussed pertain to the age of the ENGO,
registration situation, leadership, finance, functions, and effects. Since our
focus is on the impact of ENGOs on biodiversity conservation policies, the
examples are drawn from this area.

GONGOs
GONGOs, or government-organized non-governmental organizations, are not
unique to China, but they surely play a larger role in environmentalism in this
country than elsewhere in the world. The concept does not include non-profit
service organizations of bureaucratic agencies, designed to strengthen their
administrative capacity.^41 Instead, it refers to quasi-government bodies, usually
housed in a bureaucracy, which perform public relations, educational, and
other functions.
One example of a GONGO in the area of biodiversity conservation is
the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), one of the earliest
GONGOs to be established, in 1983. The CWCA’s primary affiliation is
with the State Forestry Administration (SFA), but it also has a relationship
with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). The initial purpose
behind its establishment was to provide a vehicle (a non-governmental
foundation) for the Chinese government to receive foreign funding in support
of species preservation, then principally for the giant panda. This remains
a major purpose, but in its evolution it has added three other objectives:

1. emphasis of scientific research and development; 2) education on
   biodiversity conservation issues; and 3) service as a liaison for China on
   international conservation issues. Describing the membership base, a director
   commented:

‘There are 80000 members of CWCA ... All are individuals. They include soldiers,

farmers, groups of individuals. For example, there’s a branch in Sichuan Province

and a branch further in Meiyang county. We have units nationwide down to the

county level ... There are too many for us to manage them all.’^42

Most of CWCA’s funding comes from its two ministry sponsors, but
international grants have assisted its operations in some years. About half of
its 20 staff members worked previously for SFA or MOST, but are now in a
non-governmental personnel system. It has relationships to ENGOs in China
and especially those working in the area of species preservation, such as the
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). On occasion, it will contact
government agencies on behalf of INGOs, and co-sponsor conferences and
other events with them.

174 Governance of biodiversity conservation in China and Taiwan