Wild Camel Protection Foundation Environmental Education Booklets

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION BOOKLETS

As part of its programme to protect the wild Bactrian camel and its fragile habitat, WCPF has developed an environmental education programme. This programme involves the preparation of environmental booklets for school children in China, Mongolia and world-wide. They have also been used in public awareness campaigns in the communities local to the new Nature Reserve.

The booklets are part of a series of seven multi-language environmental education books. The series has the full support of both the Chinese and Mongolian authorities.

They will be prepared, printed and distributed in the Chinese provinces of Xinjiang and Gansu in Chinese, Kazakh, and Uighur, and in Mongolia, in Mongolian. These environmental education books are both for school children and adults and cover the endangered species living within the fragile desert ecosystem of the Gobi desert. They also cover the threat of desertification both on the ecosystem and the many rare species of flora and fauna.

There is a plan to prepare and print posters showing the endangered species living within the desert ecosystem. These public awareness posters will be in Chinese, Uighur and Kazakh and put up in public places. This has the full support of State Environmental Protection Authority and the Gansu and Xinjiang provincial authorities.

The budget for this programme of multi-language environmental education materials and posters is as follows:

(1) Book research, development and writing.
(2) Artwork/photographs.
(3) Design and Layout
(4) Printing.

Specifications:
Seven full colour illustrated booklets of 36 pps.
Costs for one book:
Book research, development and writing: £3,000.
Artwork/photographs: £1,250.
Design/layout: £1,000
Printing: 20,000 copies of each book: £4,750.
Total one book: £10,000.
Total seven books: £70,000.

BUDGET : £70,000.LESS FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD BOOKS IN THE SERIES ALREADY PUBLISHED: £30,000 TOTAL BUDGET: £40,000

Please note that the Wild Camel Protection Foundation has already produced three books. The books are titled:
1. The King of the Gobi (about the wild Bactrian camel)
2. The Fight against Desertification
3. Rare Plants of the Gobi Desert and their Medicinal Uses

These have been printed in English, Chinese, Kazakh and Uighur. These three books are available to order (http://www.wildcamels.com/membership.htm) from this website for £5.00 ($8.00) (including postage and packaging.

Topics for the Series of Booklets:

1. The King of the Gobi - the wild Bactrian camel (PUBLISHED). Particularly important to these unique desert ecosystems in both China and Mongolia because of the size of habitat it requires and the unique ways in which it has adapted successfully to a harsh ecosystem, for example its ability to tolerate salt water. How the increase in human activity threatens its habitat and its own survival.
2. Rare Plants of the Gobi Desert. (PUBLISHED). A description of the Rare Plants to be found in the Gobi and their wonderful medicinal uses.
3. The Fight against Desertification (PUBLISHED): Effects of desert encroachment, much of it man-made. How to contain this process. Disastrous practices like over grazing and lack of water control, which must be stopped if man is to survive in the area.
4. Biodiversity. The biodiversity of the unique and fragile Gashun Gobi and the threats to its long term protection. Flora unique to the Gashun Gobi desert much of it in pristine, unspoilt condition. Land formations; dunes, mountains, salt lakes
5. The Chiru antelope. Although not strictly confined to this region the area is contiguous with LNASNR and is a protected area. A book on this topic is included because the slaughter is horrendous and each shahtoosh costs £11,000. Three animals have to be killed to make one shahtoosh and 20,000 Chiru are shot every year (Chinese figures).There is a world-wide market worth US$3.4 million a year making it only second in illegal world trade terms to drugs. The detection rates are low as are the penalties.
6. The wild Argali sheep. Now considered one of the ancestors of domestic sheep. Important for research into diseases effecting sheep.
7. Species and habitat conservation and its rational and global importance.

Input 2: Posters

Printing costs: £7,500 for a print run of 15,000 posters.
Multi-language: Chinese; Uighur; Kazakh; Mongolian, English.
The majority of funds raised will be used to develop and implement a multi-language environmental educational public awareness participation programme, in the relevant local languages in Xinjiang Province, China (Uighur, Kazahk and Chinese).

It is designed to increase local and regional public awareness of the Great Gobi Desert ecosystem and its unique flora and fauna and train the new Nature Reserve staff, key local decision-makers and local communities in the importance of environmental management policies.

The Books:

Click on book covers for further information: