By Shelly Lakly

Clear Skies
In April, I participated in Governor Sonny Perdue’s historic delegation to China. While this was my ninth trip to China in the last five years, it was my first representing The Nature Conservancy.

As the only participant from a conservation organization on the trip, I was honored to represent the interests of the conservation community. This trip was an unprecedented opportunity to form lasting relationships within Georgia’s government and among business leaders, while experiencing the intricate connections between conservation in Georgia and the global business community.

Happy to stretch my legs after my 14-hour flight, I looked over the Beijing skyline and was surprised to see clearer skies than on any of my previous trips to China. With the approaching Summer Olympic Games, China is working to improve their air quality. 

I was thrilled to set foot in a country halfway around the world from Georgia where research and results from our own Savannah River are helping the Chinese plan for a sustainable future.

Intended to highlight the many business connections that currently exist between Georgia and China and open the door for new ventures, the governor’s delegation was made up of senior officials from the General Assembly, the Department of Economic Development, the University System, the Georgia Ports Authority, and business leaders from throughout the state.

While the Conservancy has relationships with some of the entities represented, my goal was to deepen existing relationships and begin new ones.

During the activities, there was a real sense of Georgia – each of the delegates represented individual interests in China, but coming together allowed us to create a common bond and discuss a vision for Georgia’s connection with the global community.

Resources for the Future
Understanding the local and global implications of resource management is growing more important as people place greater strains on natural systems. This fact is hard to deny while in Beijing, a city with millions of people stretching its every limit.

I found myself talking with the other delegates about the importance of working together to ensure sustainable resources for future generations. These conversations led me to understand the need to talk about conservation in economic terms.

We must remain true to our mission while finding ways to be relevant to the business community because they are a key component to successful conservation.

Most people know the Conservancy for our strong history of protecting land through purchases or other direct strategies. I learned that conservation in China requires a different approach. It is really less about acquiring land and more about transferring technology and knowledge so the Chinese can be the most efficient at conserving their resources.

We are helping them renew resources more effectively, pollute less and be better stewards of the resources they have.

The Ties That Bind: Rivers and Streams
China and Hong Kong accounted for more than 43 percent of the Port of Savannah’s total container volume in 2006. Further up the Savannah River, research and collaboration led by the Conservancy has yielded a successful project that has served as the leading case study for the Yangtze River.

Our work in Georgia is helping China implement strategies to use their freshwater resources in a sustainable, economically viable manner. Highly-skilled scientists and water managers from both projects are sharing their findings so that both human and nature's needs for the river can be met. In this way, knowledge and best practices are shared, creating a learning community with global impact.

I had the opportunity to meet some of the Conservancy’s staff in China working on this collaboration. I was honored to invite several members of the governor’s delegation to attend the Natural China Concert, an event to celebrate the work of environmental organizations in China. This multi-media performance featured prestigious musicians and images drawn from the 2008 photo contest on China’s Nature Reserves, sponsored by The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and The Nature Conservancy.

Like Georgia, China is facing some unique challenges when it comes to conservation, but the connections we share give me cause for hope. By developing and transferring best practices, being open-minded to new ideas and growing existing and establishing new relationships within the business community and beyond, we can collectively protect land and water resources around the globe to sustain future generations.

Shelly Lakly, Ph.D., is the director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. An aquatic ecologist specializing in southern United States ecosystems and a dedicated conservation educator, Lakly has traveled extensively in China to share best practices with the Chinese. 

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Governor's Office (Governor and Mrs. Sonny Perdue with Shelly Lakly, right); Photo © Don Weiyan (Yangtze River); Photo © Christine Griffiths/TNC (Chinese officials visiting Savannah River dam operations).