Shaanxi Weinan Luyang Integrated Saline Land Management Project

The technical assistance (TA) fostered a gradual but notable increase in the Weinan Municipal Government (WMG) appreciation for waterbird and saltpan management, confirming the importance of the training activities. This was demonstrated by the project management office (PMO) promoting the values of the Luyanghu saltpans after the TA. The TA benefited from the small but strong consultant team, which networked effectively with the WMG and Shaanxi Department of Forestry and resulted in scaling up of the training to involve virtually all provincial wetland agencies. The value of a flexible approach to training content was confirmed by participant feedback, which identified the need for a provincial wetland monitoring manual which subsequently became one of the most important knowledge products of the TA. Saltpan construction was the most problematic and challenging target of the TA, partly due to unforeseen issues: (i) a protracted process for site selection, due to a lack of clarity between municipal agencies over land tenure and/or planned economic development; and (ii) the complexity of land lease arrangements, which required the recruitment of a TA social specialist. A significant opportunity to avoid saltpan loss through lake design (and therefore reduce the area and construction costs for new saltpans) was lost due to government priorities based on economic considerations.