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Overview

The Datong Community Conserved Area spans 1,705 hectares of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Anhui Province, adjacent to the core zone of Jiulongfeng Provincial Nature Reserve. It forms an ecological corridor linking the Huangshan Scenic Area and Tachuan National Forest Park, and lies at the headwaters of the Hongcun World Heritage Site and the Xin'an River. The area is governed by the Indigenous rural community of Datong Village, whose registered population of about 1,300 (mostly middle-aged and elderly residents) sustains itself through traditional farming of tea and bamboo shoots, part-time employment, ecological protection posts, and emerging eco-industries. Datong is one of the first and most influential community-conserved areas in East China, and its community co-management model is considered replicable elsewhere.

History

Before 2020, the area suffered from illegal hunting, logging, electric fishing, and frequent human-wildlife conflict. In 2019, Green Anhui and the Taohuayuan Foundation worked with villagers to study community conserved area models, and in 2020, the Villagers' Congress approved revised village regulations formally establishing the community conserved area. Local villagers, including former hunters, were recruited into a community patrol team. The initiative aimed to protect biodiversity and water sources, reduce ecological threats, establish community-led governance, and balance conservation with livelihood development.

Current Activities

Regular forest and stream patrols and infrared camera wildlife monitoring are complemented by fish restocking, inter-village ecological compensation (water payment) schemes, green plum planting, eco-tourism, and environmental education, with active participation from women and youth apply to all of these activities.

Conservation

The community conserves an intact subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, stream and wetland ecosystems, and rare and endangered species, including nationally Class I species such as black muntjac, Chinese pangolin, South China sika deer, and Elliot's pheasant; nationally Class II species such as Chinese serow, Tibetan macaque, yellow-throated marten, and silver pheasant; and protected plants such as Southern Chinese yew and various orchid species. Since the community conserved area was established, illegal hunting and fishing have greatly declined, 35 nationally protected wildlife species have been recorded, forest connectivity and ecosystem integrity have improved, and water quality has remained stable. These impacts are tracked through a network of more than 60 infrared cameras, regular patrol data, vegetation quadrat surveys, and community-based monitoring.

Management and Governance

Governance is community-led, with support from the village committee, Green Anhui, the Taohuayuan Foundation, and Jiulongfeng Nature Reserve. The management system includes revised village regulations, the community patrol team, a mountain entry checkpoint, standardised patrol procedures, and a benefit-sharing mechanism. The benefit-sharing system serves as the core incentive framework of the ICCA governance model, converting ecological protection outcomes into tangible household and collective income. It integrates multiple sustainable benefit channels: public welfare forest ecological compensation, cross-village water source ecological payment, green plum ecological planting industry revenue, community patrol post subsidies, eco-tourism dividends, and environmental education service income.

The area has received official recognition from the national government as a community conserved area and ecological forest compensation. It has also been named a UNDP Biodiversity Conservation Demonstration Village in 2024; it was also cited in the Huangshan Government Work Report and recognised as an OECM model project (2025). Remaining challenges include illegal entry, disturbance from domestic dogs, an aging patrol team, youth out-migration, and uneven distribution of benefits.

Impacts on the Community

The community conserved area has increased household income, strengthened community cohesion, improved the living environment, and enhanced conservation awareness among residents. Villagers serve as full- and part-time patrol members, taking part in patrol, monitoring, restoration, and outreach activities. Villagers also benefit from ecological compensation and green industries,which brings tangible livelihood improvements for local households. Compensation and green industries such as public‑welfare forest ecological subsidies, cross‑village water‑source ecological payments, and low‑disturbance eco‑friendly green‑plum cultivation. These revenue streams do not rely on destructive logging or wildlife exploitation. Instead, they reward local people for their conservation efforts, helping households stabilise their income and reduce dependence on high‑impact forest‑based livelihoods.

Next Steps

Datong's community plans to:

• pursue legal recognition through municipal or county-level regulations for community conserved areas,

• conduct a comprehensive baseline survey covering ecological, social, economic, and cultural dimensions; formulate a five-year master plan,

• expand benefit mechanisms such as ecological compensation, water credits, carbon sinks, and green product marketing,

• empower youth and women while strengthening patrol and governance capacity,

• replicate the model in nearby villages such as Shangling, Xiancun, and Minzhu,

• and establish an Anhui community conserved area network for experience-sharing and scaling.

Lessons Learned

Community ownership and broad participation are critical for long-term success. Linking conservation benefits to local livelihoods ensures sustainability and multi-stakeholder collaboration significantly improves governance effectiveness. Institutionalisation through rules, patrols, and compensation is essential for stable operation. Policy recognition and government support are key to replicating and scaling the community conserved area model.

This case study was originally published by UNEP-WCMC in 11/2026. The content was provided by the custodians of this ICCA. The ICCA has been self-declared and has not yet been through a peer-review process to verify its status. More details on this process can be found here. The contents of this website do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UN Environment Programme or UNEP-WCMC.