Making National Parks in Yunnan: SHIFTS AND STRUGGLES WITHIN THE ECOLOGICAL STATE

The inauguration of Pudacuo National Park in 2007 added a jewel to Diqing Prefecture’s Shangrila brand. Proclaiming it China’s first national park, promoters hailed Pudacuo as a new model joining tourism development to effective conservation and community involvement. The effort to set up national parks in northwest Yunnan grew out of endeavors of the Nature Conservancy (TNC) to encourage governments and other constituencies to adopt new models for conserving the area’s biodiverse landscapes. Yet, when established, these parks emerged as mass tourism attractions that little resemble TNC’s proposals, while the process of creating them transformed relationships among groups interested in