To raise funds for the “Yangtze River First Bend Primeval Forest Conservation” project, yesterday, 47 volunteers participating in the “Hope Action—2013 Yunnan Hope Project 'SEE Yangtze River First Bend · Eco Hike' Public Welfare Fundraising Hiking Event” officially entered the primeval forest and began trekking through Laojun Mountain. These volunteers came from Beijing, Kunming, Lijiang, Hong Kong, and other places.
In the water conservation area of the Jinsha River, villagers living deep in Laojun Mountain used to rely on logging and charcoal burning for their livelihoods for years, causing severe ecological damage to the protected area. Fifteen households from Hongshuitang Village Group, Lansxiang Village Committee, Shitou Township, Yulong County, proposed developing a deep eco-tourism route using the village’s resources. To help the villagers raise funds for this initiative, the Yunnan Youth Development Foundation, Yunnan Information Daily, the Southwest Branch of the Alashan SEE Ecological Association, the SEE Public Welfare Organization, and the Yunnan Private Entrepreneurs Association jointly organized the “Hope Action—2013 Yunnan Hope Project 'SEE Yangtze River First Bend · Eco Hike' Public Welfare Fundraising Hiking Event.” The event is planned to be held twice a year, once between April and May, and again between September and October.
The first Laojun Mountain public welfare hiking event lasted four days, taking place from October 15 to 19 in Yulong County, Lijiang City. Volunteers hiked approximately 40 kilometers. The activity was organized as a competitive team hiking fundraiser, and all participants who met the conditions and reached the finish line were awarded a “Laojun Mountain Extreme Hiking” certificate.
The event aimed to raise over 600,000 yuan in donations, and currently, more than 200,000 yuan has been collected.