Strengths of Generation Y

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Rashid Faridi

Gust Post by Helene Schmidt

Finish this TV show lyric: “Heroes in a halfshell…” If you can without cheating, you’re probably a Millennial. There’s no hard and fast start date for Generation Y, or the Millennial Generation, but 1980 through 1995 is generally considered the time Generation X gave way to Generation Next. We children of the 80s began life in the “me” generation, and we came of age in the “we” generation of the Internet. Our unique place in history has shaped our character in many ways, for better and worse. Here are eight of the greatest strengths of Generation Y-ers.

  1. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

    Divorce rates in the U.S. peaked almost simultaneously with the beginning of Gen Y. As the children of broken homes, Millennials resolved to not let work ruin their marriages and relationships. Tragedies at home and war abroad have reminded us at pivotal young ages that tomorrow is not promised us, and that no one ever said on their deathbed, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” Millennials are strong at balancing their professional and personal lives.

  2. The value of a dollar

    Despite a bad rap that paints us as reckless spenders, a recent survey found that Millennials are up to three times as likely to want to save money compared to our parents and grandparents. No doubt part of this mentality is borne of necessity — we harbor no illusions about the awful state of the economy. Eighty-five percent of us that graduated in 2011 moved back home with our parents, a cost-saving measure that previous generations shunned, regardless of need.

  3. Get involved

    Although the baby boomers certainly made their voices heard by the politicians of their day, they fell far short in community activism. Their cry was “do what feels good.” Since the sobering events of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, Millennials have recognized the need to participate in serving others, from their own neighborhoods to the global community. In 2006, 61% of 13- to 25-year-olds said they feel personally responsible for improving the world. In 2008, Millennials swept former community organizer Barack Obama into office with the highest margin of victory in our age bracket ever. Our mandate to him has been to support the social uprisings in Libya, Egypt, and elsewhere.

  4. I have confidence in me

    Gen Y-ers are nothing if not confident. Thanks to a childhood full of positive feedback from “helicopter parents” determined to reverse their parents’ cycle of tearing kids down, employers are often taken aback at just how self-assured Millennials are. Despite the fact nearly 40% of us have no job, nine out of ten Millennials believe they will eventually meet their financial goals. In the workplace, we are outspoken and not afraid to challenge outmoded ways of doing business.

  1. We don’t stand on ceremony here

    Generation Y is all about efficiency. Laptops instead of desktops. Cell phones instead of landlines. Telecommuting instead of polluting commuting. We aren’t afraid to cut something that’s always been done before just because that’s how it’s always been done. With an estimated value of $50 billion, Facebook is a perfect example of a super-successful company changing the way an office feels, under the careful direction of Millennial Mark Zuckerberg. Employees in casual clothes lounge on mats, write on walls, and move furniture when they feel like it.

  2. Give us tech and watch us go

    The Internet and basically everything associated with it came into wide use on our watch. Our development was mirrored by tech’s development — Atari to Nintendo to Sega, car phones to cell phones to smartphones. The boomers were too busy with work to pay attention to what was happening, but we factored it in to our growth and made it part of ourselves. Herein lies our greatest strength: we use technology as well as anyone, but we know what to do when the tech breaks down, because we know the steps it took to get us where we are.

  3. Zero intolerance

    Changing social values and an increasingly diverse population have made us Millennials a pretty tolerant group. A majority of us believe immigrants make society stronger. Although we’re split over same-sex marriage, by comparison, baby boomers oppose equal marriage rights for homosexuals 2-to-1. Ninety-three percent of us approve of interracial dating. Our ability to work alongside people of different races, lifestyles, and beliefs makes for a much more productive and efficient class of employees. Fortunately, the blind prejudices and bigotries of our ancestors are mainly a thing of the past.

  4. The joy of teamwork

    Maybe it’s our desire to be well-liked and to have a high friend count, but Millennials are great team players. Through school projects and massive, collaborative online games, we grew so comfortable working with others that many of us say we are more productive working in teams than on our own. This has obvious benefits in the workplace. Where other generations may have seen in teamwork only the danger that hard work will not be rewarded and poor work will blamed on a scapegoat, Millennials thrive on being part of a team.

first published here

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Issues,Priorities and Challenges for Indian Agriculture:A Worldbank View

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Rashid Faridi

While agriculture’s share in India’s economy has progressively declined to 18% due to the high growth rates of the industrial and services sectors, the sector’s importance in India’s economic and social fabric goes well beyond this indicator. First, nearly three-quarters of India’s families depend on rural incomes. Second, the majority of India’s poor (some 770 million people or about 70 percent) are found in rural areas. And third, India’s food security depends on an increase in the production of food staples, especially cereals, to meet the demands of a growing population that has rising incomes.

India is a global agricultural powerhouse. It is the world’s largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices, and has the world’s largest cattle herd (buffaloes), as well as the largest area under wheat, rice and cotton. It is the second largest producer of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, farmed fish, sheep & goat meat, fruit, vegetables and tea. The country has some 195 m ha under cultivation of which some 63 percent are rainfed (roughly 125m ha) while 37 percent are irrigated (70m ha). In addition, forests cover some 65m ha of India’s land.

Challenges

Three agriculture sector challenges will be important to India’s overall development and the improved welfare of its rural poor:

1. Raising agricultural productivity per unit of land: Raising productivity per unit of land will need to be the main engine of agricultural growth as virtually all cultivable land is farmed. Water resources are also limited and water for irrigation must contend with increasing industrial and urban needs. All measures to increase productivity will need exploiting, amongst them: increasing yields, diversification to higher value crops, and developing value chains to reduce marketing costs.

2. Reducing rural poverty through a socially inclusive strategy that comprises both agriculture as well as non-farm employment: Rural development must also benefit the poor, landless, women, scheduled castes and tribes. Moreover, there are strong regional disparities: the majority of India’s poor are in rain-fed areas or in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains. Reaching such groups has not been easy. While progress has been made – the rural population classified as poor fell from nearly 40% in the early 1990s to below 30% by the mid-2000s (about a 1% fall per year) – there is a clear need for a faster reduction. Hence, poverty alleviation is a central pillar of the rural development efforts of the Government and the World Bank.

3. Ensuring that agricultural growth responds to food security needs: The sharp rise in food-grain production during India’s Green Revolution of the 1970s enabled the country to achieve self-sufficiency in food-grains and stave off the threat of famine. Agricultural intensification in the 1970s to 1980s saw an increased demand for rural labor that raised rural wages and, together with declining food prices, reduced rural poverty. However agricultural growth in the 1990s and 2000s slowed down, averaging about 3.5% per annum, and cereal yields have increased by only 1.4% per annum in the 2000s. The slow-down in agricultural growth has become a major cause for concern. India’s rice yields are one-third of China’s and about half of those in Vietnam and Indonesia. The same is true for most other agricultural commodities.

Policy makers will thus need to initiate and/or conclude policy actions and public programs to shift the sector away from the existing policy and institutional regime that appears to be no longer viable and build a solid foundation for a much more productive, internationally competitive, and diversified agricultural sector.

Priority Areas for Support

1. Enhancing agricultural productivity, competitiveness, and rural growth

Promoting new technologies and reforming agricultural research and extension: Major reform and strengthening of India’s agricultural research and extension systems is one of the most important needs for agricultural growth. These services have declined over time due to chronic underfunding of infrastructure and operations, no replacement of aging researchers or broad access to state-of-the-art technologies. Research now has little to provide beyond the time-worn packages of the past. Public extension services are struggling and offer little new knowledge to farmers. There is too little connection between research and extension, or between these services and the private sector.

Improving Water Resources and Irrigation/Drainage Management: Agriculture is India’s largest user of water. However, increasing competition for water between industry, domestic use and agriculture has highlighted the need to plan and manage water on a river basin and multi-sectoral basis. As urban and other demands multiply, less water is likely to be available for irrigation. Ways to radically enhance the productivity of irrigation (“more crop per drop”) need to be found. Piped conveyance, better on-farm management of water, and use of more efficient delivery mechanisms such as drip irrigation are among the actions that could be taken. There is also a need to manage as opposed to exploit the use of groundwater. Incentives to pump less water such as levying electricity charges or community monitoring of use have not yet succeeded beyond sporadic initiatives. Other key priorities include: (i) modernizing Irrigation and Drainage Departments to integrate the participation of farmers and other agencies in managing irrigation water; (ii) improving cost recovery; (iii) rationalizing public expenditures, with priority to completing schemes with the highest returns; and (iv) allocating sufficient resources for operations and maintenance for the sustainability of investments.

Facilitating agricultural diversification to higher-value commodities: Encouraging farmers todiversify to higher value commodities will be a significant factor for higher agricultural growth, particularly in rain-fed areas where poverty is high. Moreover, considerable potential exists for expanding agro-processing and building competitive value chains from producers to urban centers and export markets. While diversification initiatives should be left to farmers and entrepreneurs, the Government can, first and foremost, liberalize constraints to marketing, transport, export and processing. It can also play a small regulatory role, taking due care that this does not become an impediment.

Promoting high growth commodities: Some agricultural sub-sectors have particularly high potential for expansion, notably dairy. The livestock sector, primarily due to dairy, contributes over a quarter of agricultural GDP and is a source of income for 70% of India’s rural families, mostly those who are poor and headed by women. Growth in milk production, at about 4% per annum, has been brisk, but future domestic demand is expected to grow by at least 5% per annum. Milk production is constrained, however, by the poor genetic quality of cows, inadequate nutrients, inaccessible veterinary care, and other factors. A targeted program to tackle these constraints could boost production and have good impact on poverty.

Developing markets, agricultural credit and public expenditures: India’s legacy of extensive government involvement in agricultural marketing has created restrictions in internal and external trade, resulting in cumbersome and high-cost marketing and transport options for agricultural commodities. Even so, private sector investment in marketing, value chains and agro-processing is growing, but much slower than potential. While some restrictions are being lifted, considerably more needs to be done to enable diversification and minimize consumer prices. Improving access to rural finance for farmers is another need as it remains difficult for farmers to get credit. Moreover, subsidies on power, fertilizers and irrigation have progressively come to dominate Government expenditures on the sector, and are now four times larger than investment expenditures, crowding out top priorities such as agricultural research and extension.

2. Poverty alleviation and community actions

While agricultural growth will, in itself, provide the base for increasing incomes, for the 170 million or so rural persons that are below the poverty line, additional measures are required to make this growth inclusive. For instance, a rural livelihoods program that empowers communities to become self-reliant has been found to be particularly effective and well-suited for scaling-up. This program promotes the formation of self-help groups, increases community savings, and promotes local initiatives to increase incomes and employment. By federating to become larger entities, these institutions of the poor gain the strength to negotiate better prices and market access for their products, and also gain the political power over local governments to provide them with better technical and social services. These self-help groups are particularly effective at reaching women and impoverished families.

3. Sustaining the environment and future agricultural productivity

In parts of India, the over-pumping of water for agricultural use is leading to falling groundwater levels. Conversely, water-logging is leading to the build-up of salts in the soils of some irrigated areas. In rain-fed areas on the other hand, where the majority of the rural population live, agricultural practices need adapting to reduce soil erosion and increase the absorption of rainfall. Overexploited and degrading forest land need mitigation measures. There are proven solutions to nearly all of these problems. The most comprehensive is through watershed management programs, where communities engage in land planning and adopt agricultural practices that protect soils, increase water absorption and raise productivity through higher yields and crop diversification. At issue, however, is how to scale up such initiatives to cover larger areas of the country. Climate change must also be considered. More extreme events – droughts, floods, erratic rains – are expected and would have greatest impact in rain-fed areas. The watershed program, allied with initiatives from agricultural research and extension, may be the most suited agricultural program for promoting new varieties of crops and improved farm practices. But other thrusts, such as the livelihoods program and development of off-farm employment may also be key.

World Bank Support

With some $5.5 billion in net commitments from both IDA and IBRD, and 24 ongoing projects, the World Bank’s agriculture and rural development program in India is by far the Bank’s largest such program worldwide in absolute dollar terms. This figure is even higher when investments in rural development such as rural roads, rural finance and human development are included. Nonetheless, this amount is relatively small when compared with the Government’s – both central and state – funding of public programs in support of agriculture. Most of the Bank’s agriculture and rural development assistance is geared towards state-level support, but some also takes place at the national level.

The Bank’s Agricultural and Rural Development portfolio is clustered across three broad themes with each project, generally, showing a significant integration of these themes.

Agriculture, watershed and natural resources management

  • Water & irrigated agriculture
  • Rural livelihood development

Over the past five to ten years, the Bank has been supporting:

R&D in Agricultural Technology through two national level projects with pan-India implementation (the National Agriculture Technology Project and the National Agriculture Innovation Project) coordinated by the Government of India’s Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Dissemination of Agricultural Technology: New approaches towards the dissemination of agricultural technology such as the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) model have contributed to diversification of agricultural production in Assam and Uttar Pradesh. This extension approach is now being scaled-up across India.

Better delivery of irrigation water: World Bank support for the better delivery of irrigation water ranges from projects covering large irrigation infrastructure to local tanks and ponds. Projects also support the strengthening of water institutions in several states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh) improved groundwater management practices (for instance, in the upcoming Rajasthan Agriculture Competitiveness Project).

Sustainable agricultural practices through watershed and rainfed agriculture development (Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand), soil reclamation efforts (Uttar Pradesh) and, more recently, improved groundwater management practices (for instance, in the upcoming Rajasthan Agriculture Competitiveness Project).

Improved access to rural credit and greater gender involvement in rural economic activities through rural livelihood initiatives undertaken by a number of states (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu) and soon to be scaled up by GOI with Bank support through a National Rural Livelihood Mission.

Agricultural insurance by advising GOI on how to improve the actuarial design and implementation of the insurance program (e.g. rating methodology and product design, index insurance, use of mobile and remote sensing technology to measure yields, etc.).

Improved farmer access to agriculture markets through policy reforms and investments under the Maharashtra Agricultural Competitiveness Project which aims to reform regulated wholesale markets and provide farmers with alternative market opportunities.

The land policy agenda through analytical work as well as non-lending technical assistance in support of GOI’s National Land Records Modernization Program.

Better rural connectivity through IDA support to the Prime Minister’s National Rural Roads Program (PMGSY), and by connecting rural poor and smallholder farmers through collective action to public services through Self-Help Groups (and SHG federations), Water User Associations and Farmer Producer Organizations. Recently the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved the National Rural Livelihood Mission, which supports SHG approaches through a pan-India approach.

Link and Sources:

World Bank

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15 Ways University Research Contributed to Shape America and World

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Rashid Faridi

Guest Post by Jasmine Hall

Most people, unless they’re in a research-based or academic field, don’t spend much time thinking about where the latest innovations in medicine, technology, science, or even the economy come from. While private sector businesses play a role, often the leading edge of research is found in America’s universities. Research labs at universities may not get much attention, but their impact on local communities as well as the nation as a whole can be quite large. In fact, you may not even realize the impact university research has had on your daily life, even if you live in a community close to a research center. Read on to learn how the leading research universities in the U.S. are shaping how we live, work, and play in a variety of ways.

  1. Research universities help support regional economiesA study by Cleveland State University published in 2010, demonstrated that research universities can have a big impact on the surrounding communities. While it’s tough to separate the economic impact of the schools from other factors, the research team found that aside from normal seasonal changes, the presence of research universities had a positive effect on local economies, with the largest and wealthiest universities naturally having a stronger impact on the surrounding community. With dozens of research universities across the nation, the cumulative impact of research universities may actually be quite large, in some communities providing revenues well into the billions of dollars.
  2. Universities conduct the majority of basic research in the USWithout research universities, many new innovations and breakthroughs in science might never happen. With the help of government funding, research universities conduct more than 55% of the basic research done in the United States. In comparison, businesses and industries conduct only 20% of basic research. This means that there’s a pretty good chance that the groundbreaking discoveries you’re reading about in the paper got their start at a research university.
  3. Start-up companies that emerge from research done at universities are more likely to be successfulThis doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to start a business using privately-funded research, but studies have shown that companies spun out of research universities have higher success rates then other companies. They’re also better able to create jobs and spur economic activity. These are all great things, especially in an economic downturn, and help demonstrate the lasting impact on the economy that work done at research universities can have. If you’re looking for an example, consider Google, whose founders completed their basic research at Stanford with an NSF grant before going on to found one of the biggest and most revolutionary tech companies in history.
  4. University research is one of the biggest creators of jobsInnovation hasn’t really slowed down much in light of the economic downturn, so the jobs provided by university research projects, either directly or indirectly, has continued to grow. The more research being done, the more lab assistants and other qualified personnel universities need to hire in order to complete their work. Of course, that’s not the only way university research stimulates job growth. Research universities often help create spin-off startups, which are currently the main source of job growth in America (big business may not be hiring in huge numbers, but small businesses are). Additionally, they attract cutting-edge businesses to local communities by providing a highly qualified pool of applicants, creating more jobs not only for researchers, but also in a wide range of other support positions.
  5. They shape U.S. policies and regulationsWhile you might not realize it, many laws regarding science, technology, and business have been the product of issues that have come up in university research. In a recent example, the Supreme Court revised its position on inventions that arise from federal funding. Generally, inventions belong to the person who thought them up, but regulations on federal funding can sometimes complicate that, making it hard to figure out who has the right to patent and profit from discoveries. While there are acts regulating inventions that result from federal funding, the courts decided that at the end of the day, an invention is an inventor’s to allocate how he or she sees fit. This is just one example of how issues that come out of research can shape major court rulings, but there are many others out there.

  1. Research universities are major producers of patentsWhile universities conduct a great deal of research just for knowledge’s sake alone, they also do applied research, often getting patents in the process. Take the University of California as an example. The school currently holds over 6,600 patents, a number that is growing exponentially as the school produces thousands of new inventions each year. Often licensed to private companies, these patents net the school hundreds of million in revenue. Not everyone thinks this is a great idea, however, as it can reduce collaboration and often costs millions in legal fees. Yet it isn’t likely that this billion dollar industry is going to slow down anytime soon, so expect to see research universities raking in the patents for years to come.
  2. University research is an amazing economic investmentThere are few things that provide as big of a return on federal dollars as university research. At the University of Maryland, for example, studies suggest that each dollar put into funding research at the university yields eight dollars in economic impact. Over the past decade, the school’s 110,000 spun-off startups have make over $300 million at a cost of only $9 million. That’s a 35 fold gain, something even the highest performing stocks often don’t offer. Even better, innovations from universities help keep America on top in the R&D world economy, something we can’t afford to lose.
  3. Research universities often partner with businesses and industryNot all funding for research done at America’s universities comes from the government or tuition dollars. In fact, in light of the current economic troubles many university systems are facing, partnerships with local businesses are looking better and better. Minnesota is one state cashing in on licensing and research agreements with companies. Through their Innovation Partnership, the school is setting aside the often protracted legal battles that have become the norm when haggling over commercial rights, instead offering companies access to top-notch researchers and facilities in exchange for funding. In many cases, these developments could lead to new drugs, chemicals, and other innovations that may directly impact the everyday lives of Americans.
  4. Many health breakthroughs have come from research universitiesFrom medicines to surgical procedures to studies on public health, research universities are the seat of the vast majority of health and medical research being done in America. How we take care of ourselves and the technologies and methods we use to screen and treat diseases are commonly developed at leading research universities. Organ transplants, disease testing, mobile labs, and even the reasons we can’t stick to our fitness resolutions have all been the subject of study at research universities. Not only have these breakthroughs helped us live longer, they’ve also changed our attitudes about what we think is healthy and how we care for our bodies.
  5. Much of what we understand about our universe is the product of university researchThere isn’t much profit to be made, at least at present, from understanding our place in the universe, the structure of atoms, or finding an Earth-like planet light years away. What this research does offer us is answers to some of man’s fundamental questions about life. Nearly all research done into these aspects of science is performed by research universities and federally-funded departments. While it might not boost the economy or provide large numbers of jobs, it does give us more knowledge about our world, our universe, and ultimately ourselves, and inspires many young people to have a passion for science.

  1. Research universities are focusing on green initiatives.Not only are campuses themselves embracing being more green and sustainable, but researchers at universities are at the leading edge of much of the green tech and energy study being done today. Often working with industry partners or spun-off startups, research universities are tackling new ways to harness the power of the sun, reduce the environmental impact of oil drilling, or develop new, less harmful chemical agents. Without this publicly-funded research, it’s unlikely that many green technologies would be as advanced as they are today.
  2. Top research universities draw in students from around the worldThe best research universities in America are also some of the best research universities in the world. For that reason, they often draw in top students worldwide who want to study, learn, and experiment on their campuses. How does this shape America? It not only brings in top minds who may ultimately go on to work at U.S. businesses, but it also increases diversity and makes many college towns more cosmopolitan, cultured, and aware. In a global economy, those are increasingly more desirable traits to have.
  3. Many state economies have a large stake in research universities.We’ve already mentioned that research universities can have a big impact on local economies, but in some states (mainly those with the largest research schools) making sure their universities are happy, thriving, and drawing in students is a top priority. Texas is a great example. With major funding cuts for research in the state, many business and education leaders are speaking out, worried about the long-term ramifications of the changes. With major corporations like Dell and Exxon Mobile headquartered near Texas’ major research schools, providing businesses with qualified employees is a big concern. Additionally, if fewer students are drawn to state schools, the state will lose revenue from tuition, lodging food and other costs. Most important, however, less funding for research can be a major loss when it comes to leading in innovation. Researchers at University of Texas’ main campus in Austin do about $1.8 billion in research on nanotech, which sounds like a lot, but is a drop in the bucket when you consider that the industry is worth $3 trillion worldwide. That’s big money for any state to lose its stake in.
  4. Academic research drives the national innovation system in the U.SWhile not all research in America takes place at universities, the system is largely driven by work being done in universities both big and small on topics that are applicable to industrial or business use. This is especially true when it comes to things like network systems and communications, medical devices and equipment, and aerospace. Often, businesses and industries get ideas from the basic research done at universities and use it to develop practical applications. Additionally, there are often collaborations between academic and business interests that benefit both. The majority of innovative research that takes place in the U.S. is in same way connected to university-based research, making it the driving force behind much of our technology and science development in certain sectors.
  5. Research universities train the next generation of workers for high-tech and in-demand jobsAside from their immediate economic benefit, there is a long-term effect of research universities that can’t be overlooked: the graduates they produce. These graduates, many often holding higher degrees in their fields, get the skills they need to work in high-demand fields like technology, engineering, or biotechnology. By training the industrial and business workforce, research universities shape the future of these technologies in the American economy and beyond. This may play an especially big role in fields like green energy, where there are currently not enough qualified applicants to fill available positions.

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Danxia:Colourful Landforms

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Rashid Faridi

This unique geological sight is known as Danxia landform. You can see it in few locations in China . This example is located in Zhangye, province of Gansu . Colour is the result of built up of million years of red sands and other sand colours.The Danxia landform refers to various landscapes found in southeast and southwest China that “consist of a red bed characterized by steep cliffs”.It is a unique type of petrographic geomorphology found in China. Danxia landform is formed from red-colored sandstones and conglomerates of largely Cretaceous age. The landforms look very much like karst topography that forms in areas underlain by limestones, but since the rocks that form Danxia are sandstones and conglomerates, they have been called “pseudo-karst” landforms. Danxia landforms cover several provinces in southeast China. Taining County, Fujian Province, has very good examples of “young” danxia landforms wherein deep, narrow valleys have been formed. As the landform gets older, valleys widen and one gets isolated towers and ridges.

The Danxia landform is named after Mount Danxia, one of the most famous examples of the Danxia landform.

A very peculiar feature of Danxia landscape is the development of numerous caves of various sizes and shapes. The caves tend to be shallow and isolated, unlike true karst terrain where caves tend to form deep, interconnecting networks.

In 2010, several Danxia landscapes in southern China, with a general name of “China Danxia“, were inscribed as a World Heritage Site.The six inscribed Danxia landform areas are: Mount Langshan and Mount Wanfoshan (Hunan Province), Mount Danxia (Guangdong Province), Taining and Guanzhishan (Fujian Province), Mount Longhu and Guifeng (Jiangxi Province), Fangyan, Mount Jianglangshan (Zhejiang Province), and Mount Chishui (Guizhou Province). The total core area of 6 regions above is 73945 ha, and the total buffer area is 65446 ha.

Links and Sources:

Wikipedia

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