Health of lake inseparable from local livelihoods

Born and raised beside Erhai Lake in Yunnan province, 58-year-old He Licheng's life's ups and downs have been closely intertwined with the water quality of the lake.

The native of Gusheng village in the Dali Bai autonomous prefecture said his childhood memories of Erhai Lake's waters were exceptionally clear, with transparency reaching up to 8 meters.

Back then, the lake was teeming with freshwater snails, fish and shrimp, as well as acuminate water lilies — an aquatic plant that thrives only in pristine conditions.

However, with farmland allocated to individual households, villagers began to overuse chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Cow dung was left untreated by the roadside and would be washed into Erhai Lake during the rainy season.

By 1996, a large-scale outbreak of blue-green algae left a significant impression on He. "The pollution led to fewer fish in the water, which was catastrophic for us fishermen. We could hardly catch any fish, and the ones we did catch didn't taste good," he said.

To protect the lake, the local government phased out the use of motorized fishing boats in 1996. He's family received a 2,000-yuan ($281) subsidy to abandon their 20,000-yuan fishing boat — their main livelihood — leaving it stranded on the lake shore. Worse still, their 0.67 hectares of fishponds were dismantled four years later, with 20,000 yuan given in compensation.

"When the government notice arrived, tears welled up in my eyes. Our family had spent 11 years and all our savings on the fishponds. Yet, as I recalled the smelly water and the looming threat of never living alongside Erhai Lake, I chose to support the decision," He said.

In the uncertainty about the future, He left his hometown to take on a contract for fish farming in a reservoir. During this period, Erhai Lake underwent a significant transformation, with its waters changing from murky to clear.

Over a decade, heavy-polluting industries were shuttered, underground sewage networks installed and wastewater treatment plants built. He, too, returned home to open the village's first guesthouse, riding a wave of tourism.

However, the unregulated development of tourism in the Erhai Lake area caught the attention of the local government, prompting the implementation of a rectification plan for the hospitality sector. This plan mandated the shutdown of all buildings within the designated core protection area.

More than 190 square meters of He's guesthouse were demolished, forcing the reception desk to be relocated to the former kitchen area and reducing the number of rooms from nine to seven.

As He watched the excavator gouge holes into the guesthouse, with dust billowing upward, he reflected: "Though heartbroken, I was willing because I had experienced what ecological degradation could bring about."

Eight months after his guesthouse operations were suspended for ecological restoration, it reopened. Now, alongside an ecological corridor that rings Erhai Lake, the business has prospered.

He has handed over the management of the guesthouse to his son and has contracted 53 hectares of land for organic farming.

Additionally, under the guidance of the science and technology backyard team led by Zhang Fusuo, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor from the China Agricultural University, He, like many villagers, has mastered scientific cultivation techniques, including precision fertilizer use, to mitigate agricultural pollution.

"Gusheng village has seen a significant rise in income in recent years, growing from a single guesthouse of mine to more than 70 establishments," He said.

"Previously, we endured harsh conditions as fishermen with little earnings, but now we operate catering businesses from our homes with sustainable livelihoods. Every villager has recognized the importance of protecting Erhai Lake," he said. "When Erhai Lake thrives, so do we."

Contact the writers at limenghan@chinadaily.com.cn