Dear friend, Meet Shelly Yang. Shelly is a conservation specialist with Fauna & Flora International in China, and she’s called in a field report from Sichuan Province the region hardest hit by last month’s 7.9 magnitude earthquake, and home to some of China’s most cherished World Heritage sites. Like many others, Shelly has been struggling to comprehend the devastation to communities in the Sichuan and Wenchuan Provinces. You can listen to excerpts from our interview with Shelly here. As we have seen in other regions of the world, one of the most important steps for recovering from a natural disaster is rebuilding everyday lives. For most people, that means getting back to work. Nature reserve staff at the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries told Shelly that they are anxious to return to their research they have been surveying and studying pandas for six years now, and what they want the most is to continue their important work. The local people in Sichuan are also dependent on these World Heritage sites. Mostly small farmers in the mountains, these minority peoples depend on the forest for firewood and food, and on local tourism to the sites to augment their income. The relatively small Xiaohegou Nature Reserve (located within the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries) lost all of its infrastructure and equipment in the earthquake. In this reserve alone, the total loss of staff housing and property is estimated at around $700,000, and rebuilding costs are estimated at around $620,000. This may seem like a staggering amount, but every dollar counts when it goes directly to recovery efforts of the survivors. We want to thank those of you who donated to help the people of southwestern China get back to work and begin rebuilding their lives. Through your donations during this China emergency appeal and always we will be better able to help local conservationists and local communities rebuild, grow, and strengthen their stewardship of World Heritage sites. With gratitude, The Friends of World Heritage Team (Kate, Shawn, Amy and Phoebe) Donate | Tell A Friend | Send an Ecard | View Email in Browser