In the 1990s, international organizations introduced participatory land
use planning methods to the relevant bodies, sometimes combined
with the use of GIS. Today, participatory land use planning is an integral
part of every international project and program in the field of natural
resource management in PR China, for example for the large scale
KfW-funded afforestation projects. Often, at least part of the participatory
planning packages has been taken over by government institutions
realizing that this can be more efficient for the implementation
of their programs. Where there is no international cooperation, public
participation, however, remains an exception. Even where international
cooperation takes place, those who implement programs at local level
might not want transparency. Others do appreciate the introduction of
participatory land use planning stating “they now know the meaning of
democracy” (GTZ 2004; see 4.4 PLUP in China).