Data issue considerations for the monitoring and evaluation of natural resources and the environment - A case study of Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China

The county-governed administrative area considered in this study is a unit with wide distributed basic geographical characteristics in China. In addition, the area is the basic organizer and manager of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system of the natural resources and environment (NRE) of China. To enhance the reliability and sustainability of the M&E system subjected to the NRE, the researchers should focus on the data sources and emphasize the data qualities that are of concern to various stakeholders. In this paper, an in-depth metadata analysis, based on the M&E indicator system of the NRE, is composed of two approaches and a typical practical case: (1) metadata tracking approach - generate the core parameters of each indicator, such as the publisher, the creator, the coverage, the update cycle and type; (2) questionnaire survey approach - invite some scholars, consultants and citizens to evaluate the feasibility and the accessibility of the data sources of the 22 preset M&E indicators and (3) practical case - acquire the data sources of the dynamic monitoring of NRE in Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China, including a backward economy and imperfect statistical systems. The goal of this research is to explore the basic status of M&E data of one vast county-governed area in China, with the hope to improve the stability of the M&E system of the NRE at the county level.