One of China's most biologically and ethnically diverse areas is looking for a mastermind to lift it out of poverty without harming its ecology.

The Lisu Nujiang Autonomous Prefecture is home to the virtually unknown Lisu minority ethnic group.

Blessed with unusually rich natural resources, the prefecture still remains impoverished.

It is located along the Nujiang River, 600 kilometers west of Kunming, the provincial capital, and has almost 500,000 residents, of which 92 percent are ethnic minorities, the highest percentage among all 30 ethnic minority autonomous prefectures in China.

Besides Lisu, another 13 ethnic minorities live in the prefecture. The Dulong and Nu people can only be found in this area.

The 15,000-square-kilometer area is one of the most bio-diverse areas in China and is a reserve for many endangered species of plants and animals. It is considered a "mecca for eco-tourism."

"We do not want anyone to spoil the beauty of this virgin land, so we want to invite a master to help us develop it," said Li Honglong, an official from the tourism bureau of the prefecture.

"We can't develop the economy at the cost of environment deterioration," he said.

Per capita net income of the prefecture was 948 yuan (US$114) last year, one-third of the national average and half that of Yunnan Province.

The area only caught the attention of the world when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) wrote it into the World Heritage List in July last year.

"As the last remaining stronghold for an extensive suite of rare and endangered plants and animals, the site is of outstanding universal value," UNESCO said in its official website.

The local authorities are now working on developing strategies to eliminate poverty while not harming the environment.

The prefecture is launching a massive campaign to find a mastermind to develop the right development strategy for the area.

By 2010, the prefecture is expected to receive 2 million domestic tourists and 40,000 visitors from abroad.

A grand ceremony will be held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the prefecture on November 16 in Liuku, capital of the prefecture.

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2004)