This did not happen with an "eco-warrior" activism that characterizes other environmental NGOs, but in a style more suitable to the Chinese context. Through effective partnerships with senior journalists, FON has been able to expose illegal logging that nearly caused the extinction of a rare monkey species, illegal poaching of the endangered Tibetan antelope, and large-scale deforestation and pollution threatening the steppe in Inner Mongolia. The group is also an outspoken critic of industrial pollution around the country.

As for the Shatoosh scarves made from the hair of Tibetan antelope, mostly favored by fashion-conscious women in the West, Liang wrote to British Prime Minister Tony Blair in early 1999, calling on the British Government to raise public awareness to help protect this unique animal by ending the "extinction for fashion". In a letter dated October 7, 1999, the British Prime Minister replied: "I fully share your revulsion over the illegal slaughter of the antelopes and your concern about the future of the species. I will certainly bring your request to the attention of the environmental authorities in the UK and the European Union".

In July 1999, Liang also met US President Bill Clinton in an intimate round-table discussion with six other Chinese environmental campaigners. At the meeting, which was held in Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Liang injected a dose of humor as he presented the US president with a photo of the endangered golden monkey, saying that man and the golden monkey are the only two primates with red lips -- to which Clinton quickly responded: "Oh, that's my cousin!" Everyone laughed and the meeting concluded on a blissful note one hour later.

None of these victories -- not even the 2000 Magsaysay Award for his extraordinary work on environmental protection -- has slowed down this energetic conservationist. Perhaps Liang will only relax when all of society joins in the promotion of environmental protection.

  Dilemmas and risks

Despite his mission to protect the environment, Liang is sensitive to the debate over human needs versus environmental demands.

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