By Yan Bing
The world’s cultural and natural heritage is an important outcome of the development of human civilization and natural evolution.
The recently held 46th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO included China’s cultural heritage nomination: the Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital on the World Heritage List. It also included two natural heritage nominations, respectively Badain Jaran Desert – Towers of Sand and Lakes, and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II).
To date, there are 59 sites of world heritage in China, including 15 natural sites and four mixed cultural and natural sites. The country ranks first in the world in terms of the number of natural heritage sites.
The inclusion exactly mirrored China’s unremitting efforts to protect and inherit cultural and natural heritage, conserve ecology and build itself into a beautiful country.
For some time, China has placed unprecedented emphasis on ecological conservation. The nature reserves system with national parks being the main component has been continuously improved, providing a solid institutional guarantee for the protection of world natural heritage and mixed cultural and natural heritage.
At present, China’s world natural heritage sites and mixed cultural and natural sites cover an area of 79,000 square kilometers, including over 100 protected natural areas such as national parks, nature reserves and various types of natural parks. The country has put important ecological systems and natural heritage under effective protection, demonstrating to the world its relentless efforts and responsibility in protecting the nature and human civilization.
In recent years, China has witnessed a large number of outstanding cases of ecological conservation and management.
Huangshan Mountain in east China’s Anhui province has innovatively introduced a rotating closure system and a paid rescue service. The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries in southwest China’s Sichuan province has implemented a development model that calls for joint efforts from relevant enterprises, cooperatives, farmers and research bases, actively exploring sustainable development for communities within heritage sites.
Shandong province’s Taishan Mountain has built a comprehensive intelligent protection and management system. Wuyi Mountain in southeast China’s Fujian province has established a two-tier national park management system of “management bureau – management station.” The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas has completely banned all prospecting and mining rights within the heritage site and buffer zones.
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area in Sichuan province has made clonal propagation research of endangered orchid species its flagship scientific project. Fanjing Mountain in southwest China’s Guizhou province has implemented a conservation program for gray snub-nosed monkeys.
According to the World Heritage Outlook released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2020, for 63 percent of all natural heritage sites and mixed cultural and natural sites in the world, the conservation outlook is either “good” or “good with some concerns,” while the figure stands at 89 percent in China. For seven percent of these sites, the outlook is assessed as “critical,” and none of them is in China.
This indicates that China has not only met international standards but also clearly surpassed the global average in the conservation of natural heritage sites and mixed cultural and natural sites, demonstrating outstanding conservation achievements.
With the development of China’s world heritage conservation, the country has not only gained international recognition but also garnered high praise for its exemplary work in the protection, restoration, and sustainable utilization of world heritage sites.
China has done a good job in the protection and restoration of habitats of endangered species.
The “100+ Biodiversity Positive Practices and Actions Around the World” of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity included two projects in China. One is the vegetation restoration in the habitat of gray snub-nosed monkeys and the restoration of an ecological corridor in the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas. The other one is the restoration project for the coastal wetland in Yancheng of east China’s Jiangsu province, which is a part of the migratory bird sanctuaries along the coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China.
Besides, the integrity and protection management of the Hoh Xil heritage site in northwest China’s Qinghai province have been further strengthened and improved with the ongoing development of the Sanjiangyuan National Park. The population of flagship species, including Tibetan antelopes and wild yaks, keep growing, and their distribution areas are expanding.
China emphasizes both resource conservation and the development of people’s livelihoods in protecting and utilizing its World Natural Heritage sites.
In sites like the karst landscapes in southern China, the Danxia landforms, and the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, governments at all levels have implemented various measures tailored to local characteristics, such as franchising, profit sharing, ecological compensation, and living subsidies, to benefit the local population.
These efforts have yielded remarkable achievements in striking a balance among world heritage preservation, sustainable tourism, poverty alleviation, and the safeguarding of heritage values.
Some regions in China have received prestigious accolades, including the Shanghai Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities set by the United Nations Human Settlements Program and the “Best Tourism Villages” award set by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, among others.
With the continuous progress made in China’s ecological conservation and the deepening practice of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind in various fields, China has achieved outstanding achievements in the conservation of world natural heritage.
World natural heritage sites and mixed natural and cultural heritage sites not only have become a symbol of China’s ecological conservation efforts and a display of the beauty of China, but also increasingly highlight China’s firm determination in and outstanding contributions to global biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and participation in global environmental governance.
