China's Natural Heritage Sites Record Improved Sustainable Conservation
Beijing (ANTARA) - China is increasingly strengthening its efforts to protect its natural world heritage in a scientific, systematic, and holistic manner, as evidenced by a significant improvement in conservation conditions, according to China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Saturday (13/6), announced in conjunction with this year’s World Heritage Day.
According to assessments by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 90 per cent of China’s heritage sites received an overall rating of ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, far exceeding the global average of 61 per cent and the Asian average of 68 per cent.
China currently possesses 15 natural world heritage sites and four heritage sites renowned for their combined cultural and natural features, positioning the country as a global leader in terms of quantity.
These sites cover a total area of more than 80,000 square kilometres across 20 province-level regions, encompassing diverse ecosystems including mountains, forests, wetlands, deserts, and coastlines.
In recent years, China has intensified its conservation efforts through a protected area system centred on national parks. According to China’s National Forestry and Grasslagland Administration, more than 80 per cent of heritage sites have undergone nature-based restoration, effectively preserving the authenticity and integrity of their ecosystems.
At the same time, the country has also expanded channels to benefit its people while developing green industries, such as ecotourism, nature-based study tourism, and the under-forest economy.
Moving forward, natural world heritage sites will be integrated into the monitoring framework for protected areas and will benefit from coordinated protection and development efforts alongside these regions.
The Chinese government also intends to establish and enhance management systems and mechanisms for natural heritage protection, aimed at promoting standardised and high-quality management.