The site is situated in Hubei Province, in central– eastern China. It has two components: Shennongding/ Badong, to the west, and Laojunshan, to the east. One of the most prominent biodiversity centres in China is called Hubei Shennongjia. This site was the object of international plant collecting expeditions in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thus it is of importance in the history of botanical research. The property extends over 73,318 ha. Shennongding/Badong is the larger component, and Laojunshan, surrounded by a buffer zone, is smaller, with an area of 41,536 ha. Hubei Shennongjia has 11 types of vegetation at different altitudes. It is one of the three centres of endemic species in China. It is a transitional position with a rich biodiversity and diverse ecosystems. The faunal species include 600 vertebrate species (92 mammal, 399 bird, 55 fish, 53 reptile and 37 amphibian species), and 4365 insect species. These include rare and endangered species such as the golden or Sichuan snub-nosed monkey, clouded leopard, common leopard, Asian golden cat, dhole, Asian black bear, Indian civet, musk deer, Chinese goral, Chinese serow, golden eagle, Reeve’s pheasant and Chinese giant salamander, the largest amphibian. The site has been effectively managed, but threats (both current and potential) persist and must be effectively managed in the future as well.
The site is situated in Hubei Province, located in central–eastern China. It includes two crucial components: Shennongding/Badong, to the west, and Laojunshan, to the east. It essentially protects the largest primary forests left in the central part of China. One of the most important centres of biodiversity in China is called Hubei Shennongjia. International plant expeditions were carried out here in the 19th and 20th centuries. The site represents an eco-tone from the plains and foothill region of eastern China to the mountainous area of central China. The site is situated in a zone of climatic transition from the sub-tropical zone to the warm temperate zone. The climate of the site is controlled by a sub-tropical gyre. The property extends over 73,318 ha. Shennongding/Badong is the larger component, and the smaller Laojunshan is surrounded by a buffer zone of extent 41,536 ha. There are 11 types of vegetation across the altitudinal gradients. The area is one of the three centres of endemic species in China. The site entails intense levels of species richness and endemism surrounding flora including 3,767 vascular plant species, 590 temperate plant genera. There are approximately 205 plant species and 2 genera endemic to the property for instance 1,793 species are endemic to China. The faunal species embrace 600 vertebrate species documenting 92 mammal, 399 bird, 55 fishes, 53 reptile and 37 amphibian species, identifying Description of Site 4,365 insect species comprising multifarious rare and endangered species such as the Golden or Sichuan Snub-nosed Monkey, Clouded Leopard, Common Leopard, Asian Golden Cat, Dhole, Asian Black Bear, Indian Civet, Musk Deer, Chinese Goral and Chinese Serow, Golden Eagle, Reeve’s Pheasant and the largest amphibian the Chinese Giant Salamander. The place is a symbol of scientific interest and botanical inquiry. There were international plant collecting expeditions at the site in the 19th and 20th centuries. Between 1884 and 1889, 500 new species were recorded in the area. Shennongjia is the type location of many species (UNESCO whc. unesco.org).
Hubei Shennongjia stand out among mountains of the same latitudes for its biodiversity, ecosystems and biological evolution. It services as a discrete example of biological evolution within the Oriental Deciduous Forest Bio-geographical Province as it subsuming remarkable biodiversity with relic, rare, endangered, and endemic species. Considerable research has been carried on the ecological processes of mountain ecosystems at different elevation gradients under a global climate change scenario, as well as into other attributes of the property (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2015; IUCN, 2016)
Hubei Shennongjia protects the largest primary forests in Central China and is one of three centres of endemic plant species in China. The property includes 11 types of vegetation and an intact altitudinal vegetation spectrum across six gradients including evergreen broadleaved forest, mixed evergreen and deciduous broadleaved forest, deciduous broad-leaved forest, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest, coniferous forest, and bush/meadow. With 874 species of deciduous woody plants, belonging to 260 genera, the tree species and genus richness of the site is unparalleled for a deciduous broadleaf forest type worldwide and within the Northern Hemisphere’s evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests, Hubei Shennongjia contains the most complete altitudinal natural belts in the world. Hubei Shennongjia is situated in the Daba Mountains Evergreen Forests ecoregion and also within a priority ecoregion, the Southwest China Temperate Forest both of which are not yet represented on the World Heritage List. It also protects the Shennongjia regional centre of plant diversity which has been identified as a gap on the World Heritage List. In association with its floral diversity the property protects critical ecosystems for numerous rare and endangered animal species.
Hubei Shennongjia’s unique terrain and climate has been relatively little affected by glaciation and thus creates a haven for numerous rare, endangered and endemic species, as well as many of the world’s deciduous woody species. The property exhibits high levels of species richness, especially among vascular plants, and remarkably contains more than 63% of the temperate genera found across all of China, a megabiodiverse country with the world’s greatest diversity of temperate plant genera. The property includes 12.9% of the country’s vascular plant species. The mountainous terrain also contains critical habitat for a range of flagship animal species. 1,550 Golden or Sichuan Snub nosed Monkeys are recorded in the property. The Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys in Shennongjia are the most endangered of the 3 sub-species in China and are entirely restricted to the property. Other important species include Clouded Leopard, Common Leopard, Asian Golden Cat, Dhole, Asian Black Bear, Indian Civet, Musk Deer, Chinese Goral, Chinese Serow, Golden Eagle, Reeve’s Pheasant and the world’s largest amphibian the Chinese Giant Salamander. The property has extremely rich biodiversity, contains a large number of type species, and hosts numerous rare species which have been introduced into horticulture worldwide. Internationally, Shennongjia holds a special place for the study of plant systematics and horticultural science.
National Highway 209, with a 10 km wide corridor, divides the site and affects the wildlife movements and ecological integrity of the site. Providing ecological connectivity for mobile wildlife chiefly involves creating bridges, specifically for those species that require sizeable habitat ranges. Implementation involves retaining small patches of habitat (as stepping stones), providing wildlife road crossings and removing fences. The site is safeguarded by a variety of national, provincial and local laws. The property relishes widened benefit amongst distinct levels with the government, local population and other involved stakeholders. The site must need long-term, active management of the buffer zone and allow for sustainable scale development. The boundaries need to be delineated according to the values of the property and must engender sustainable benefits to the people locally involved in conservation. Capacity must be built in order to protect the buffer zone i manage the problems associated with the buffer region effectively. The tourism potential of the property represents a potential threat. There have been significant improvements in road transport after the opening of Shennongjia Airport in 2014. There is a possibility of the numbers of visitors increasing and the site being impacted subsequently. Other threats include the developments in the buffer zone and encroachment of land for tea cultivation, integrated conservation and community development to further strengthened community involvement in the World Heritage Site (UNESCO whc.unesco.org).
The current threats include railroads due to their probable impact on prey species and other wild animals. The site’s management plan efficiently covers revisions through the setting up of forest “stepping stones” in the corridor zone to connect the two distinct components of the property (World Heritage Nomination 2016). The managerial efforts have removed approximately 10 km of guardrails on National Highway 209 and the highway in the core distribution of the golden snub-nosed monkey. The construction of almost 25 wildlife corridors, especially for the crossing of arboreal animals, permits these animals to overcome the isolating effect of the roads (World Heritage Outlook 2020).
There is a multi-level management system involving the State Forestry Administration, provincial forestry department, Shennongjia Forestry District and Prefecture. The site is the core of the larger conservation area known as the Greater Shennongjia Forest Area, which has been developed into a new national park during the recent PA reforms in China. Shennongjia is noted as the priority biodiversity area within the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, in which the Key Ecological Zones developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection have been restructured by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
