China has once again applied for the "dual heritage" of the world, after 24 years of World Heritage | Culture | Heritage
On the 10th, Li Xinmin, Deputy Director of the Forestry Bureau of Hainan Province, announced at the opening ceremony of the 2023 "Cultural and Natural Heritage Day" theme promotion event held in Haikou that Hainan Province has officially launched the application for the "Hainan Tropical Rainforest and Li Traditional Settlement" World Cultural and Natural Dual Heritage. Since Mount Wuyi was listed as the world's "double heritage" in 1999, China has applied again 24 years later.
By 2023, there are 39 world "double heritages" in the world, with China accounting for 4, namely Mount Taishan, Mount Huangshan, Mount Emei Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area and Mount Wuyi. Mount Taishan is the first natural and cultural "double heritage" in China and the world. It was included in the "World Natural Heritage and Cultural Heritage List" of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 1987. In December 1999, at the 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee, Mount Wuyi successfully passed the selection criteria and became the "youngest" world "double heritage" in China.
According to the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, "dual heritage" refers to representatives that combine the beauty of nature and culture. Hainan Island has rich and diverse natural resources and cultural relics from different historical periods. As a typical representative, "Hainan Tropical Rainforest and Li Traditional Settlement" was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Center's World Heritage Reserve List in April 2022.
Liu Baodang, Deputy Secretary General of the World Heritage Expert Committee of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration of China, has deeply participated in the work related to Hainan's "dual heritage". "If the application process goes smoothly, it will be another significant contribution of China to the world in the field of world heritage after more than 20 years. This contribution is based on the international background of cultural and natural integration, and harmonious progress between humans and nature." Liu Baodang said that the "Hainan Tropical Rainforest and Li Traditional Settlement" project has entered a critical stage of preparing application materials and carrying out related supporting projects.
The technical team for the application of Hainan's "dual heritage" is led by Associate Professor Song Feng from the School of Urban and Environmental Studies at Peking University. Song Feng stated in an interview with China News Agency on the 10th that most of China's current world heritage sites are based on existing natural reserves. In the application process for Hainan's "dual heritage", Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is an important foundation and a great advantage.
It is reported that Hainan tropical rainforest is the rainforest ecosystem with the most concentrated, well preserved, and largest contiguous area of biodiversity distribution in China. It is one of the hotspots of global biodiversity distribution, as well as a concentration of key bird areas and a protected area of the Zero Extinction Alliance. The village form and architecture of Li traditional settlements reflect the characteristics of Li people's continuous adaptation to natural environmental conditions and integration with their own production and living needs. The traditional land use methods of the Li people have formed a diverse ecological environment with mountains, forests, grasses, and fields, providing unique habitats for some unique species and forming a special community of life in the traditional living environment of Hainan Island.
"China's world heritage industry has made remarkable achievements in the application, protection, management, and utilization of world heritage from scratch, from small to large. According to Yuan Xiaohong, a second level inspector of the Natural Reserve Management Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China currently has 56 world heritage sites with a total area of over 70000 square kilometers, effectively protecting a large number of precious and unique natural and cultural heritage resources, maintaining biodiversity and cultural richness, and contributing Chinese experience and strength to the development of the global world heritage industry.".