History

Abstract

Hubei Shennongjia is located on the northern margin of the Yangtze plate. Its rock stratum contains all the units since the Mesoproterozoic era. In the Mesoproterozoic era (a period from about 1600–1000 million years ago), crustal extension resulted in a continental margin rift basin in the northern margin of the Yangtze plate. A large number of ancient and relic species have been retained in the Hubei Shennongjia and many of them are remnants from the Paleogene and Cretaceous periods. Hubei Shennongjia has a long history. Archaeologists have excavated stone implements made and used about 1.2 million years ago in the Chaoyang river valley. Hubei Shennongjia is located in the deep mountains of the northwest of Hubei Province. Consequently, the outstanding resources of Shennongjia were not recognized by scholars until the mid-1950s. Therefore, its resources and environment have been kept intact. The total area of Hubei Shennongjia is 73,318 ha, with 6999 permanent residents. The density of population is 10.4 people per square kilometer. Major Human Activities are forest management and protection, tourism activities, and scientific research. The state and local government now pay great attention to the protection of the environment and resources in the property.