Abstract
Hubei Shennongjia has an area of 73,318 ha, and its buffer zones have an area of 41,536 ha. The heritage is situated on the transitional zone between China’s second level and the third levels of terrain, which is also the key water conservation area for Yangtze River and Han River. Dominated by Subtropical Gyre, the climate of Shennongjia is the transition zone from subtropical to warm temperate. This unique geographical environment makes Hubei Shennongjia an outstanding example among the mountains of similar latitude across the world, in terms of its richful plants and animals and their dynamic process. Hubei Shennongjia provides a case for typical elevation vegetation in the Oriental Deciduous Forest biogeographical province. Hubei Shennongjia is a vital source of global temperate flora and it has the highest concentration of global temperate genera. It is also an outstanding representative of biological evolution in the Oriental Deciduous Forest biogeographical province. It is also an outstanding example for research into the ecological processes of mountain ecosystem at different elevation gradients under global climate change. Hubei Shennongjia is protected by laws and regulations. The property has been demarcated and the boundaries of the nominated property and corresponding buffer zone are all clearly marked on the site and map. The scope of the site is large enough to contain the full range of Hubei Shennongjia’s biological and ecological assets. Hubei Shennongjia contains the best preserved areas of biodiversity and pristine biological habitats. There are six kinds of first-level (accounting for 46% of total number of first-level habitats globally) and 22 kinds of second-level IUCN/SSC habitats in Hubei Shennongjia. Hubei Shennongjia can best represent the evolution and development of mountain ecosystems and communities of plants and animals in the north subtropical zone. In conclusion, the natural properties and outstanding universal values of Hubei Shennongjia have been well preserved with and the negative effects of human activities have been minimized. Currently, the residents living in Hubei Shennongjia and the surrounding buffer zone are mainly use the forest for gathering wood and for growing tea. These activities have a certain degree of influence the environment and resources of the properties, but do not have a large affect. Hubei Shennongjia is unique in its biodiversity, flora of biogeography, altitudinal natural belts, and ecological and biological processes.
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Xie, Z., Shen, G. (2021). Outstanding Universal Value. In: The outstanding universal value and conservation of Hubei Shennongjia . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0684-7_6
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