Situated in the north-west of Sichaun Province, the Huanglong valley is made up of snow-capped peaks and the easternmost of all the Chinese glaciers. In addition to its mountain landscape, diverse forest ecosystems can be found, as well as spectacular limestone formations, waterfalls and hot springs. The area also has a population of endangered animals, including the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey.
Good Governance
The Huanglong World Natural Heritage Site adheres to the principles of “strict protection, unified management, categorized measures, and sustainable use”, implementing graded protection and classification management to safeguard its diverse values.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, it follows Sichuan Provincial World Heritage Protection Regulations and has formulated plans like the Huanglong Scenic Area General Plan for zoned management.
The Huanglong World Natural Heritage Administration serves as the core decision-making body, overseen by the Aba Prefecture government, responsible for comprehensive planning, resource conservation, and tourism development. It has established a community co-management system and joint prevention mechanism, involving community representatives, NGOs, and stakeholders in discussions on development plans, ecological protection, and tourism projects through public channels to ensure transparent governance and human-nature harmony.
During planning, it conducts scientific surveys on climate, ecology, and local conditions, considers community development, solicits resident opinions, and invites multi-disciplinary experts to formulate co-building plans, ensuring scientific validity and feasibility for sustainable management.
Conservation
For over 30 years, the Huanglong World Natural Heritage Site has effectively protected the integrity and authenticity of the site through measures such as monitoring and patrols, scientific research, international cooperation, and public education, achieving significant results.
1. Natural Value:
The natural scenic value has been effectively protected, with ongoing conservation efforts for the travertine landscape. The area of the Multi-Colored Pond travertine landscape increased from 9,041 m² in 2020 to 10,840 m² in 2024, with a conservation expansion of 1,799 m². The forest ecosystem has been effectively protected, with vegetation coverage maintaining above 90% since 1985 and an annual variation rate of only 0.14%. Species diversity has increased, with recorded species growing from 906 in 2002 to 2,662 in 2025, including the discovery of a new lily species, Lilim huanglongense in 2024. Orchid species have increased from 69 during surveys from 2004 to 2007 to 84 species in 2024. The giant panda population has grown from 29 individuals in the 2014 Sichuan Provincial Panda Survey to 34 in 2024, with the habitat area expanding from 466 km² to 485 km². The population of Sichuan golden monkeys has increased from 30 individuals in a 2012 survey to 200 in 2024.
2. Ecosystem Services Value:
The site continues to provide regulatory services such as water purification and air quality improvement. Since the initiation of hydrological and air quality monitoring, natural water bodies have consistently maintained water quality standards of Class II or higher, and air quality has always met the Grade I standards of the Environmental Air Quality Standard. In collaboration with universities and research institutes, studies on ecological restoration and conservation techniques for travertine landscapes have filled a global gap in materials, methods, and applications for travertine body restoration. These techniques have been successfully applied in several heritage restoration projects and won the first prize in the Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award.
3. Cultural Value:
Following the path of “ecology + intangible heritage” integration, a series of themed activities such as the “Alpine Orchid Season” and “Huanglong Temple Fair” have been organized, along with regular performances of intangible cultural heritage, such as Tibetan Guozhuang dance, Qiang multi-part singing, and Hui ethnic flower lanterns, effectively protecting and passing down the local community’s culture.
The cultural resources of the region have been fully explored, resulting in the compilation and publication of books such as
These works showcase and preserve the local community culture of the World Heritage Site. In 2021, Nature Education reached 16,000 participants, and by 2024, the number of participants grew to 450,000, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 904%.
Community benefits
The Huanglong World Natural Heritage Site adheres to the concept of ecological priority and green development, addressing the challenge of balancing “Tourism Development” and “Wealth of the Local Community,” achieving the common development of both the scenic area and the surrounding communities, with positive social benefits.
Situated in the north-west of Sichaun Province, the Huanglong valley is made up of snow-capped peaks and the easternmost of all the Chinese glaciers. In addition to its mountain landscape, diverse forest ecosystems can be found, as well as spectacular limestone formations, waterfalls and hot springs. The area also has a population of endangered animals, including the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey.
The EAGL members approved by consensus to recommend the site for inclusion on the IUCN Green List.
