Why is it Green Listed?

Hubei Wufeng Houhe National Nature Reserve (referred to as Houhe NNR) is located in Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County in southwestern Hubei, in the northeast of Wuling Mountains, and is located on the boundary between Hunan and Hubei provinces. The geographical coordinates are 110°30’5.313″-110°43’16.125″ east longitude and 30°02′55.675″-30°08′55.250″ north latitude.

It belongs to the mid-subtropical forest ecosystem where mainly protects the subtropical forest ecosystem and its biodiversity. Houhe NNR is very rich in biological resources and is a natural concentrated distribution area of rare and endangered wild animal and plant species. 3307 species of vascular plants have been recorded in the reserve. Among them are national key protected plants Davidia involucrata, Taxus wallichiana, Bretschneidera sinensis, Pseudotsuga sinensis, Cephalotaxus oliveri, Phoebe zhennan, Goose Palm tree (Liriodendron chinense), Magnolia officinalis (Houpoea officinalis), Ormosia henryi and other 76 species.

According to preliminary statistics, there are more than 417 species of terrestrial vertebrates, including more than 60 species of national key protected animals such as forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), black bear (Ursus thibetanus), hyena (Capricornis sumatraensis), and goral (Naemorhedus goral).

Key Achievements

Conservation

Houhe NNR has achieved its protection goals in natural resource conservation, with remarkable results.

The forest ecosystem has been effectively protected. Primary community structures such as Davidia involucrata and Sycopsis sinensis have been preserved intact. The authenticity and integrity of the forest ecosystem have been maintained, with no major forest pests or fires occurring. Vegetation coverage has reached 93.25%.

Monitoring shows that the frequency of wildlife such as forest musk deer, black bear, Chinese muntjac, tufted deer, and others has significantly increased. The forest musk deer’s habitat, previously at an altitude of 800–1400 m, has expanded to 500–1600 m. The suitable habitat area now covers 7,755 hm², with an estimated population of 48–72 individuals. The Relative Abundance Index (RAI) increased from 0.37 to 1.99.

Species diversity has increased. The 2023 baseline survey recorded 3,307 species of vascular plants (an increase of 1,015 species compared with the previous baseline survey) and 417 species of vertebrates. Five new species and nine newly recorded species were discovered. In addition, 9 categories comprising 11 volumes of scientific research monographs were published.

Good governance

Hubei Wufeng Houhe National Nature Reserve (Houhe NNR), according to ecosystem function, protection goals, and utilization value, is divided into a core zone, buffer zone, and experimental zone. It implements overall protection, zonal control, and differentiated management.

The Houhe NNR organization compiled the Hubei Wufeng Houhe National Nature Reserve Master Plan in three phases. At present, two phases of the master plan have been completed. The plan clarified protection and management requirements, providing a guarantee for the protection, construction, and management of the Houhe Reserve. The Wufeng Autonomous County government actively supported the reserve’s work and promoted the issuance of the Houhe Reserve Rural Residents Housing Construction Management Measures, the Ecological Migration Relocation Implementation Plan, and the Community Residents Basic Living Fuelwood Substitute Energy Subsidy Measures, which effectively resolved community difficulties.

The management agency, together with local townships and relevant departments, signed a cross-regional joint prevention and control cooperation agreement and established a daily liaison and consultation mechanism. Wufeng Autonomous County set up an ecological environment judicial protection base and an ecological police station in Houhe. The Houhe NNR Management Bureau provided counterpart support to Houhe Village and dispatched a first secretary there. As a co-creation pilot village, Houhe Village, under the guidance of the stationed first secretary, established a small-group council self-governance organization. They adhered to the principle of “everyone’s matters are discussed by everyone,” and, through small group meetings, courtyard gatherings, household visits, and other forms, listened to public opinions and collected community suggestions.

Community benefits

Houhe NNR adheres to the principle of ecological priority and the concept of green development:

It has established a Social Service and Industrial Development Section, which is comprehensively responsible for the reserve’s community development. Each year, 10–20 local villagers are employed as part-time forest rangers to participate in patrol and management work. The reserve annually fulfills collective and individual ecological public welfare forest compensation for an area of 432.21 hectares, with funds amounting to 1.02 million yuan.

The reserve has registered the “Houhe” national certification trademark and annually invests approximately 100,000 yuan in support funds. These funds support community-led development of characteristic industries such as yellow peach cultivation and Chinese honeybee honey production, building the Houhe brand of ecological products.

To address the problem of wild animals damaging farmland, the reserve annually invests in purchasing prevention and control alarm systems and other protective equipment, as well as in wildlife incident compensation liability insurance. This provides compensation for community residents’ economic losses and alleviates human–wildlife conflicts.

The reserve also guides villagers to carry out self-governance and implements a credit-point reward system. This encourages residents to actively participate in activities such as emergency and disaster relief, environmental cleanup, and biodiversity protection, thereby helping to maintain the safety and stability of the reserve.