Wudalianchi Geological Park （“the Park”）is located in Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province，covering a total area of 1,060 square kilometers. There are 14 volcanoes and 5 major volcanic barrier lakes in the Park. The Park is known as “natural volcano museum” and an “open volcano textbook” because of its “most complete preserved, most concentrated distribution and most complete category” volcanic geology and geomorphology in the new and old periods. The Park is also the kingdom of wildlife and the MAB Biosphere Reserve. There are 1,044 species of wild plants in 143 families and 428 genera, including 194 species of wild Chinese medicine and 144 species of wild animals in 61 families.
Conservation
Good governance
Community benefits
Wudalianchi Geological Park （“the Park”）is located in Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province，covering a total area of 1,060 square kilometers. There are 14 volcanoes and 5 major volcanic barrier lakes in the Park. The Park is known as “natural volcano museum” and an “open volcano textbook” because of its “most complete preserved, most concentrated distribution and most complete category” volcanic geology and geomorphology in the new and old periods. The Park is also the kingdom of wildlife and the MAB Biosphere Reserve. There are 1,044 species of wild plants in 143 families and 428 genera, including 194 species of wild Chinese medicine and 144 species of wild animals in 61 families.
The core values of Wudalianchi can be described as: (1) volcanic geology, representing a monogenetic volcanic field in an unusual intra-continental tectonic setting, and displaying a superb array of volcanic features; (2) a high diversity of species, animal and plant communities, as well as unusual combinations of some species by virtue of mixing and adaptation in a climatic and ecological transition zone (ecotone), and living evidence of successional development on the newer volcanic deposits; (3) great natural beauty.
EAGL summary statement:
The protected area management agency is the Wudalianchi Management Committee, which includes government affairs and nature reserve management. This kind of governance structure arrangement is currently the most effective protected area management model. Wudalianchi have a short-term, medium-term and long-term development goals, and clarify the protection and management measures and specific management and control requirements of each functional zone. The management objectives of the Wudalianchi Management Committee are clear and transparent, with full participation of stakeholders. Through the management plan, the site has achieved the management objectives, fulfilled the responsibilities of various departments, and cooperated with scientific research institutions to organize the implementation of scientific research monitoring, disaster prevention and control, and achieve effective management of human activities and sustainable use of resources. The management committee attaches great importance to the employment of the indigenous people in the community, and guides residents to spontaneously participate in the protection. Following the review of the nomination of the site, the members of the EAGL welcomed the remarkable efforts of the team of managers for the conservation of values of the site and underlined the quality and the completeness of the file. All indicators are achieved or exceeded. On the basis of these elements, the EAGL unanimously voted in favor of the inscription of Wudalianchi on the protected area green list.
Reviewer statement:
The Reviewer validates Wudalianchi’s Green Listing process as being in conformity with the User Manual’s rules and procedures. The Reviewer approved the waiving of the site visit given the current COVID-19 situation with the following conditions : a site visit will be organised as soon as circumstances change and allow for travel and shall occur before the next mid-term GL review for Wudalianchi. A virtual stakeholder consultation meeting was approved by the reviewer in advance and it was held on August 11, 2020 with the ASI Reviewer presence. The voting meeting agenda was sent to the reviewer for approval in advance. The meeting was combined for two sites: Huangshan Mountain and Wudalianchi. All the EAGL members were requested to review the two sites’ application documents in COMPASS before the meeting.• Verification: the process of presentation of the results, and discussions between the members of the EAGL• Verification: the voting process including declaration of EAGL members’ COI, voting method and result announcement.
