The side event of the extended 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, themed “Synergistic Conservation of World Natural Heritage and Natural Protected Areas”, was held in Fuzhou. Photographed by Lin Xianchang / fjsen.com

July 26 (fjsen.com/Lin Xianchang) - The side event of the extended 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, themed “Synergistic Conservation of World Natural Heritage and Natural Protected Areas”, was held on July 26th at Fuzhou Strait International Conference and Exhibition Center.

This side event was sponsored by National Forestry and Grassland Administration of the People’s Republic of China. The organizers were South China Karst World Natural Heritage Conservation Management and Coordination Committee, China Danxia World Natural Heritage Professional Protection Committee and Eco Foundation Global. And the co-organizers were Fujian Provincial Administration of Forestry, Hunan Provincial Administration of Forestry, Chongqing Municipal Administration of Forestry and Fuzhou Municipal Administration of Forestry.

Over 100 participants attended this side event, including representatives from Natural Protected Areas Management Department of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China National Commission for UNESCO, World Heritage Center, IUCN/WCPA, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, South China Karst World Natural Heritage Conservation Management and Coordination Committee, China Danxia World Natural Heritage Professional Protection Committee and the World Heritage sites. Due to the epidemic, 3 representatives abroad attended via internet.

In accordance with international practice, the application, protection and management of natural World Heritage properties rely on the domestic protected area system of each State Party. At present, China has 14 natural World Heritage properties and 4 mixed (cultural and natural) World Heritage properties. Both numbers rank first in the world. These World Heritage properties cover hundreds of natural protected areas of all levels and categories, including national parks (pilot), natural reserves, scenic spots, etc. Over the years, China has accumulated rich experience in synergistic conservation of world natural heritage and natural protected areas.

At the meeting, representatives from South China Karst World Natural Heritage Conservation Management and Coordination Committee and China Danxia World Natural Heritage Professional Protection Committee shared their measures and experience in promoting synergistic conservation of world natural heritage and natural protected areas. They also introduced the contributions they have made to the coordination, conservation and management of the World Heritage sites and the results have been achieved since the successful inscription of these sites as World Heritage.

Experts from home and abroad conducted in-depth exchanges closely around the theme of the side event. They reviewed prospects for synergistic conservation of world natural heritage and natural protected areas, discussing appropriate development directions, as well as relevant advanced technologies and models.

Participants who attended the side event came from the fields ranging from management to scientific research involving various disciplines, representing a high standard in the world. From the interpretation of the United Nations’ policies to China’s proper selection of heritage strategies, and to the coordination and conservation experience and management philosophy of the World Heritage properties of South China Karst and China Danxia, a series of brilliant speeches with unique insights aroused everyone’s attention to the theme of the side event. In terms of issues and difficulties facing most of the countries, the side event provided real cases for governments and enterprises for reference, contributing Chinese wisdom to synergistic conservation of world natural heritage and natural protected areas.