Chongqing nature reserve added to Shennongjia world heritage site

(Photo/ Li Ye)

FUZHOU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chongqing Wulipo National Nature Reserve officially become part of the Hubei Shennongjia World Heritage Site after a minor modification to Shennongjia's boundaries on Wednesday, according to the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee.

The Wulipo nature reserve covers an area of more than 35,000 hectares in Wushan County of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and borders Badong County and the Shennongjia forest area of the neighboring Hubei Province.

Wulipo, which was approved as a state-level nature reserve by the State Council in 2013, is very rich in wild animals and plants.

Shennongjia is one of China's three major biodiversity centers and was approved for inclusion in the World Heritage List in 2016.

Experts said the westward extension of the Shennongjia heritage site helps to place the forest habitat and migration corridor vital to the site's species under unified protection, and therefore further improves the ecological connectivity and integrity of the heritage site.