A year before Hangzhou welcomes over 2,000 delegates to UNESCO's Fifth World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, the contiguous Tianmushan–Qingliangfeng Biosphere Reserve has been extended from 43 km² to 547 km².

UNESCO/Tianmushan Qingliangfeng Biosphere Reserve

This extension was approved on 5 July by the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme.

Tianmushan Biosphere Reserve was designated by the same Council in 1996. With the extension, the biosphere reserve now incorporates the Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve, which also forms part of the Tianmu Mountain Range. The biosphere reserve’s name has changed accordingly.  

The Tianmu Mountain Range is situated in the northwest of Zhejiang Province at the northern edge of the mid-subtropics and is the source of the Qiantang River.  

Forests now cover about 92% of the biosphere reserve. Some parts of the core protected areas border other national nature reserves in the neighbouring provinces. The authorities of these reserves have reached Joint Defence and Protection Agreements with adjacent provinces, cities and counties to consolidate conservation efforts. 

Residents have embraced the green economy

About 20 years ago, villages in the province decided to shift their economic focus from mining and cement-making to more sustainable livelihoods, having decided that 'clear water and green mountains are as valuable as gold and silver mountains'. 

Today, most residents are engaged in the production and processing of agricultural and forestry products such as walnuts, bamboo shoots and tea. Residents live and work outside the protected core areas and surrounding buffer zones in what is known as the biosphere reserve's transition area. 

About 5.7 million tourists visited what is now Tianmushan–Qingliangfeng Biosphere Reserve in 2021, drawn to the nearby scenic views of Huangshan Mountain range and city of Huangzhou, which are both highly popular tourist attractions. 

Although the economy relies heavily on tourism and agriculture, e-commerce has been growing. This has enabled residents to market and sell agricultural and forestry products. It has also encouraged many young people to return to their hometowns to start their own businesses. 

The recently established Tianmushan-Qingliangfeng Biosphere Reserve Working Leadership Group counts members from national nature reserves, towns and local communities. This group has led the development of the ambitious Management Plan for the Tianmushan–Qingliangfeng Biosphere Reserve (2023–2032). It aims to stabilize rare and endangered wildlife populations and establish a co-ordinated sustainable development model for the biosphere reserve and surrounding regions. 

In a first, the Hangzhou municipality has legislated to protect a mountain

Last June, the Municipal Congress passed the Zhejiang Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve Regulations. This is the first time that Hangzhou has legislated for a mountain. This legislation provides dual-layered protection by putting administrative and judicial safeguards in place for forest conservation in the area. 

The authorities have been managing the area's primary forests meticulously for decades. They have also implemented a comprehensive biodiversity monitoring and protection system combined with environmental campaigns to educate the public and comprehensive community development planning.  

World Congress delegates to visit the biosphere reserve

There are plans for delegates to the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves to visit the biosphere reserve in September next year to see for themselves how it has approached the challenges of conservation and developing a green economy. 

The congress's primary goal will be to devise an action plan for UNESCO's global network of 759 biosphere reserves in 136 countries for the next decade and beyond. 

The congress is being organized by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme. Held approximately every ten years, each congress brings together stakeholders from biosphere reserves around the world, including scientists, policymakers, local communities and conservationists.  

From 24 to 26 September 2024, the drafting group for the Programme's Strategy and Action Plan to 2035 will convene in Hangzhou for their second face-to-face meeting. This gathering will mark the start of the official countdown to the congress.