The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) admitted 13 new natural sites in China to its green list of protected and conserved areas at the Eco Forum Global Guiyang on July 9, in Guiyang, the capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.

Among them, the Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve and Shennongjia National Nature Reserve in Hubei Province were enlisted.

Launched in 2014, the IUCN Green List measures the effectiveness of protected areas, and rewards the best sites and provides an incentive for sites around the world to improve their management. So far, there have been only 77 sites around the world committing to the list.

The Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve is located in Xuan’en County, southwest Hubei, with a total area of 345.5 square kilometers. It is rich in wildlife resources and has been listed as a key area of biodiversity in China by China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan.

Shennongjia is China's first winner of UNESCO triple crown - World Biosphere Reserve, World Geopark and World Natural Heritage. It mainly protects the north subtropical mountain forest ecosystem and davidia involucrate, golden monkey and other unique rare species.

The Eco Forum Global Guiyang is the only international forum at the national level themed ecological civilization in China. It is co-hosted by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Guizhou Provincial Government, with sponsorship from international organizations such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Nature Conservancy (TNC). (en.hubei.gov.cn by Ruan Xinqi)