A view of the Shennongjia Forest in Hubei Province in Central China. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Shennongjia Forest, located in the north-western mountains of Hubei Province in Central China, has been added on the prestigious World Heritage List as a natural site, following the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee on Sunday, July 17, in Istanbul, Turkey.
With the inclusion of Shennongjia, the number of Chinese sites in the list has now reached 50, according to the Xinhua News Agency report.
Shennongjia, known for its rich natural forests and diverse animal species, is also home to the golden snub-nosed monkeys, whose population is expected to increase significantly, primatologists working on a census of the rare animals in November 2015, said.
First spotted in the 1960s, the golden snub-noses that live in the thick forests in Shennongjia came very close to extinction, as the first census in the 1980s found that there were only 501 in the area.
But in 2005, following reforestation and a hunting ban imposed by the Chinese government, the population of golden snub-noses increased to 1,282.
Two research centers were set up by government for the monkey. At least 15 babies were born this year in the center in Dalongtan, the highest number in 10 years since the center started.
Before the end of its 40th session on Sunday, July 17, the World Heritage Committee had agreed to include 12 new sites in the list including Shennongjia Forest, with nine others previously approved on Friday, July 15.
Out of the 27 nominations in this year's list, the 21 new sites included 12 cultural sites, six natural and three mixed sites. The heritage list currently has 1, 052 sites in 165 countries.
The 40th session, which started on July 10, was cut short when a coup attempt broke out in Turkey on Friday night, July 15.
The committee later decided to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss unfinished business to be held in Paris later.
The next session will be held July 2017 in Cracow, Poland.
