Locals speed up protection of Hani Terraces

It has just been announced that the Hani Terraces in Yunnan Province have been included on UNESCO's World Heritage list. The announcement came on Saturday, prompting local authorities to vow to better protect this man-made ecological wonder.

With great honor, comes great responsibility. Being listed as a World Heritage site is just the beginning. Local authorities there have issued a series of rules and regulations to make sure that the Hani Terraces can continue to thrive. Local provincial departments including cultural heritage, agriculture and forestry have joined forces, along with neighbouring counties too.

Last year alone about 10 million US dollars were spent preserving and maintaining the terraces, mainly targeting practices like random digging and lumbering, said CPC Secretary of Yuanyang County, Jiang Renbin, "We hope to raise everyone's awareness in protecting this man-made ecological wonder."

To ensure the sustainable development of these stairs, local officials have set out two plans. On one hand, the terrace fields within the heritage sites and the buffer areas will be kept for farming, while in abandoned areas, villagers will plant trees to increase forest coverage.

"The Hani Terraces are an active cultural heritage, something which we have no precedent for... Apart from being an intangible cultural heritage, the Hani Terraces also produce something more tangible, like bio products. And we're hoping to promote that as well," said Zhang Hongzhen, director of the Terrace Administration Office in Honghe Prefecture.

According to locals, future protection will not only focus on ecological issues. They are also encouraging more young people to inherit the Hani farming traditions.

Hani Terraces named UNESCO World Heritage

Though some are striving to protect their heritage, China's range of UNESCO protected sites just continues to grow. Hot on the heels of the world heritage listing of the Tianshan Nature Reserve, the Hani Terraces of Yunnan Province have also received the honor.