Shennongjia's well-preserved natural beauty recently earned it the privilege of hosting the first China Cultural and Natural Heritage Day and a world natural heritage conference on June 10. [Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

Representatives from UNESCO and China's World Heritage sites were present at the meeting to discuss sustainable development in the field of world heritage.

Separately, the Shennongjia Declaration was unveiled at the event.

It calls for scientific protection of world heritage as well as increased social awareness.

Officials from Shennongjia, Huangshan Mountain in Anhui province, Taishan Mountain in Shandong province, and Wulong in Chongqing all shared their experiences.

Speaking about Shennongjia, Wang Wenhua, the deputy director of the Shennongjia national park, says the region first saw development over the 1962-82 period when a large quantity of wood was needed for national development.

The local government then built roads that run more than 400 kilometers to the natural reserve.