On October 19 local time in Yerevan, the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) opened in the Armenian capital. At the opening ceremony of the much-anticipated China Pavilion, a case from Huitong, Huaihua, was presented as an example from a county in the mountainous region of southern China, sharing its grassroots practices in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use with the world.
As global attention turns to putting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into effect, why has a small county in southwest China stood out? What does Huitong have to offer? And how has it addressed the global challenge of balancing conservation and development, contributing a “China solution” with wider relevance?
Huitong lies on the southwestern edge of Hunan province, in the transition zone between the Xuefeng Mountains and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It has 2.63 million mu (about 175,333 hectares) of forestland, forest coverage of 73.88% and the status of a national key ecological function zone. The county is home to two nationally recognized ecological assets, including the Yingzuijie National Nature Reserve, and preserves one of the world’s best-conserved stands of mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest at this latitude.
More than 1,700 plant species and over 500 wild medicinal plant species grow across this vibrant landscape. Among them, Epimedium is particularly precious. A medicinal plant used for centuries in Dong and Miao medicine, Epimedium grown in Huitong has a total flavonol glycoside content of up to 13.5%, nine times the standard set by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.
Yet these rich natural endowments once became a double-edged sword for development. Strong market demand triggered unregulated harvesting, causing wild populations to decline sharply and damaging forest ecosystems. Huitong is not alone in facing this dilemma. It is a challenge shared by many of the world’s biodiversity hotspots: those who protect natural resources do not receive a fair return. How can people make a living while conserving nature, and protect ecosystems as they pursue development? This is a question that must be answered.
At an understory cultivation base in Baotian township, Huitong, sunlight filters through the canopy of towering Chinese fir trees, dappling the ground below. Unlike the uniform rows of conventional agriculture, the site has a distinctive layered structure: Chinese fir trees form the upper layer, sequestering carbon and providing timber; naturally growing shrubs occupy the middle layer, regulating sunlight; Epimedium is planted below, spreading like a green carpet across the forest floor; and a thick layer of fallen leaves at the bottom retains moisture.
This four-tiered ecological system — Chinese fir trees sequestering carbon above, the mid-level canopy regulating light, Epimedium cultivated below, and deep layers of leaf litter storing water — is an innovative step by Huitong to move beyond the fragmented conservation practices of the past. The county has transformed single-species plantations into near-natural, multifunctional systems, with a cycle of six years of cultivation followed by two years of rest to restore soil fertility. This model of “nurturing medicinal plants with forests, and protecting forests with medicinal plants” is not only low-cost and easy to implement, but also enables the ecosystem to renew itself.
In Gaoyi township, Huitong county, villager Yang is busy harvesting Epimedium. He told reporters that he used to have to go into the mountains to dig up wild medicinal plants to make a living, which was hard and damaging to the ecosystem. Now, through his participation in an understory cultivation project, he has a stable income and has become a beneficiary of ecological conservation.
Huitong has established a three-tiered dynamic monitoring system and a germplasm bank, preserving more than 100 germplasm accessions to safeguard its genetic resources at the source. More importantly, a range of mechanisms for sharing benefits, including industrial subsidies, employment opportunities and dividends from collective businesses, has encouraged forest farmers to shift from harvesting wild plants to cultivating them under forest cover. Over five years, the area under cultivation has expanded by more than 10,000 mu (about 667 hectares), while wild Epimedium populations have risen by 35%.
In April 2025, Huitong issued Hunan’s first “Xianglin Carbon Ticket.” Through carbon-sink trading, 241.46 hectares of forestland generated 275,500 yuan in revenue, demonstrating that people can prosper without cutting down trees. Epimedium also became the first Chinese medicinal herb cultivated under forest cover in Hunan to receive international certification, and six new varieties, including “Huihuo No. 1,” have been selected. By the end of 2025, a total of 210 million yuan had been invested, building standardized cultivation bases covering 12,000 mu (800 hectares). These produce 10 million seedlings a year, and the Epimedium industry has a total output value of 550 million yuan. The county’s understory economy now covers more than 180,000 mu (12,000 hectares), while the full industrial chain of traditional Chinese medicine is worth 1.5 billion yuan, providing a practical guide to realize the value of ecological products at the county level.
The Huitong case has made a compelling appearance at COP17 as a “China solution” because it is highly replicable and offers strong potential for wider application, directly addressing the Kunming-Montreal Framework’s goals for sustainable use and benefit-sharing.
First, its benefit-substitution mechanism can be promoted elsewhere. Huitong has shown that cultivated production can replace wild harvesting and ease pressure on wild resources. This approach offers direct lessons for regions around the world with commercially valuable local species that face harvesting pressure.
Second, its multilayered land-use model can be replicated. Southern China has extensive areas of commercial plantations, and Huitong’s practice of interplanting Chinese fir forests offers a low-cost, easy-to-implement model for improving low-yield forests, delivering both ecological and economic benefits.
Finally, its tools for converting ecological value into economic value offer a useful reference. From carbon-ticket trading to international certification and standard-setting, Huitong has combined a range of market-based tools to provide a practical guide to realize the value of ecological products at the county level.
Data offer the clearest measure of results. Over five years, monitoring records across Huitong have registered a net increase of 280 plant and animal species, while the number of nationally protected plant and animal species has risen from 48 to 86. Even more remarkably, two species new to science — Yingzuijie stachys and Yingzuijie Liaoxi mud beetle — were discovered in Huitong. The Chinese merganser, which is highly sensitive to water quality, has also chosen the area as a wintering ground.
The county is also finding new ways to turn ecological value into economic returns. A total of 450,000 mu (30,000 hectares) of bamboo forest has received international FSC-CFCC forest certification, and bamboo products are sold in eight countries, including in Southeast Asia. The sector has an annual output value of 3 billion yuan and exports exceeding 100 million yuan, creating 123,500 jobs and benefiting more than 100,000 forest-farming households. Huitong is among China’s first pilot counties to promote eco-friendly, low-carbon tea development countywide, while Huitong Baotian Tea has obtained organic certifications in the European Union and the United States, helping upgrade the ecological tea industry. Building on its outstanding natural endowments, the county has also developed the “Five Golden Flowers” culture and tourism brand, creating sustained opportunities to realize ecological value along the industrial chain.
Huitong’s experience shows the world that the wisdom of “layered coexistence” is a grassroots contribution from China to global biodiversity governance.
(Translated by Yang Hong)