A Comparison of the South China Karst World Heritage Nomination with Similar Areas Under the Earth’S History Criterion

A comparison of the South China karst World Heritage nomination with similar areas under the Earth’s history criterion XIAO Shizhen, XIONG Kangning, CHEN Pindong (Institute of South China Karst, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001) 中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中遗遗遗遗遗遗中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中关关关关关关中中中中关关关关历历历关关关历历历关关关关关关历历历关关关关关关关关肖时肖 , 熊熊熊熊熊熊熊, 陈品品品品 (贵贵贵州师师师范大学中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中中关关关关关关中中中中，贵贵贵州贵贵贵阳 550001) Abstract: Any site to be listed as a world ［基基项基］］ “中中中中中中中世世世世” 遗遗世遗项 heritage should be of outstanding universal 基，建设建［建建建（2005 ） 15 ］ value. The “South China Karst” is now in application for world natural heritage. The nominated property (Phase 1) comprises three 摘摘摘摘摘摘：：：：任任任任任任任为任任为为任任为 internationally acclaimed karst areas in 具具具具具具具值。“中中中中中中中”正 Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing in south 在在报任任在在为为。其其其其在报任其 China (Table 1). The problems that whether 中中中中中中中、贵州、重庆中重重具具任 the South China Karst is of outstanding 任界界界中界界中中中任组任(表1) 。“中中 universal value and how it is characterised are 中中中中中”是是具具具具具具具值、其具 urgent to be solved. The paper have the South 值如任如值如值值任如如如如。本本本中 China Karst compared with similar sites both 中中中中中中国国国任国既既既中既既围 at the national and international levels, both on ( the world heritage list and not. Comparative 内中内既既中际中，既既既任任为为任内 analysis of the South China Karst with the 既既包任任为为任)进行进行，着重着着任 similar karst areas in the world under the world 任为为其界界遗界遗界(任具历地)，从任质 natural heritage criterion (viii) (earth’s history) 、任地及其及及如及及进行进行及及。发掘 have been made from the point of view of “中中中中中中中”中的中界，并并具“中中 geology, landforms and their evolutions. 中中中中中”充及充充任任为为其界界遗 Uniqueness of the South China Karst is 界遗界中标标。 discovered and come to the conclusions that it can be well satisfied the criterion (viii). 关关关键键键键键键：：：“中中中中中中中”，进行及及，任具历地遗界 Keywords: The South China Karst, Comparative analysis, Earth’s history criterion Cave and Karst Management in Australasia 17 Buchan, Victoria, 2007 111 1. Introduction landform and its on-going process, thus are irreplaceable parts of the entire nominated 2 China has more than 1,250,000km of property. It covers a total area of 146,016ha; carbonate rock outcrop (China karst research with the core zone and buffer zone separately group, 1979) that occupies 13% of the total 47,588ha and 98,428ha country. Thus it has one of the highest proportions of karst in the world. The South Pursuant to the Operational Guidelines China Karst area, covering nearly 500,000km 2, (Paragraph 132), for a nominated property, “A lies mainly in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, comparative analysis of the property in relation but extends into parts of Chongqing, Sichuan, to similar properties, whether or not on the Hunan, Hubei and Guangdong. It contains an World Heritage List, both at the national and outstanding series of karst landforms - from international levels, shall also be provided.” All tropical to subtropical - plains, hills, mountains sites of the serially nominated South China and plateaux. The South China Karst is the title Karst (first phase) are proposed to meet the of this serial world heritage nomination by the criterion N(viii) – in that they are outstanding Chinese government. It is being serially examples representing major stages in the nominated for world heritage listing because, earth’s history including the record of life, although not contiguous, the nominated areas significant ongoing processes in the are located in the same geological- development of landforms and significant geomorphological region, unified by their karst geomorphic and physiographic features; so the topography, and because the nominated areas comparative analysis of the South China Karst incorporate a range of features within a single with the similar sites in the world under the geographical region (karst region of south criterion (viii) is specially important. China). Each of them represents a typical karst Table 1 Geographical coordinates and areas of the South China Karst (Phase 1) Nominated Sites Coordinate (Central) Region (County and Province/City) Area (ha) Shilin Karst N 24° 47' 30" Shilin Yi Nationality Autonomous County, Area of nominated sites: 12,070 Kunming City, Yunnan Province E 103° 16' 30" Buffer zone: 22,930 Total: 35,000 Cone Karst N 25° 13' 15" Libo County, Southern Guizhou Buyi and Area of nominated sites: 29,51 8 Miao Nationalities Autonomous Prefecture, E 107° 58' 30" Guizhou Province Buffer zone: 43,498 Total: 73,016 Gorge Karst N 29° 13' 48" Wulong County, Chongqing City Area of nominated sites: 6,000 E 107° 54' 12" Buffer zone: 32,000 Total: 38,000 2. Physical Geography karst landforms ranges from 100m to 300m. The terrain of Shilin Karst Site is high in the 2.1 Terrain east and north, low in the west and south, The South China Karst is situated in the rising from 1,720m to 2,203m. Libo Karst Site second and third Geographical Altitude Zones is high in the west and low in the east, with a (GAZ) of China, extending 1,380km from west mean altitude 747m. Wulong Karst Site slopes to east and 1,010km from north to south. The down to the Wujiang R. from south to north. Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau is located in the second GAZ with an altitude ranges from 2,000m to 1,500m in the southeast. The 2.2 Climate plateau has been deeply incised by rivers as The South China Karst is in three climate much as a 1,000m. Here the relief amongst the zones: subtropical warm-temperate, humid- Cave and Karst Management in Australasia 17 Buchan, Victoria, 2007 112 temperate and humid-monsoon. The southeast 2.5 Hydrology monsoon from the Pacific Ocean, the southwest monsoon from the Indian Ocean The South China Karst has two major and the cold airflow from the Tibetan Plateau catchments, which are the Yangtze River and combine to generate a large climatic gradient. the Pearl River separated by the mountains The mean annual maximum temperatures Nan, Miao and Wumeng. In the northwest, the Yangtze River has cut three deep gorges. Its across the region range between 14 °C and ° tributaries, for example, the Wujiang, also cut 26 C, the mean annual rainfall ranges from deeply into the Yunnan–Guizhou plateau to 1,100mm to 2,300mm, and the mean annual form gorges. In south, the Pearl River rises in evaporation ranges from 1,000mm to the Shilin of Yunnan its tributaries the 1,800mm. The wet season is between April and Nanpanjiang, the Beipanjiang and the September and contributes between 72% and Hongshuihe are also deeply incised into the 86% of the annual total. edge of the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau and Guangxi Basin to form gorges. The Shilin Site is positioned in the Nanpanjiang catchment on 2.3 Regional Geology the upper reaches of the Pearl River; the Libo The South China Karst is on the carbonate Karst Site is located on the middle reaches of rocks of the Yangtze Massif. The stratum the Dagouhe and the Hongshuihe in the Pearl outcrops are of the Sinian, Cambrian, River System. The rivers that influence karst Ordovician, Devonian, Carboniferous, development of Wulong Gorge Karst are the Permian and Triassic periods. Limestones, Furongjiang, Yangshuihe and Muzonghe of the dolomites and dolomitic limestones are the Yangtze River. main rock types with some mudstones and shales. South China was subjected to a number of ocean invasions before the Mesozoic in 3. Comparative Analysis under the which the carbonate strata were laid down. In World Natural Heritage Criterion (viii) the late stage of Triassic, these were uplifted, 3.1 Geology folded and faulted by tectonic activity during the Indo-China, Yanshan and Himalayan The geology of the South China Karst is very Movements. The earliest carbonate sediments unique. Two distinct features set it apart. are the Dengying Formation of Sinian and First, the virtually uninterrupted sequences of then more carbonates were widely deposited in massive crystalline limestone and dolomites the Palaeozoic, especially during the Devonian, outcropped in the South China Karst is very Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic periods. hard, huge, thick, pure and old, spanning from Resulting in a great depth of carbonate rocks Cambrian to Triassic Period. The carbonate (up to 10,000m in Guizhou and Guangxi) that rocks can accumulate to the thickness of are both folded and faulted; these strata are several kilometres, with rock type-diversity and rich in fossils. global significance. This is ideal for the development of karst. But in the main karst areas of other countries, the karst regions 2.4 Karst Landforms mainly distribute on younger carbonate rocks In the complex geological structure and characterised by less diagenesis and soft favourable tropical-subtropical climate, a suit lithology. For example, in southern Australia, of karst landforms is well developed, such as Mediterranean coastal areas, London basin, cone karst, tower karst, stone forest karst, Central Europe and Eastern Europe, there are gorge karst and so on. The three sites of the massive Mesozoic carbonate outcropped. South China Karst World Heritage Although there are the Mesozoic carbonate in Nomination (Phase 1) are respectively the central America (Cuba), the Tertiary carbonate represents of the landform sequences. It is is most broadly outcropped (Puerto Rico and regarded as the classical manifestation of a Jamaica); in addition, the Neogene and series of karst landscapes that have largely Paleogene carbonate are main rocks in the developed in a humid subtropical climate. Nullabor plain of southwestern Australia, Paris basin, several states of eastern America and Caribbean karst regions. The wonderful Cave and Karst Management in Australasia 17 Buchan, Victoria, 2007 113 pinnacle karst in Mt Kaijende, Assegai karst of form gigantic slope areas with the elevation Palawan, Tsingy de Bemaraha, Gunung Mulu difference of 2,000m, high in northwest and National Park are much younger than that of low in southeast, in which typical pinnacle Shilin Stone Forest of the South China Karst.

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