Huangshan’s ‘Rotation Rest’ System Keeps Peaks Evergreen

China’s Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) in Anhui Province has demonstrated that sometimes the best way to protect a natural wonder is to give it a break. Through a pioneering “rotation rest” system that periodically closes its most popular peaks to visitors, the UNESCO World Heritage site has seen its forest coverage surge from 56% to 98.29% since its inscription in 1990, while earning the highest-level “GOOD” rating from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for four consecutive rounds, as reported by People’s Daily.

A System Born of Necessity

The concept emerged in the 1980s when surging tourist numbers began taking a visible toll on the mountain’s fragile high-altitude ecosystems. Popular peaks including Tiandu, Lotus, Shixin, and Danxia showed signs of “fatigue”—vegetation degradation along trails, soil compaction, and water and soil erosion.

Inspired by marine fishing moratoriums and mountain closure for forest regeneration, Huangshan became the first mountain-type scenic area in China to implement a “scenic spot closed rotation rest” system in 1987, according to China Tourism News. The practice was written into the Huangshan Scenic Area Management Regulations in 1989, making it the first scenic area in China to codify rotation rest into law.

“In fact, the practice of scenic spot closed rotation rest has been implemented in our scenic area since the 1980s,” said Fang Yuan, director of the Huangshan World Heritage Management Office. “As far as I know, Huangshan is the first scenic area in China to write scenic spot rotation rest into regulations, establish executable specific indicators, and form a relatively complete management system. Nearly 40 years of practice has proven that scenic spot closed rotation rest is an extremely effective protection measure for Huangshan’s ecological recovery.”

Science-Driven Peak Management

Huangshan’s rotation rest system is not arbitrary—it is driven by rigorous scientific monitoring. Five representative plant species—Huangshan pine, Huangshan rhododendron, lantern tree, southern six-petal, and three-winged nutmeg—serve as “health barometers,” with a monitoring network of more than 300 fixed sample points tracking growth indicators.

“Once 60% of sample plants’ growth indicators reach the ‘closure value,’ rotation rest is triggered,” explained Wu Yijun, senior engineer at the Huangshan Scenic Area Management Committee Garden Bureau.

The results speak for themselves. When Tiandu Peak reopened on May 20, 2024, after more than five years of rest, monitoring showed herbaceous vegetation coverage in sample plots had reached 83.5%—well above the 70% reopening threshold—with wildlife activity increasing significantly, as The Paper reported. To date, Huangshan has conducted four rounds of peak rotation rest, with six peaks having undergone the process 19 times in total.

The approach has earned international recognition. In 2014, the UN Environment Programme listed “Huangshan Scenic Spot Rotation Rest” as a typical case in China’s 5th National Report on the Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Beyond Peak Rotation: Comprehensive Protection

Huangshan’s conservation efforts extend well beyond peak rotation. In 1981, the scenic area created the “guardian of the welcoming pine” position—the first of its kind in China. The 19th guardian, Hu Xiaochun, has written 1.6 million characters of diaries documenting the ancient tree’s health over more than 14 years.

“Over the years, the welcoming pine has weathered many storms, heavy rains, and heavy snows safely. This spirit of breaking through rock yet remaining resilient makes it a living ‘green cultural relic,’” Hu said, as noted in Outlook Oriental Weekly.

The scenic area now manages 137 registered ancient and famous trees, each with a dedicated protection plan and regular health check program. A three-tier legal protection network—provincial regulations, municipal implementation rules, and special regulations on heritage protection, ancient tree management, forest fire prevention, and visitor capacity control—provides the institutional framework for these efforts.

Technology has also transformed conservation. Huangshan has built a “Sky-Earth-Cloud” three-dimensional monitoring network integrating high-definition cameras, drone clusters, forest fire sensing terminals, and ecological environment monitoring equipment. The command and dispatch center aggregates monitoring information from across the mountain, achieving integrated dispatch and visual management of core data.

“The command and dispatch center aggregates monitoring information from across the mountain, achieving integrated dispatch and visual management of three types of core data,” said Tian Hong, deputy director of the Huangshan Scenic Area Information Center.

Toward a Zero-Carbon Future

Huangshan’s green transformation extends to its carbon footprint. In November 2023, the scenic area was certified as China’s first mountain-type zero-carbon scenic area demonstration base at the 30th anniversary conference of the China Biosphere Reserve Network, as Xinhua News reported.

“Zero carbon doesn’t mean zero emissions, but rather that emissions and absorption reach a balance,” said Hu Jianglin, deputy director of the Huangshan Scenic Area Environmental Protection Office. The scenic area’s forest carbon sinks not only fully offset operational emissions but generate a considerable surplus each year.

Key initiatives include all-electric shuttle buses that reduce carbon emissions by 34%, solar and energy storage systems at high-altitude hotels, all-electric kitchens, LED lighting, digital ticketing, and a closed-loop waste management system. In December 2025, Huangshan co-authored the “Assessment Standards for Mountain-Type Zero-Carbon Scenic Areas” (T/CI1344-2025) group standard with Fudan University and the China Green Carbon Foundation, as reported by the Carbon Trading Network.

“Huangshan’s zero-carbon exploration cannot stay within itself. Turning experience into standards helps more mountain-type scenic areas find green paths they can learn from,” Hu added.

Balancing Tourism and Conservation

Managing visitor numbers has been equally critical. The daily maximum visitor capacity was reduced from 50,000 to 40,000 in 2023, and further to 30,000 in winter. A real-name timed reservation system distributes visitors across time slots, while digital platforms recommend alternative routes to reduce pressure on hotspot areas.

“During operation, the scenic area distributes visitor flow across time slots through a real-name timed reservation system, and recommends alternative tour routes through digital platforms to reduce pressure on hotspot areas,” Tian Hong said.

A Model for the World

Huangshan’s approach has influenced other scenic areas in China. Jiangxi’s Wugong Mountain implemented grass meadow rotation rest in 2024, and the Xixinan village in Huangshan city applied rotation rest to its maple poplar forest wetland. In May 2026, Huangshan hosted the “2026 World Mayors Dialogue” with representatives from 10 countries, focusing on world heritage protection and green development, as People’s Daily App reported.

Researcher Su Yang of the Development Research Center of the State Council draws an apt analogy: “Scenic spot rotation rest is an effective measure implemented from the perspective of ecosystem protection. Tourism development cannot drain the pond to catch all the fish. This is similar to grassland nomadism—‘living by water and grass,’ not staying in one place to graze. Herders moving camps follows natural laws and represents a self-contained system of responding to nature and managing resources, embodying wisdom.”

As Huangshan continues to refine its conservation model, it offers a compelling blueprint for how world heritage sites can balance the demands of tourism with the imperative of ecological preservation—proving that sometimes, the most productive thing a mountain can do is simply rest.