He Yafei, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the IMTA, described Shennongjia as a model of balancing conservation and development. He said the UNESCO World Heritage site has protected biodiversity and intact forest ecosystems while advancing tourism, offering what he called a Chinese approach to the protection and sustainable use of mountain resources.

Another highlight of the event was the signing of a sister-mountain partnership between Shennongjia and Nepal's Annapurna region. Representatives from the two mountains exchanged cooperation agreements aimed at strengthening collaboration in sustainable tourism research, destination promotion and ecological conservation.