Previous to the inscription in the WH List, from 2000 to 2013, the HHTR World Heritage Administration and the Yuanyang Management Committee for World Heritage HHTR enacted a modern law and regulatory system to promote the sustainable development of the rice terraces based on local customary laws, such as regulations on forest protection and water resources use. They have drafted local laws, regulations and administrative measures. At the same time, they nominated the site to be protected at national level. They formulated conservation and management plans which were announced by the State Council and provincial people’s government so it could be incorporated into the national legal protection system. This would allow them to obtain State financial support. While using and maintaining the customary laws and village regulations, the conservation and management of the rice terraces are conducted according to the law and are gradually being integrated into the modern legal framework.

Participatory research is essential when historical records lack and new concepts are introduced. The research in Yakou included three phases. The first phase aimed to understand the site and its significance. As a typical village with a well-preserved landscape of “forest-village-terrace-water system”, Yakou was selected to represent the landscape pattern of Laohuzui Area. Fieldwork was conducted both by the nomination team (Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage) and the scientific research team (Yunnan University). The second phase focused on the restoration of Yakou’s irrigation system. Semi-structured interviews to locals, fieldwork and restoration were conducted. According to research results, the traditional water management system and related knowledge emerged as key elements in Yakou. Ditches, canals and water-woods were repaired to ensure its long-term use, and traditional ceremonies and inspection system were established by the elders. The third phase focused on the enhancement of the water management, where researchers conducted spatial research of the settlement patch distribution pattern and hydrological analysis using Geographic Information System followed by the replication of the experience in other villages.

The partnership and management system of prefecture-county-township-village is under the guidance of the Upstream competent department and cooperates with specialized research and technical institutions at different levels. It is a locally adapted innovative partnership that solves the integration between traditional and modern management, as well as international and national requirements.The World Cultural Heritage Management Administration of HHRT is responsible at prefectural level of the communication and coordination between international and national institutions. The Government of Yuanyang is the body in charge of heritage protection and management. A specialized unit, the World Heritage Management Committee of Yuanyang HHRT has been established to enforce the management plan and deal with daily affairs in the World Heritage site. Panzhihua Town and the Village Committee of Yakou are in charge of implementing conservation activities and coordinating with local stakeholders. From 2012-2018, the prefecture commissioned an investigation on the attributes and the water management system of Yakou village, in order to understand its underlying problems. The county sectors conducted the restoration of the water-wood management system based on the investigation's results.

The World Heritage Management Board was established in 2012 and is composed of 8 members representing the main stakeholder groups in the World Heritage property: 5 mayors of the 5 municipalities - Røros, Tolga, Holtålen, Engerdal and Os-, 1 representative for each of the 2 counties - Trøndelag and Innlandet (regional level)- and 1 representative of the Sámi Parliament. The chair holds the role for 2 years and can be re-elected. The World Heritage coordinator acts as the Secretary of the board. Besides, there are 6 observers: the Director of Destination Røros, the Director of the Røros museum, the Director of Nord-Østerdal Museum (3 municipalities), the Director of Røros Municipality, the Cultural Heritage manager of Røros and the site manager of the Femundsmarka National Park who represents both national parks and the governors of the 2 counties. The board has regular meetings (4-5 times a year) and excursions where they process cases proposed by the coordinator, by the members themselves and by other stakeholders. The management plan, budget, new proposals to strengthen the values in the site, national and international collaboration and hearings of different suggestions from the directorates and departments are discussed. The decisions are taken by consensus.

In order to set-up a functional zoning, the connection between the different components of land-use is vital. Landscape planning is a tool for integration and creates a feasible condition for implementing management based on system thinking. The use of the patch-corridor-matrix model from landscape ecology enables habitat connectivity and biodiversity conservation.
The CBR's zoning clearly identifies that the core zone is the MPA, which is responsible for protecting primary forests on the islands and the seascape. The transition zone is the ancient town, and these two conservation centers are connecting through the buffer zone of rivers, mangrove, estuary and sea. Each zone will have its own development plan based on the main CBR zoning. Specifically, in the core zone, the government does not allow the construction of large hotels, giving priority to develop homestays; the constructions are restricted in height, materials and operating procedures to ensure that  do not disrupt forest and marine ecological landscape. In the transition zone, the old town is preserved through construction regulations. All socio-economic activities taking place in the buffer zone are planned based on the protection and promotion of the values of river, mangrove and beach ecosystems.

System thinking is a scientific approach that starts with the whole. It is used for the design of individual biosphere reserves but also for connecting it to the whole international network. It takes into account complex relationships as well as “soft” variables that underpin human emotions, motivation and behavior thus providing a holistic approach to complex policy and social issues. From this perspective, biosphere reserves consist of various components which reflect complex relationships between natural and socio-economic factors, between physical structures and human values, between cultural space and natural landscape, political ecology and creative ecology. The application of system thinking is carried out from the preparation stage of nomination of a biosphere reserve to design, management planning and implementation. Applying system thinking to the design of a biosphere reserve allows to identify all elements of the larger ecosystem. In the case of CBR, this approach enables the connection between the ancient town, influential to the development of the whole ecosystem as a historic port and its cultural heritage in relation to the marine protected area.

The CBR Management Board coordinates all activities that are related to the cultural and natural values of the Biosphere Reserve. In the development procedure, the CBR tries to create a safe place for stakeholders to work together and find out integrated solutions. One of the main tasks of the CBR Management Board is to coordinate the different international and national designations which include the Biosphere Reserve, the World Heritage site, the intangible cultural heritage, and the marine protected area. The master plan and implementation program of the CBR is always in the making, being updated and coordinated with stakeholders including the four main entities: government, scientists, private sector and local people. The majority of the leaders in the city were invited to be members of the management board of the CBR. This is an important characteristic of the system that serves to facilitate the collection of information and data, to discuss and to reflect at workshops and meetings, to analyze problems, and to find out solutions thereon. All of the CBR coordinators are responding to the balance between conservation and development, focusing on sustainable development and resilience to climate change.

In view of the heterogeneous ownership structure in the Market Gardeners’ District, the establishment of partnerships was time-consuming. Representatives from the Municipality and its subsidiaries (e.g. City Works for water supply) had to be brought to the table together with gardeners, land owners, associations (such as the Heritage Garden or the Licorice Society) and garden lovers. The municipality approached the corresponding stakeholders in writing, by phone and organized several meetings. Privacy concerns of residents had to be carefully addressed while finding adequate uses for uncultivated land. In one case, the building of trust recently even resulted in the conversion of an abandoned nursery into a community center, where cultural events, cooking classes and exhibitions are held.

The Anishinaabe knowledge system carried and shared by the Elders has always led community life and land decisions. Through the First Nations Accord, land management and planning and the World Heritage nomination processes, the Pimachiowin Aki First Nations’ knowledge keepers began to work with scientists who were adding their system of knowledge to traditional area plans and the nomination. The only process for success was to set up a regular dialogue between both knowledge systems, and the engagement at the community level of Elders and other knowledge keepers, to ensure the community voice was heard and documented in the plans, the nomination dossier and in all communications, through community-based land working group meetings, meetings of the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation, and meetings of First Nations and government representatives on land management planning and plan implementation teams. The community knowledge keepers and scientists learned to understand each other. This was a long process and with mutual respect and patience, we were able to agree on the information provided in the documents. This process is still in place today, with the engagement of communities when Provincial Governments, Universities and organizations carry out research projects in Pimachiowin Aki.

The Ifugao Rice Terraces are maintained by families, not merely as production areas for a staple crop but also for the sentimental reason that these properties have been passed down from their ancestors. The maintenance of the rice terraces reflects primarily a cooperative approach of the whole community which is based on detailed knowledge of the rich biodiversity existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem, a finely tuned annual system respecting the lunar cycle, zoning and planning, extensive soil and water conservation, mastery of the complex pest control regime based on the processing of a variety of herbs, accompanied by religious rituals. Yet, this knowledge is under threat due to socio-cultural changes and the lack of involvement of the youth, which is attracted by the urban globalized way of life. In order to conserve the terraces, the Ifugao culture needs to be recognized and the Ifugao Indigenous Knowledge passed down to the next generation. The sustainable strategy proposed by SITMo is to integrate culture and heritage in the official curriculum so the Ifugao culture can be safeguarded.