Shilin Geopark is located in the source area of the Pearl River Basin, the water source of the towns in the dam area of Shilin County, and is an integral part of the vegetation and local species in the karst plateau in central Yunnan. Protecting Shilin Geopark means protecting the Pearl River, the third largest river in China.

2. Economic value

Shilin tourism has become the leading industry in Shilin County, providing more than 5,000 direct employment opportunities. At present, it has formed a reception capacity of receiving more than 300 million tourists a year, and Shilin tourism accounts for more than 15% of Kunming tourism. Shilin tourism has changed the traditional way of resource utilization in karst mountainous areas, reduced the economic burden of karst land and played an important role in the adjustment of regional economic structure and industrial structure.

3. Scientific value

(1) Shilin Geopark is the origin of Shilin terminology, which is earlier than any other karst terminology. It is a special type of dissolution trace series, which integrates microscopic dissolution morphology and mesoscopic dissolution morphology.

(2) The karst in Shilin is one of the representative places to study the development and preservation mechanism of karst in Shilin, with complex forms, diverse types, long development time and complete development series, and multiple development types and ancient environmental residual forms.

③ Shilin karst is not only closely related to other karst landforms, but also related to the evolution of regional geological landforms. The spatial existence and separation of Shilin karst in each period stems from the complex and unique development and preservation mechanism, and various geological relics reflecting this mechanism have been completely preserved in Shilin Geopark.

4. Social value

The beauty of Shilin Geopark is rich and varied, including the karst beauty of Shilin and other karst beauty. There are not only the combination beauty of various karst types, but also the coordination beauty of karst landform, soil and vegetation; There are both the beauty of nature and humanity, and there is a harmonious beauty between nature and humanity. The study of Shilin plays a certain role in discussing the location of human activities and the exchange between Yunnan local culture and Central Plains culture.

5. The value of popularizing educational science

The scientific management knowledge and experience contained in Shilin Geopark, such as the evolution of the earth, the formation process of geological landforms, the unique ecosystem characteristics in karst areas, and the coordinated utilization mode of human and land resources, have been spread through sightseeing and investigation in Shilin. Among all the developed Shilin karst protected areas and parks, Shilin Geopark is unique. This shows its value of educational science popularization.