Scenery at Shennongjia, a forest area in Hubei province, which was recently listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage.[Photo/Xinhua]

"The quota was set based on a comprehensive analysis of the environment and the capacity of our tourism infrastructure," Ai said.

He added that more eco-friendly shuttle buses will be introduced at the site to better manage the tourists, who will only be allowed to follow preplanned itineraries within the zone.

"Drones will patrol around the area to keep a close eye the whole site," said Wang Daxing, director of the Shennongjia Natural Reserve Administration. "A monitoring system has been established."