<p>Geoheritage is a non-renewable resource of great value for scientific research, biodiversity conservation, education, and culture. However, the practical protection of geoheritage faces numerous challenges, such as the lack of unified assessment standards, effective management mechanisms, insufficient public awareness for protection, and overdevelopment driven by economic interests. The red stone forest, as a special type of karst geoheritage, faces dual impacts of natural weathering and human activities. This paper takes the world-class geoheritage red stone forest in Xiangxi UNESCO Global Geopark as a case to explore the current status, challenges, and strategy. Through field surveys and data analysis, the current state of natural loss and human destruction of the red stone forest is assessed. The study finds that the natural loss of the red stone forest is mainly controlled by the dissolution of rocks, while human threats mainly come from infrastructure construction, tourism development, community cultural activities, and scientific research. To achieve sustainable use of the red stone forest, under the national legal protection and the framework of green development, Xiangxi has made progress by establishing protected areas at different levels, emphasizing the responsibility of operating companies, and enhancing the awareness of inhabitants for conservation. However, issues such as monotonous tourism methods and damage to rocks from infrastructure construction still persist. By comparing with other karst geosites and geoparks, this paper suggests that establishing buffer zones in similar protected areas, strengthening community participation, optimizing tourism development models, improving the sense of responsibility of developers and the capacity building of managers. This can provide a case for the protection of other world-class geosites.</p>