Ecological Environment Code of the PRC — Book III: Ecological Protection — Full English Translation (2026)

Adopted at the Fourth Session of the Fourteenth National People’s Congress on March 12, 2026

Effective: August 15, 2026

---

Table of Contents

---

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 674 — This Book shall apply to activities related to ecological protection.

Article 675 — The State shall take into overall account the complexity of ecological environment elements, the integrity of ecosystems, the continuity of natural geographical units, and the sustainability of economic and social development; adhere to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts; enhance the diversity, stability, and sustainability of ecosystems; and safeguard ecological security.

Article 676 — The State shall, based on the positioning of major functional zones, optimize the spatial layout for ecology, promote the protection and development of national key ecological functional zones and important ecological corridors, and build a solid barrier for ecological security.

Article 677 — The State shall strengthen the protection of ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, islands, rivers and lakes, deserts, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, and farmlands; adhere to giving priority to natural restoration and combining natural restoration with artificial restoration; advance the implementation of major projects for the protection and restoration of important ecosystems; foster healthy, stable, and fully functional ecosystems; and enhance the service functions of all types of ecosystems.

Article 678 — The State shall strengthen the protection of natural resources, adhere to economical and intensive use, coordinate resource protection with development and utilization, formulate plans for the protection and utilization of natural resources, and raise the level of protection and rational use of natural resources.

Article 679 — The State shall implement compensated use of all types of natural resources in accordance with the law, and improve the system of compensated use of natural resources that reflects market supply and demand and the degree of resource scarcity and embodies ecological value and intergenerational compensation.

Article 680 — The State shall establish and improve a system of protected natural areas with national parks as the mainstay; implement unified establishment, hierarchical management, and zoned control; strengthen systematic protection of important ecosystems, natural relics, natural landscapes, and biodiversity; and meet the people’s needs for a beautiful ecological environment, high-quality ecological products, and high-quality ecological services. The State shall progressively include in national park management those specific land and sea areas with the most important ecosystems, the most distinctive natural landscapes, the finest natural heritage, and the richest biodiversity, and implement strict protection. Outside national parks, for areas where protected objects such as typical ecosystems, natural concentrated distribution areas of rare and endangered wild animal and plant species, and natural relics of special significance are located, a certain area shall be delimited in accordance with the law and nature reserves established for special protection. Outside national parks and nature reserves, for areas where ecosystems, natural relics, and natural landscapes of ecological, scenic, cultural, and scientific value are located, a certain area shall be delimited in accordance with the law and natural parks established for long-term protection and sustainable use.

Article 681 — The State shall make overall plans and advance in a coordinated manner the ecological environment protection and restoration of important river basins such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River and key sea areas, and build an integrated ecological environment governance system linking the upper and lower reaches of important river basins. The State shall strengthen ecological protection of important regions such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; in light of the characteristics of the plateau, strengthen scientific research on plateau biological species and ecosystems; and enhance the capacity to supply ecological products and the service functions of ecosystems.

Article 682 — The State shall implement effective protection of important ecosystems, biological species, and biological genetic resources, protect traditional knowledge related to biodiversity, and maintain biodiversity.

Article 683 — The State shall improve the system for the protection and utilization of germplasm resources, and conduct in a planned manner the survey, collection, sorting, identification, registration, preservation, exchange, and utilization of germplasm resources.

Article 684 — Where biological genetic resources of China are provided overseas, or where research and utilization of China’s biological genetic resources are conducted in cooperation with overseas institutions or individuals or institutions established or actually controlled by them, approval shall be obtained in accordance with the law, and a fair and reasonable plan for national sharing of benefits shall be proposed.

Article 685 — The State shall strengthen biosafety management, guard against harm from alien species, improve systems for risk monitoring and early warning, investigation and assessment, information release, and emergency response, implement quarantine supervision over animals and plants and their products entering the country in accordance with the law, and strengthen dynamic tracking and risk assessment of alien species that may be introduced into China.

Article 686 — The relevant departments of the people’s governments at or above the county level may, within the scope of their respective duties and in light of actual needs, formulate plans in the field of ecological protection concerning forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, islands, rivers and lakes, deserts, land, minerals, water, fisheries, and the protection of wild animals and their habitats, as well as water and soil conservation, and desertification prevention and control.

Article 687 — The relevant departments of the State Council in charge of ecology and environment, natural resources, water administration, agriculture and rural affairs, forestry and grassland, and standardization shall, within the scope of their respective duties, establish and improve standards for the assessment of ecosystem quality and grades, the classification, grading, economical and intensive use of natural resources, biodiversity protection, water and soil conservation, and ecological restoration.

Article 688 — The State shall strengthen the survey and evaluation of the conditions of natural resources and ecology such as land, minerals, forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, islands, rivers and lakes, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, deserts, wild animals and plants, and water and soil conservation, so as to provide a basis for safeguarding ecological security and for the rational development and efficient use of territorial space and all types of natural resources. The State shall establish and improve monitoring network systems for ecosystems, natural resources, biodiversity, hydrology, meteorology, water and soil conservation, and natural disasters; optimize the layout of monitoring points in important regions; and enhance automatic monitoring and early-warning capabilities. Survey, evaluation, and monitoring information shall be shared and published in accordance with State regulations, so as to raise the level of comprehensive management of ecological protection.

Article 689 — The State shall implement systems for the maintenance, restoration, and rotation fallowing of farmlands and for the recuperation of forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, rivers, and lakes. The people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall, in accordance with the law, delimit the time periods and areas for limiting or prohibiting fishing in rivers, lakes, and oceans; restrict the felling of public welfare forests; delimit areas for the prohibition or suspension of grazing and rotational grazing on grasslands; implement closed protection of desertified land; and may delimit areas where the exploitation of groundwater is prohibited or restricted in light of conditions such as groundwater over-exploitation.

Article 690 — The State shall establish a strict system for the prevention, protection, and supervision of water and soil loss, and strengthen the comprehensive control of desertification, rocky desertification, and water and soil loss. Local people’s governments at all levels shall adopt effective measures to protect and rationally use water and soil resources, carry out water and soil conservation, mitigate water, drought, wind, and sand disasters, prevent land desertification, rehabilitate desertified land, and protect and improve the ecological environment of their respective administrative areas.

Article 691 — The State shall, in accordance with the integrity, systemic nature, and inherent laws of ecosystems, establish and improve a working mechanism that combines source protection with whole-process restoration and governance; scientifically carry out ecological restoration in accordance with the principle of respecting the laws of nature and of forests where forests are suitable, grass where grass is suitable, sand where sand is suitable, and wilderness where wilderness is suitable; improve diversified input mechanisms; encourage and support the participation of social capital; and strengthen the monitoring, supervision, and effectiveness assessment of ecological restoration, so as to consolidate the results of ecological governance.

Article 692 — The State shall coordinate urban and rural greening, scientifically carry out large-scale territorial greening actions, and green and beautify urban and rural areas. Urban and rural greening shall be adapted to local conditions, scientifically select tree and grass species for planting, and strengthen monitoring and assessment, so as to meet the needs of health, safety, and livability.

Article 693 — The State shall establish a mechanism for the survey and monitoring of ecological products, and explore the determination of the ownership and responsibilities of ecological products through the unified confirmation and registration of rights in natural resources. The State shall establish a value evaluation mechanism for ecological products, improve value accounting methods, and promote the effective transformation of the value of ecological products. The State shall improve the realization path for the value of ecological products that is government-led, participated in by enterprises and all sectors of society, market-oriented, and sustainable; improve the mechanism for the management and development of ecological products; and, on the premise of strictly protecting the ecological environment, expand channels for realizing the value of ecological products in light of local conditions.

Article 694 — The State shall establish and improve an ecological risk prevention and control system, and adopt effective measures to raise the capability and level of ecological risk prevention and control. The people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall, within the scope of their respective duties, carry out ecological disaster prevention, risk assessment, and the investigation and remediation of hidden dangers, and adopt necessary measures for disaster prevention, response, and post-disaster recovery, so as to prevent and mitigate the impact of disasters. Where an emergency causes or may cause ecological damage, the relevant entities and individuals shall immediately adopt effective measures to eliminate or mitigate the harm, promptly report and notify in accordance with the law, and accept investigation and handling.

Article 695 — The State shall implement a natural resources supervision system. The national natural resources supervision institutions shall, upon authorization, supervise the protection, development, and utilization of natural resources, the implementation of territorial spatial planning, and the implementation of relevant laws and regulations by the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government and the people’s governments of cities designated by the State Council.

Article 696 — The State shall adhere to the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation, and support international exchange and cooperation in biodiversity, wild animals, marine ecological protection, deep-sea and polar expeditions, desertification prevention and control, and scientific and technological research on ecological protection. The State shall regulate activities related to Antarctica in accordance with the law and protect the Antarctic ecological environment.

Chapter II — Ecosystem Protection

Section 1 — Forests

Article 697 — The State shall adhere to giving priority to ecology and protection, combining conservation with cultivation, and sustainable development; strengthen the protection of forest ecosystems and of mountains as important carriers of forests; and bring into play the multiple functions of forests such as water storage and soil conservation, climate regulation, improvement of the ecological environment, maintenance of biodiversity, and provision of forest products.

Article 698 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall be in charge of forestry work nationwide. The forestry and grassland departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be in charge of forestry work within their respective administrative areas. Township people’s governments may designate relevant institutions or assign full-time or part-time personnel to undertake forestry-related work.

Article 699 — The people’s governments at or above the county level shall implement the requirements for the development and protection of territorial space, rationally plan the structure and layout of the protection and utilization of forest ecosystems, raise the forest coverage rate and forest growing stock, and enhance the quality and stability of forest ecosystems. The forestry and grassland departments of people’s governments at or above the county level may, in light of actual needs, organize the formulation of special plans for the protection, restoration, and utilization of forest ecosystems.

Article 700 — Afforestation and forest protection are the obligations of citizens. The State shall organize and encourage afforestation. People’s governments at all levels shall organize nationwide voluntary tree-planting activities and organize all trades and professions and urban and rural residents to plant trees and greenery.

Article 701 — The State shall strengthen the survey and monitoring of forest ecosystems, and conduct surveys, monitoring, and evaluation of the scale, quality, structure, functions, and ecological conditions of forest ecosystems.

Article 702 — The State shall implement a system for the comprehensive protection of natural forests, strictly restrict the felling of natural forests, strengthen the capacity building for the management and protection of natural forests, scientifically implement restoration measures, protect and restore natural forests, and progressively enhance the ecological functions of natural forests.

Article 703 — The State shall implement classified management of public welfare forests and commercial forests, highlight their dominant functions, bring into play their multiple functions, and foster stable, healthy, high-quality, and efficient forest ecosystems.

Article 704 — The State shall, based on the need for ecological protection, designate as public welfare forests the forest land and the forests on it that are located in areas of important forest ecological significance or fragile ecological conditions and whose main purpose is to produce ecological benefits. The State shall implement strict protection of public welfare forests. The forestry and grassland departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in a planned manner, organize operators of public welfare forests to adopt measures such as stand improvement and forest tending for low-quality and low-efficiency forests such as sparse forests and degraded residual forests with low ecological functions, so as to raise the quality and ecological functions of public welfare forests. Public welfare forests may only be felled for the purposes of tending, regeneration, and the improvement of low-quality and low-efficiency forests, unless otherwise provided by laws and administrative regulations.

Article 705 — The State shall protect ancient and famous trees, and prohibit the destruction of ancient and famous trees and the ecological environment on which they depend.

Article 706 — The State shall establish protected natural areas in accordance with the law in typical forest ecological areas of different natural zones, forest areas where precious animals and plants grow and reproduce, natural tropical rainforest areas, and other natural forest areas of special protection value, and strengthen their protection and management. The people’s governments at or above the county level shall adopt measures to strengthen the protection of forest wild animals and plants.

Article 707 — Local people’s governments at all levels shall be responsible for forest fire prevention and suppression within their respective administrative areas and bring into play the role of mass prevention; the people’s governments at or above the county level shall organize and lead the emergency management, forestry and grassland, public security, and other relevant departments to closely cooperate in the scientific prevention, suppression, and handling of forest fires. The national comprehensive fire and rescue teams shall undertake the tasks of forest fire suppression and related prevention work prescribed by the State.

Article 708 — The forestry and grassland departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for the monitoring, quarantine, and prevention and control of forest pests within their respective administrative areas. The forestry and grassland departments of people’s governments at or above the provincial level shall be responsible for determining the quarantine pests of forestry plants and their products and for delimiting epidemic areas and protection areas. The prevention and control of major forest pest disasters shall be subject to the responsibility system of local people’s governments. When a major forest pest disaster of an outbreak-prone or dangerous nature occurs, the local people’s government shall promptly organize eradication and control. Forestry operators shall, with government support and guidance, prevent and control forest pests within the scope of their management.

Article 709 — It is prohibited to destroy forests for land reclamation, quarrying, sand mining, earth extraction, or any other acts that damage forests and forest land. It is prohibited to cut firewood, damage seedlings, or graze livestock in young forest land. It is prohibited to move or damage forest protection signs without authorization.

Article 710 — Local people’s governments shall organize relevant departments to establish forest protection organizations responsible for forest protection work; build forest protection facilities in light of actual needs and strengthen the protection of forest ecosystems; urge relevant organizations to conclude forest protection conventions, organize the public to protect forests, delimit forest protection responsibility areas, and assign full-time or part-time forest rangers.

Article 711 — The State shall enhance the functions of forest ecosystems and the capacity to supply ecological products, provide high-quality air and a beautiful ecological environment for human life and production, and bring into play ecological values such as leisure, recreation, scientific research, and education. The development and utilization of forest resources shall not destroy the living environment of forest wild animals and plants, nor damage the functions of forest ecosystems.

Section 2 — Grasslands

Article 712 — The protection of grassland ecosystems shall adhere to scientific planning, comprehensive protection, focused restoration, and rational utilization; bring into play the multiple functions of grasslands such as climate regulation, water conservation, water and soil retention, windbreak and sand fixation, and serving as the living environment for wild animals and plants; and promote the virtuous cycle of grassland ecosystems and the sustainable utilization of resources.

Article 713 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall be in charge of grassland supervision and management nationwide. The forestry and grassland departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be in charge of grassland supervision and management within their respective administrative areas. Township people’s governments shall strengthen supervision and inspection of the protection, restoration, and utilization of grasslands within their respective administrative areas, and may assign full-time or part-time personnel to be responsible for specific supervision and inspection work as needed.

Article 714 — The forestry and grassland departments of people’s governments at or above the county level may, in light of actual needs, organize, jointly with relevant departments, the formulation of special plans for the protection, restoration, and utilization of grasslands.

Article 715 — The State shall strengthen the survey of grassland ecosystems. The forestry and grassland departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, jointly with relevant departments, survey the area, grade, grass yield, livestock carrying capacity, and ecosystem stability of grasslands. The State shall establish a grassland production and ecological monitoring and early-warning system. The forestry and grassland departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, jointly with relevant departments, conduct dynamic monitoring of the basic conditions of grasslands such as area, grade, vegetation composition, production capacity, ecological health, natural disasters, and biological disasters, and promptly provide dynamic monitoring and early-warning information services to the people’s governments at the same level and relevant departments.

Article 716 — The State shall implement a basic grassland protection system, and, in accordance with the law, designate as basic grassland the grasslands that are most fundamental and important for safeguarding ecological security and ensuring the healthy development of grassland animal husbandry, and implement strict protection and management to ensure that their area does not decrease, their quality does not decline, and their use does not change.

Article 717 — The State shall strengthen the protection of grassland wild animals and plants, establish protected natural areas of the grassland type in accordance with the law, enhance the integrity and connectivity of grassland ecosystems, strengthen the protection of wild animal habitats and migration corridors and the growing environment of wild plants, guarantee the space for the survival and reproduction of wild animals and plants, and protect grassland biodiversity.

Article 718 — Local people’s governments at all levels shall be responsible for grassland fire prevention and suppression within their respective administrative areas and bring into play the role of mass prevention; the people’s governments at or above the county level shall organize the emergency management, forestry and grassland, public security, and other relevant departments to closely cooperate in the scientific prevention, suppression, and handling of grassland fires. The national comprehensive fire and rescue teams shall undertake the tasks of grassland fire suppression and related prevention work prescribed by the State. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall properly organize and manage the scientific prevention and control of grassland rodent, pest, and poisonous plant hazards.

Article 719 — The development and utilization of grasslands shall not destroy the living environment of grassland wild animals and plants, nor damage the functions of grassland ecosystems. The State shall implement the system of determining livestock numbers by grass and maintaining a grass-livestock balance, and prevent overgrazing. The forestry and grassland departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the grassland livestock carrying capacity standards formulated by the forestry and grassland department of the State Council, and in light of local actual conditions and the reasonable needs for the survival and reproduction of wild animals, regularly verify the livestock carrying capacity of grasslands. The State shall implement grazing prohibition and rest grazing on seriously degraded, desertified, salinized, and rocky-desertified grasslands and grasslands in ecologically fragile areas, and provide subsidies or rewards to farmers and herders who implement grazing prohibition, rest grazing, and grass-livestock balance.

Article 720 — It is prohibited to reclaim grassland. For reclaimed grassland with serious water and soil loss, with a tendency toward desertification, or in need of ecological improvement, farmland shall be converted back to grassland in a planned and step-by-step manner; where desertification, salinization, or rocky desertification has already occurred, remediation shall be carried out within a prescribed time limit. It is prohibited to dig up plants or engage in other activities that damage grassland vegetation in deserts, semi-deserts, and seriously degraded, desertified, salinized, rocky-desertified, or water-and-soil-eroded grasslands, as well as grasslands in ecologically fragile areas, unless otherwise provided by laws and administrative regulations.

Article 721 — The State shall protect, restore, and rationally utilize grasslands and, on the basis of protecting grassland ecology, guide the scientific conduct of activities such as grassland eco-tourism, ecological education, and scientific research, so as to bring into play the ecological value of grasslands.

Section 3 — Wetlands

Article 722 — The State shall adhere to giving priority to protection, strict management, systematic governance, scientific restoration, and rational utilization; improve the wetland ecosystem protection system; bring into play the multiple ecological functions of wetlands such as water conservation, climate regulation, improvement of the ecological environment, and maintenance of biodiversity; and achieve the unity of ecological, social, and economic benefits.

Article 723 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and management of wetland resources, the formulation of wetland protection plans and relevant national standards, the supervision and management of wetland development and utilization, and wetland ecological protection and restoration. Other relevant departments of the State Council such as natural resources, water administration, housing and urban-rural development, ecology and environment, and agriculture and rural affairs shall, within the scope of their respective duties, undertake work related to wetland protection, restoration, and management. The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall, jointly with the relevant departments of the State Council in charge of natural resources, water administration, housing and urban-rural development, ecology and environment, and agriculture and rural affairs, establish a mechanism for wetland protection collaboration and information notification. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the coordination of wetland protection, be responsible for wetland protection within their respective administrative areas, and adopt measures to keep the wetland area stable and enhance wetland ecological functions. The relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for work related to wetland protection, restoration, and management.

Article 724 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, formulate the national wetland protection plan in accordance with the law. The forestry and grassland departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level may, in light of actual needs, jointly with relevant departments, formulate wetland protection plans for their respective administrative areas.

Article 725 — The natural resources department of the State Council shall, jointly with the forestry and grassland and other relevant departments of the State Council, survey the types, distribution, area, biodiversity, and protection and utilization of wetlands nationwide, and establish a unified information release and sharing mechanism. The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall conduct dynamic monitoring of nationally important wetlands in accordance with monitoring technical specifications and, based on monitoring data, assess the ecological conditions of nationally important wetlands and release early-warning information in accordance with regulations.

Article 726 — The State shall, in accordance with ecological location, area, and the importance of maintaining ecological functions and biodiversity, divide wetlands into important wetlands and general wetlands and implement hierarchical management.

Article 727 — The State shall implement a system for the total-quantity control of wetland area, and incorporate the total-quantity control targets for wetland area into the wetland protection target responsibility system.

Article 728 — The State shall strictly control the occupation of wetlands. Where occupation is genuinely necessary, the relevant procedures shall be completed in accordance with the provisions of the Wetland Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China. Where temporary use of wetlands is necessary, the relevant procedures shall be completed in accordance with the law, and permanent buildings shall not be constructed. After the period of temporary use of wetlands expires, the land-using entity or individual shall restore the wetland area and ecological conditions. Except for wetlands within river course management areas and flood storage and detention areas occupied for flood control, navigation channels, ports, or other water projects, entities occupying important wetlands upon lawful approval shall, in light of local natural conditions, restore or reconstruct wetlands equivalent in area and quality to the occupied wetlands; where there are no conditions for restoration or reconstruction, wetland restoration fees shall be paid.

Article 729 — Local people’s governments and their relevant departments shall adopt measures to prevent and control the adverse effects of human activities on wetlands and their biodiversity, strengthen the prevention and control of wetland pollution, mitigate wetland degradation caused by human and natural factors, and maintain the stability of wetland ecological functions. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall give full consideration to the need to ensure the ecological functions of important wetlands and optimize the industrial layout around important wetlands. Local people’s governments shall provide classified guidance on the utilization of provincially important wetlands and general wetlands, encourage entities and individuals to carry out ecological tourism, ecological agriculture, ecological education, nature experience, and other activities that meet wetland protection requirements, and appropriately control the scale of wetland utilization such as planting and breeding.

Article 730 — The following acts that damage wetlands and their ecological functions are prohibited: (1) reclaiming (enclosing) or draining natural wetlands, or permanently cutting off the water sources of natural wetlands; (2) filling natural wetlands without authorization, or extracting sand, mining, or taking earth without authorization; (3) discharging industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, and other wastewater and sewage that pollute wetlands without meeting the standards for the discharge of water pollutants, or dumping, stacking, discarding, scattering, or strewing solid waste; (4) overgrazing or indiscriminate collection of wild plants, overfishing or exhaustive fishing, or planting and breeding activities that pollute wetlands such as excessive fertilization, application of pesticides, and baiting; and (5) other acts that damage wetlands and their ecological functions. Trees growing on wetlands shall not be felled without authorization; where felling is genuinely necessary, a felling permit shall be obtained in accordance with the law.

Article 731 — In mangrove wetlands, it is prohibited to dig ponds, fell, dig up, or transplant mangroves, or excessively collect mangrove seeds, and it is prohibited to release or plant species harmful to mangrove growth. Where felling, digging, transplanting, or collection is necessary for scientific research, medicine, or mangrove wetland protection, it shall be handled in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. It is prohibited to mine peat or extract groundwater without authorization in peatland wetlands; it is prohibited to discharge the impounded water of peatland wetlands outward, except where necessary for disaster prevention and mitigation.

Article 732 — The people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the protection of wetlands where nationally key protected wild animals and plants are concentrated. No entity or individual shall destroy the living environment of birds and aquatic organisms. It is prohibited to engage in activities such as fishing, digging benthic organisms, picking up bird eggs, and destroying bird nests that endanger the survival and reproduction of waterfowl in protected natural areas and other important habitats where waterfowl are the objects of protection. Bird watching, scientific research, and science popularization activities shall maintain a safe distance so as to avoid affecting the normal foraging and reproduction of birds.

Article 733 — The relevant departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, carry out wetland pest monitoring, and promptly adopt effective measures to prevent, control, and eliminate the harm of pests to wetland ecosystems.

Section 4 — Oceans and Islands

Article 734 — The State shall adhere to giving priority to protection, focusing on prevention, source prevention and control, and overall coordination between land and sea, and strengthen the protection of marine ecosystems. The State shall implement scientific planning, protection priority, rational development, and sustainable use of islands.

Article 735 — The natural resources department of the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and management of the protection, development, and utilization of oceans and islands, and for the restoration of marine ecology, sea areas, coastlines, and islands nationwide. The fishery and fishery administration department of the State Council shall be responsible for the protection of the ecological environment of fishery waters. Other relevant departments and institutions shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for work related to marine and island ecological protection.

Article 736 — The natural resources department of the State Council shall organize marine resources surveys and marine ecological early-warning monitoring, and release marine ecological early-warning monitoring alerts and bulletins. Other departments and institutions with marine ecological environment protection supervision and management duties shall carry out monitoring and surveillance within the scope of their respective duties.

Article 737 — The State Council and coastal local people’s governments at all levels shall adopt effective measures to focus on protecting typical and representative marine ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, seaweed beds, seagrass beds, coastal wetlands, islands, bays, estuarine areas, and important fishery waters; the natural concentrated distribution areas of rare and endangered marine organisms; the living areas of marine organisms of important economic value; and marine natural relics and natural landscapes of major scientific and cultural value.

Article 738 — The State shall improve the system for the survey, monitoring, assessment, and protection of marine biodiversity, maintain and restore important marine ecological corridors, and prevent damage to marine biodiversity. The State shall encourage the scientific enhancement and release of aquatic organisms, support scientific planning, and adopt measures such as the placement of artificial reefs and the cultivation of seaweed beds, seagrass beds, and corals in light of local conditions, so as to restore marine biodiversity and restore and improve marine ecology. In developing and utilizing marine and coastal zone resources, effective protection shall be implemented for important marine ecosystems, biological species, and biological genetic resources, and marine biodiversity shall be maintained. The introduction of marine animal and plant species shall undergo scientific justification to avoid harm to marine ecosystems. The State shall actively participate in the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Article 739 — The State shall strictly protect natural coastlines and establish and improve a natural coastline control system. The people’s governments of coastal provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall be responsible for delimiting and publishing the scope of strictly protected coastlines. Coastal local people’s governments at all levels shall strengthen the classified protection and utilization of coastlines, protect and restore natural coastlines, promote the ecological development of artificial coastlines, maintain the stability and balance of coastlines and beaches, and scientifically and rationally delimit coastal construction setback lines in light of local conditions. It is prohibited to illegally occupy or damage natural coastlines.

Article 740 — Coastal local people’s governments at all levels shall, in light of the characteristics of the local ecological environment, build coastal protection facilities, coastal shelter forests, and coastal urban gardens and green spaces, and conduct comprehensive rehabilitation of areas affected by coastal erosion and seawater intrusion. It is prohibited to destroy coastal protection facilities, coastal shelter forests, and coastal urban gardens and green spaces.

Article 741 — The State shall encourage the development of ecological fisheries, promote diverse ecological fishery production methods, improve the state of marine ecology, and protect the marine ecological environment.

Article 742 — The natural resources department of the State Council shall be responsible for carrying out nationwide prevention of marine ecological disasters, risk assessment, and the investigation and remediation of hidden dangers. Coastal local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for responding to marine ecological disasters in the sea areas under their management, and adopt necessary measures for disaster prevention, response, and post-disaster recovery, so as to prevent and mitigate the impact of disasters. Enterprises, public institutions, and other producers and operators shall adopt necessary response measures to prevent the expansion of marine ecological disasters.

Article 743 — The State Council and coastal local people’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Island Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China and other laws and regulations, adopt measures to protect the natural resources, natural landscapes, and natural and cultural relics of islands. In developing the resources of islands and the surrounding sea areas, strict ecological protection measures shall be adopted, and no damage shall be caused to the topography, beaches, vegetation, or ecological environment of the sea areas surrounding the islands. It is prohibited to change the coastline of islands within nature reserves. It is prohibited to fell mangroves in the sea areas surrounding islands; it is prohibited to dig up or destroy corals and coral reefs.

Article 744 — The development and construction of inhabited islands shall comply with the provisions of this Law and relevant ecological environment laws and regulations, and protect the ecosystems of the islands and their surrounding sea areas. Uninhabited islands whose utilization has not been approved shall maintain their existing state; the development and utilization of usable uninhabited islands shall comply with territorial spatial planning, adopt strict ecological protection measures, and avoid damage to the ecosystems of the islands and their surrounding sea areas. The State shall implement special protection of islands of special use or special protection value, such as islands where territorial sea base points are located, islands for national defense purposes, and islands within marine nature reserves.

Article 745 — Where an international treaty related to marine ecological environment protection that the People’s Republic of China has concluded or acceded to contains provisions different from this Law, the provisions of the international treaty shall apply, except for the provisions on which the People’s Republic of China has declared reservations.

Section 5 — Rivers and Lakes

Article 746 — The State shall strengthen the strict protection of river and lake ecosystems, and consolidate and enhance the functions of river and lake ecosystems.

Article 747 — The water administration, agriculture and rural affairs, and other relevant departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for work related to the protection and management of river and lake ecosystems.

Article 748 — The State shall strengthen the guarantee of ecological water use for rivers and lakes. The water administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level and the relevant river basin management institutions of the water administration department of the State Council shall, in accordance with their management authority, determine the control indicators for the ecological flow of control sections of important rivers and the ecological water levels of important lakes. In determining the control indicators for ecological flow and ecological water levels, scientific justification shall be conducted, with comprehensive consideration of factors such as water resources conditions, climate conditions, ecological environment protection requirements, and domestic and production water use. The water administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level and the relevant river basin management institutions of the water administration department of the State Council shall incorporate ecological water volume into the annual water quantity dispatching plan, ensure the basic ecological water use needs of rivers and lakes, guarantee the ecological flow of important river and lake ecosystems during dry seasons and fish spawning periods, and maintain the stability of ecosystems. Water conservancy, hydropower, and navigation hub projects in the upper reaches of important rivers and lakes shall incorporate ecological water use dispatching into their daily operation and dispatching procedures, establish a routine ecological dispatching mechanism, and ensure the ecological flow and ecological water levels of rivers and lakes.

Article 749 — The State shall implement zoned management of water ecological spaces such as the waters and shorelines of rivers and lakes, strictly control the intensity of development and utilization, and preserve the natural form of shorelines to the greatest extent possible. The development, utilization, and industrial layout of land along rivers and lakes shall be aligned with the shoreline zoning requirements and reserve space for sustainable economic and social development.

Article 750 — The relevant departments of the State Council shall, based on the needs of the ecological environment functions of river basins, specify the requirements for river basin ecological environment protection, organize the monitoring and evaluation of the carrying capacity of river basin ecological environments, and implement early warning of the carrying capacity of river basin ecological environments.

Article 751 — The State shall strengthen the management and protection of rivers and lakes, establish a system for the periodic general survey of rivers and lakes, implement list management of rivers and lakes in accordance with regulations, delimit the management scope of rivers and lakes, and implement strict protection. It is prohibited to illegally occupy or use the waters and shorelines of rivers and lakes, reclaim land from lakes, enclose river courses, or fill in rivers and lakes.

Article 752 — The State shall scientifically implement measures such as the enhancement and release of aquatic organisms, habitat restoration, ex situ conservation, and the restoration of ecological corridors, build a protection network for aquatic biodiversity, and implement key protection of precious and endangered aquatic wild animals and plants. The State shall implement strict protection and management of important habitats such as the spawning grounds, feeding grounds, overwintering grounds, and migration channels of aquatic organisms.

Article 753 — The State shall increase support for the ecological protection of important rivers and lakes. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, based on the needs of river basin ecological functions, build ecological governance and protection projects such as constructed wetlands, water conservation forests, and vegetation buffer zones and isolation belts along rivers, lakes, and other water bodies in light of local conditions, remediate black and odorous water bodies, and enhance the carrying capacity of river basin ecological environments.

Section 6 — Deserts

Article 754 — The State shall strengthen the protection of primary deserts such as sandy deserts, gravel deserts, and rocky deserts naturally formed in arid and semi-arid areas and their biological communities, adhere to giving priority to protection, unified planning, and adaptation to local conditions, establish a desert ecosystem protection system, and bring into play the multiple functions of desert ecosystems such as windbreak and sand fixation, climate regulation, hydrological regulation, soil conservation, and maintenance of biodiversity.

Article 755 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall be responsible for desert ecosystem protection. The relevant departments of the State Council in charge of natural resources, ecology and environment, water administration, agriculture and rural affairs, and meteorology shall, within the scope of their respective duties, jointly do a good job of desert ecosystem protection. The relevant local people’s governments shall organize the forestry and grassland and other relevant departments to jointly do a good job of desert ecosystem protection within their respective administrative areas.

Article 756 — When the people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments formulate plans related to ecological protection in light of actual needs, they shall scientifically plan the structure and layout of the protection and utilization of desert ecosystems, so as to stabilize and enhance the functions of desert ecosystems.

Article 757 — The State shall establish and improve a primary desert protection system. Local people’s governments and their relevant departments shall adopt measures to prevent and control the disturbance of human activities to the primary vegetation, soil, water, wild animals, and their habitats in primary deserts, strengthen the conservation of surface crusts, promptly stop acts that lead to land desertification, and adopt effective measures for remediation.

Article 758 — The State shall implement closed protection of primary deserts in areas of important ecological significance, promote the natural restoration of desert vegetation, and comprehensively adopt biological and engineering measures to enhance the stability of desert ecosystems.

Chapter III — Protection and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

Section 1 — Land Resources

Article 759 — Cherishing and rationally using land and earnestly protecting farmland are the basic national policy of China. The State shall adhere to the strictest farmland protection system and the strictest system for economical and intensive land use, and strictly guard the red line for farmland protection.

Article 760 — The natural resources department of the State Council shall be uniformly responsible for the management and supervision of land nationwide, and the agriculture and rural affairs department of the State Council shall be responsible for work related to the reform and management of rural homesteads nationwide.

Article 761 — The State shall establish a system for land survey, statistics, and monitoring.

Article 762 — Local people’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with territorial spatial planning, organize and implement comprehensive improvement of farmlands, waters, roads, forests, and villages, increase the area of effective farmland, improve farmland quality, and improve agricultural production conditions and the ecological environment.

Article 763 — The State shall strengthen the protection and rational use of soil resources and reduce the impact of development and utilization on soil ecosystems and biodiversity.

Article 764 — The State shall implement integrated protection of the quantity, quality, and ecology of farmland. The State shall establish a farmland protection compensation system to motivate the entities responsible for farmland protection to protect farmland. The State shall establish an assessment system for farmland protection responsibility targets.

Article 765 — The State shall implement a farmland occupation compensation system and strictly control all types of farmland occupation; where occupation of farmland is genuinely necessary, the responsibility for replenishing farmland shall be fulfilled in accordance with the law. The State shall establish a strict system for the construction and protection of farmland quality, strengthen the construction of high-standard farmland and the remediation of degraded farmland, and promote the improvement of farmland quality. The State shall establish a system for the ecological protection and restoration of farmland, encourage the adoption of ecological restoration measures, restore and enhance the ecological functions of farmland, and maintain the overall stability of ecosystems.

Article 766 — The State shall implement special protection of permanent basic farmland. After permanent basic farmland is delimited in accordance with the law, no entity or individual shall occupy it or change its use without authorization.

Article 767 — The State shall implement a scientific and effective policy for the protection of black soil, ensure fiscal input for black soil protection, and comprehensively adopt engineering, agronomic, agricultural machinery, and biological measures to protect the excellent production capacity of black soil and ensure that the total amount of black soil does not decrease, its functions do not degrade, its quality improves, and its production capacity is sustainable. The relevant people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Black Soil Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, strengthen the ecological protection of black soil and the protection and restoration of forest land, grassland, and wetlands around black soil areas, promote the remediation of barren mountains and slopes, enhance the ecological functions of ecosystems such as water conservation, water and soil retention, windbreak and sand fixation, and maintenance of biodiversity, and maintain an ecological environment conducive to black soil protection. No entity or individual shall damage black soil resources or the ecological environment.

Article 768 — The State shall implement total-quantity control of construction land and strictly restrict the conversion of agricultural land to construction land. Where occupation is genuinely necessary, the relevant procedures shall be completed in accordance with the provisions of the Land Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Forest Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Grassland Law of the People’s Republic of China, and the laws concerning farmland protection and quality improvement. Where land is used for construction projects, land shall be used economically and intensively, ecological environment protection requirements shall be strictly observed, and pollution of the environment and damage to ecology shall be prevented.

Article 769 — Where temporary land use is applied for in accordance with laws and administrative regulations, farmland shall be avoided or minimally occupied, and permanent basic farmland shall be avoided; permanent buildings shall not be constructed. Where temporary land use genuinely requires occupation of farmland, the planting conditions shall be restored in accordance with regulations.

Article 770 — Unused land with important ecological functions shall be included in the ecological protection red line in accordance with the law and subject to strict protection. The reclamation of unused land shall undergo scientific justification and assessment and be carried out upon lawful approval.

Section 2 — Mineral Resources

Article 771 — The exploration and exploitation of mineral resources and the ecological restoration of mining areas shall adhere to equal emphasis on development, utilization, and protection, and achieve green development. The State shall encourage and support the green and low-carbon transformation and development of the mining industry and strengthen the construction of green mines.

Article 772 — The State shall implement the principles of unified planning, scientific layout, comprehensive exploration, rational exploitation, and comprehensive utilization of mineral resources. People’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Mineral Resources Law of the People’s Republic of China, strengthen the protection of mineral resources. It is prohibited to seize or damage mineral resources by any means. Protective exploitation shall be implemented in accordance with State regulations for specific strategic mineral resources designated by the State Council.

Article 773 — Mining rights transfer contracts shall specify the relevant requirements for mining area ecological restoration. In exploring and exploiting mineral resources, the provisions of this Law and relevant ecological environment laws and regulations shall be observed, and pollution of the environment and damage to ecology shall be prevented; advanced and applicable technologies, processes, and equipment that meet ecological environment protection requirements shall be adopted, and technologies, processes, and equipment explicitly eliminated by the State shall not be used.

Article 774 — After exploration activities end, the exploration right holder shall promptly clean up the exploration area; where surface vegetation has been damaged, it shall be promptly restored.

Article 775 — In exploiting mineral resources, a rational exploitation sequence and method shall be adopted; effective measures shall be adopted to protect groundwater resources, and mine water shall be used as a priority; damage to ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, farmlands, wetlands, rivers and lakes, and oceans in the mining area shall be avoided or reduced; and the management of activities such as the construction, operation, and closure of tailings ponds shall be strengthened to guard against ecological environment risks.

Article 776 — It is prohibited to exploit sea sand within the scope of strictly protected coastlines. Where sea sand resources are developed and utilized in other areas in accordance with the law, strict measures shall be adopted to protect marine ecology. Vessels carrying sea sand resources shall hold lawful source certificates; sea sand exploiters shall provide lawful source certificates for vessels carrying sea sand.

Article 777 — The State shall protect coal resources in accordance with the law and prohibit any acts that damage coal resources such as indiscriminate and excessive mining. The State shall make overall arrangements for the comprehensive remediation of coal mining subsidence areas and promote their transformation and development. Coal mining enterprises shall carry out comprehensive remediation of the ecological environment of mining areas in accordance with the law and fulfill their obligations of environmental pollution control and ecological restoration.

Section 3 — Water Resources

Article 778 — The protection, development, utilization, and conservation of water resources and the prevention and control of water hazards shall follow comprehensive planning, overall consideration, addressing both symptoms and root causes, comprehensive utilization, and emphasis on efficiency, so as to achieve the sustainable utilization of water resources.

Article 779 — The State shall strictly implement water conservation, adhere to and implement the principle of giving priority to water conservation, and comprehensively build a water-conserving society. All entities and individuals shall have the obligation to conserve water.

Article 780 — The State shall formulate comprehensive water resources plans and make overall arrangements for the rational allocation, effective protection, and economical and intensive utilization of water resources.

Article 781 — The State shall implement a water resources management system combining river basin management with administrative region management. The water administration department of the State Council shall be responsible for the unified management and supervision of water resources nationwide; other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for work related to the protection, development, utilization, and conservation of water resources. The river basin management institutions established by the water administration department of the State Council for nationally important rivers and lakes and their subordinate management institutions shall, within the scope under their jurisdiction, exercise the water resources management and supervision duties prescribed by laws and administrative regulations and authorized by the water administration department of the State Council. The water administration departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with their prescribed authority, be responsible for the unified management and supervision of water resources within their respective administrative areas.

Article 782 — The State shall strengthen the construction of hydrological and water resources information systems. The water administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level and river basin management institutions shall strengthen dynamic monitoring of water resources and enhance hydrological monitoring, forecasting, and early-warning capabilities.

Article 783 — The State shall establish and improve a system for the delineation of water function zones. The ecology and environment departments of local people’s governments at or above the districted-city level and river basin ecological environment supervision and management institutions shall monitor the water ecological environment quality of water function zones and, upon discovering that the water ecological environment quality fails to meet requirements, promptly report to the relevant people’s governments to adopt remediation measures.

Article 784 — In formulating plans for the development and utilization of water resources and dispatching water resources, the rational flow of rivers and the rational water levels of lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater shall be guaranteed, and the natural purification capacity of water bodies shall be maintained. In developing and utilizing water resources in arid and semi-arid areas, the needs of ecological water use shall be given full consideration.

Article 785 — The State shall strengthen the protection of drinking water sources, implement list management of drinking water sources, take the guarantee of water quantity in drinking water source areas as a priority target in water quantity dispatching plans and dispatch plans for river basins and regions, strictly manage water intake, prevent water source depletion and water body pollution, and ensure the safety of drinking water for urban and rural residents.

Article 786 — The State shall strengthen groundwater management and protection, implement a system of total-quantity control of groundwater intake and water level control, delimit groundwater over-exploitation areas, implement comprehensive remediation of groundwater over-exploitation, and ensure the sustainable utilization of groundwater. The water administration departments of provincial people’s governments shall, jointly with natural resources and other relevant departments, comprehensively consider factors such as the delineation of groundwater over-exploitation areas, groundwater utilization, and geological environment conditions, and organize the delineation of groundwater prohibition and restriction zones within their respective administrative areas in accordance with the law. The State shall establish a groundwater reserve system. Except in extraordinary drought years or upon major emergencies, groundwater reserves shall not be used.

Article 787 — In developing and utilizing water resources, priority shall be given to conservation and protection and to combining benefits with the elimination of hazards; the interests of upstream and downstream areas, left and right banks, main streams and tributaries, and relevant regions shall be taken into account; the comprehensive benefits of water resources shall be brought into full play; and the overall arrangements for flood control shall be followed. The State shall implement differentiated control of water resources in accordance with the carrying capacity of water resources, strengthen water resources conservation and protection, and rationally control the scale of water resources development and utilization. Local people’s governments shall, in light of the actual conditions of water resources in their respective regions, rationally organize the development and comprehensive utilization of water resources in accordance with the principles of unified dispatching and development of surface water and groundwater, combining source development with conservation, giving priority to conservation, and reusing treated sewage.

Article 788 — The formulation of national economic and social development plans and overall territorial spatial plans and the layout of major construction projects shall be adapted to local water resources conditions and flood control requirements, and shall undergo scientific justification. The State shall establish and improve a system for the demonstration of water resources for construction projects and relevant plans involving the development and utilization of water resources.

Article 789 — The State shall encourage and support the utilization of reclaimed water. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall make overall plans for and construct infrastructure for the utilization of reclaimed water. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in light of local water resources conditions, strengthen the treatment and reuse of sewage, incorporate unconventional water sources such as reclaimed water, collected rainwater, seawater and desalinated seawater, mine (pit) water, and brackish water into unified water resources allocation, and make overall plans for and construct facilities for the development and utilization of unconventional water sources.

Article 790 — In organizing the implementation of water diversion projects, people’s governments at or above the county level shall conduct comprehensive planning and scientific justification, take into overall account the water use safety and ecological safety of both the water-exporting and water-importing areas, strengthen water conservation management in the water-importing areas, optimize water resources allocation, enhance water resources carrying capacity, and prevent damage to the ecological environment.

Article 791 — In developing and utilizing water resources, the ecological functions of water bodies shall be maintained, and damage to water ecology shall be prevented. In developing and utilizing water resources, priority shall be given to meeting the domestic water use of urban and rural residents, ensuring basic ecological water use and water for food security, and making overall arrangements for agricultural, industrial, and ecological restoration water use and navigation needs. Water projects shall strengthen the protection of aquatic organisms, rationally formulate dispatching procedures, and, on the premise of ensuring flood control and water supply safety, carry out ecological dispatching suitable for the growth and reproduction needs of aquatic organisms.

Article 792 — The State shall implement a system combining total-quantity control with quota management for water use, and implement a water intake permit system and a compensated use system for water resources in accordance with the provisions of the Water Law of the People’s Republic of China.

Article 793 — The State shall vigorously promote water conservation measures, popularize new water conservation technologies and processes, develop water-conserving industry, agriculture, and service industries, promote domestic water conservation, and strengthen the recycling of domestic wastewater. People’s governments at all levels shall adopt measures to strengthen the management of water conservation, establish a system for the development and popularization of water conservation technologies, and foster and develop the water conservation industry. New, expanded, and renovated construction projects shall formulate water conservation measure plans and construct supporting water conservation facilities. Water conservation facilities shall be designed, constructed, and put into use simultaneously with the principal project. Industrial and service enterprises shall adopt advanced and applicable water conservation technologies, processes, and equipment, increase the number of water recycling cycles, and raise the water reuse rate. The people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall promote water-conserving irrigation methods and technologies, raise agricultural water use efficiency, strengthen irrigation area construction and renovation, and develop water-conserving agriculture. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall comprehensively promote the construction of water-conserving cities. Water for urban greening, road cleaning, vehicle washing, construction, and ecological landscaping shall give priority to reclaimed water that meets the required standards.

Section 4 — Fishery Resources

Article 794 — Fishery production shall adhere to the principle of aquaculture as the mainstay and appropriate fishing, so as to achieve the protection and sustainable utilization of fishery resources. Local people’s governments and their relevant departments shall, in light of local conditions, adopt measures such as improving water conditions, artificially stocking fry and fingerlings, placing fish nests, diverting river water to admit fry, rescuing juvenile fish, transplanting and domestication, eliminating natural enemies, and introducing and planting species, so as to enhance fishery resources.

Article 795 — The fishery and fishery administration department of the State Council shall be in charge of fishery work nationwide. The fishery and fishery administration departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be in charge of fishery work within their respective administrative areas.

Article 796 — The State shall protect aquatic germplasm resources and their living environment, and establish aquatic germplasm resources protection areas in the main growth and reproduction areas of aquatic germplasm resources of high economic value and genetic breeding value. Without the approval of the fishery and fishery administration departments of people’s governments at or above the provincial level, no entity or individual shall engage in fishing activities in aquatic germplasm resources protection areas. It is prohibited to illegally occupy or destroy aquatic germplasm resources protection areas.

Article 797 — The State shall encourage and support the adoption, in light of local conditions, of measures such as enhancement and release, the construction of marine ranches, the placement of artificial reefs, and the cultivation of seaweed beds or seagrass beds, so as to conserve aquatic biological resources and restore and improve the ecological environment of fishery waters. The State shall implement key protection of aquatic animal and plant resources of high economic value. The list of key State-protected economic aquatic animal and plant resources shall be formulated and published by the fishery and fishery administration department of the State Council after organizing scientific justification and assessment. It is prohibited to release aquatic alien species, hybrid species, and other aquatic organisms that do not meet ecological requirements into open waters. Where the construction of projects such as sluices, dams, navigation channels, and ports in important fishery waters has a serious impact on fishery resources, the construction entity shall construct fish passage facilities or adopt other fishery resource protection measures in accordance with the law.

Article 798 — The State shall make unified plans for the utilization of waters and mudflats, determine the waters and mudflats that may be used for aquaculture, and establish a protection system for aquaculture waters and mudflats; entities and individuals using State-owned waters and mudflats for aquaculture production shall obtain aquaculture permits in accordance with the provisions of the Fishery Law of the People’s Republic of China. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall adopt effective measures to strengthen the protection of aquatic product production bases and important aquaculture waters and mudflats. Those engaged in aquaculture production shall protect the ecological environment of waters and mudflats, scientifically determine aquaculture density and scale, rationally apply bait, feed, and drugs, ensure that the tailwater discharged from aquaculture meets the relevant pollutant discharge standards, and shall not damage the ecological environment of waters and mudflats.

Article 799 — The State shall, in accordance with the principle that the catch shall be lower than the growth of fishery resources, determine the total allowable catch of fishery resources and implement a catch quota system. The State shall, in accordance with the principle that fishing capacity shall be commensurate with the allowable catch of fishery resources, determine the control indicators for fishing vessels and gear. The State shall implement a fishing permit system for the fishing industry. Entities and individuals engaged in fishing operations shall operate in accordance with the types of operations, locations, time limits, quantity of fishing gear, and catch quotas specified in their fishing permits. It is prohibited to catch fry and fingerlings of aquatic animals of important economic value or the egg-bearing broodstock that are prohibited from fishing; where they are caught by accident during fishing operations, they shall be promptly released; where fishing is genuinely necessary for scientific research, aquaculture, passage over dams, enhancement and release, or other special needs, approval shall be obtained from the fishery and fishery administration departments of people’s governments at or above the provincial level, and fishing shall be conducted in designated areas and time periods and in accordance with quotas. Where precious and endangered aquatic wild animals are caught by accident during fishing activities, rescue and disposal measures shall be promptly adopted, and the fishery and fishery administration department shall be notified.

Article 800 — People’s governments at all levels shall adopt effective measures to protect and improve the ecological environment of fishery waters. For water bodies used for fishery purposes that also have functions such as regulation and storage and irrigation, the relevant departments shall determine the minimum water level line required for fishery resource protection and fishery production. Where operations such as underwater blasting, exploration, sand extraction, and construction have a serious impact on fishery resources, the operating entity shall consult in advance with the fishery and fishery administration departments of the relevant local people’s governments at or above the county level and adopt measures to prevent or reduce damage to fishery resources.

Article 801 — It is prohibited to engage in fishing activities in violation of the provisions on fishing-prohibited areas and fishing-closed seasons. It is prohibited for fishing vessels to navigate or berth in violation of the provisions on fishing-prohibited areas and fishing-closed seasons. For fishing vessels violating the provisions of the preceding paragraph, no entity or individual shall provide them with services such as fuel, water, or ice supply, nor freeze, transship, transport, purchase, process, or sell their illegally caught catches on their behalf. It is prohibited to use methods such as fish bombing, fish poisoning, and electrofishing that damage fishery resources and the ecological environment of fishery waters. It is prohibited to manufacture, sell, or use prohibited fishing gear. It is prohibited to use nets smaller than the minimum mesh size for fishing. The proportion of juvenile fish in the catches shall not exceed the prescribed ratio.

Section 5 — Other Natural Resources

Article 802 — The State shall strengthen the management of the development and utilization of other natural resources such as forests, grasslands, wild animals, and marine resources, and achieve the protection and sustainable utilization of resources.

Article 803 — The State shall implement a forest felling permit system. The felling of trees on forest land shall require a felling permit applied for in accordance with the law, and felling shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the felling permit. The regeneration felling of farmland shelter forests, windbreak and sand-fixation forests, road protection forests, bank and embankment protection forests, and urban trees on non-forest land shall be managed by the relevant departments in accordance with regulations.

Article 804 — The State shall encourage and support the construction of artificial grasslands, the improvement of natural grasslands, and the construction of forage and feed bases, so as to stabilize and enhance grassland production capacity. The people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with grassland protection, restoration, and utilization plans, strengthen the construction of grass seed bases and encourage the selection, introduction, and promotion of fine grass varieties. Grassland contractors shall rationally utilize grasslands, shall not exceed the livestock carrying capacity verified by the forestry and grassland departments, and shall adopt effective measures to maintain a grass-livestock balance. Grassland contractors in pastoral areas shall implement rotational grazing in designated areas, rationally allocate herds, and utilize grasslands in a balanced manner.

Article 805 — The artificial breeding of wild animals shall be subject to classified and hierarchical management, strict protection and scientific utilization of wild animal resources shall be implemented, and permits or record-filing shall be completed in accordance with the law. The artificial breeding of wild animals shall use artificially bred offspring as breeding sources, and species pedigrees, breeding records, and individual data shall be established. Where wild sources are genuinely necessary for species protection purposes, the provisions of this Law and the Wild Animal Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China concerning the hunting of wild animals shall be observed.

Article 806 — In developing and utilizing marine resources or engaging in construction activities that affect the marine ecological environment, a scientific and rational layout shall be adopted in accordance with territorial spatial planning, the requirements of territorial spatial use control shall be strictly observed, the ecological protection red line shall be strictly guarded, and no damage shall be caused to the marine ecological environment. The people’s governments of coastal provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall strengthen the supervision and management of human activities within the ecological protection red line and regularly assess the effectiveness of protection. In constructing new, expanded, and renovated construction projects, effective measures shall be adopted to protect wild animals and plants under key State and local protection and their living environment, protect marine aquatic resources, and avoid or reduce impacts on marine organisms. The State shall strictly manage sea-use activities such as sea reclamation and sea enclosure that change the natural attributes of sea areas. Coastal local people’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with territorial spatial planning, protect and scientifically and rationally use sea areas. Entities and individuals using sea areas shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Sea Areas Use Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China, protect and scientifically and rationally use sea areas, and shall not change the approved use of sea areas without authorization. After sea area use rights terminate, sea-use facilities and structures that may cause marine environmental pollution, ecological damage, or affect other sea-use projects shall be promptly removed.

Article 807 — The State shall strengthen the management of the development and utilization of natural resources in the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf. The competent authorities of the People’s Republic of China shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf, have the right to adopt necessary measures to prevent, reduce, and control damage to the marine ecological environment.

Article 808 — Those engaged in the exploration and development of resources in the deep seabed area shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Exploration and Development of Resources in the Deep Seabed Area, adopt necessary measures to protect and preserve rare or fragile ecosystems and the living environment of depleted, threatened, or endangered species and other marine organisms, protect marine biodiversity, and maintain the sustainable utilization of marine resources.

Chapter IV — Species Protection

Section 1 — Wild Animal Protection

Article 809 — The wild animals protected under this Law refer to precious and endangered terrestrial and aquatic wild animals and terrestrial wild animals of important ecological, scientific, and social value.

Article 810 — The State shall strengthen the protection of wild animals, rescue precious and endangered wild animals, and maintain biodiversity and ecological balance.

Article 811 — The forestry and grassland and fishery and fishery administration departments of the State Council shall respectively be in charge of the protection of terrestrial and aquatic wild animals nationwide. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for wild animal protection within their respective administrative areas, and their forestry and grassland and fishery and fishery administration departments shall respectively be in charge of the protection of terrestrial and aquatic wild animals within their respective administrative areas. Other relevant departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for work related to wild animal protection.

Article 812 — The State shall implement classified and hierarchical protection of wild animals. The State shall implement key protection of precious and endangered wild animals. Wild animals under key State protection are divided into Class I protected wild animals and Class II protected wild animals. Wild animals under key State protection, terrestrial wild animals of important ecological, scientific, and social value, and wild animals under key local protection shall be subject to list management, with regular justification and assessment and timely adjustment.

Article 813 — The wild animal protection departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the application of information technology, regularly organize or entrust relevant scientific research institutions to survey, monitor, and assess the conditions of wild animals and their habitats, and establish and improve records of wild animals and their habitats. Wild animal protection departments at all levels shall monitor the impact of external factors on wild animals and, upon discovering that wild animals are endangered, promptly investigate and handle the matter jointly with relevant departments.

Article 814 — The wild animal protection departments of people’s governments at or above the county level may, in accordance with the survey, monitoring, and assessment of wild animals and their habitats, adopt population control measures such as ex situ conservation and hunting for species whose population clearly exceeds the carrying capacity of the ecological environment, so as to ensure the safety of persons and property, ecological security, and agricultural production.

Article 815 — The State shall protect wild animals and their habitats. The wild animal protection department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, determine and publish the list of important wild animal habitats in accordance with the law based on the results of surveys, monitoring, and assessment of the conditions of wild animals and their habitats. The people’s governments at or above the provincial level shall, in accordance with the law, include important wild animal habitats in protected natural areas, and protect, restore, and improve the living environment of wild animals. Where the conditions for delimiting protected natural areas are not met, the people’s governments at or above the county level may adopt measures such as delimiting hunting-prohibited (fishing-prohibited) areas and prescribing hunting-prohibited (fishing-prohibited) seasons for protection. It is prohibited to destroy wild animal habitats, and it is prohibited or restricted to introduce alien species, create single-species pure forests, excessively apply pesticides, generate high noise, or use excessive lighting, or to engage in other human interference that threatens the survival and reproduction of wild animals in protected natural areas.

Article 816 — When the people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments formulate relevant development and utilization plans in accordance with the law, they shall give full consideration to the needs of wild animal and habitat protection, analyze, predict, and assess the overall impact that the implementation of the plans may have on wild animal and habitat protection, and avoid or reduce the adverse consequences that may result from the implementation of the plans. The site selection and route selection of construction projects such as airports, railways, highways, navigation channels, water conservancy and hydropower projects, wind power, photovoltaic power generation, cofferdams, sea reclamation, and sea enclosure shall avoid important wild animal habitats and migration channels; where avoidance is genuinely impossible, measures such as constructing wild animal passages and fish passage facilities shall be adopted to eliminate or reduce adverse impacts on wild animals.

Article 817 — Within protected natural areas and hunting-prohibited (fishing-prohibited) areas and during hunting-prohibited (fishing-prohibited) seasons, hunting and other activities that hinder the survival and reproduction of wild animals are prohibited, unless otherwise provided by laws and regulations. During the migration of wild animals, hunting is prohibited and other activities that hinder the survival and reproduction of wild animals are strictly restricted within migration channels outside the areas specified in the preceding paragraph. The people’s governments at or above the county level or their wild animal protection departments shall specify and publish the scope of migration channels and the activities that hinder the survival and reproduction of wild animals.

Article 818 — It is prohibited to hunt or kill wild animals under key State protection; where hunting is necessary for scientific research, population control, epidemic source and disease monitoring, or other special circumstances, a special hunting permit shall be applied for in accordance with the law. Hunting terrestrial wild animals of important ecological, scientific, and social value and wild animals under key local protection shall require a hunting permit obtained in accordance with the law and shall be subject to hunting quota management.

Article 819 — It is prohibited to use poisons, explosives, electric shocks or electronic trapping devices, as well as tools such as snares, traps, bird nets, ground guns, volley guns, and ground bows for hunting; it is prohibited to use methods such as hunting with night lighting, annihilation-style surround hunting, destroying nests, setting traps, fire attacks, smoke, and net capture for hunting, except where net capture, electronic trapping, and plant protection operations are genuinely necessary for species protection or scientific research. The prohibited hunting tools and methods other than those specified in the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed and published by local people’s governments at or above the county level.

Article 820 — The public shall enhance awareness of protecting wild animals and safeguarding public health security, prevent the spread of infectious diseases originating from wild animals, resist the illegal consumption of wild animals, and develop a civilized and healthy lifestyle.

Article 821 — It is prohibited to sell, purchase, or utilize wild animals under key State protection and their products. Where it is necessary to sell, purchase, or utilize wild animals under key State protection and their products for scientific research, artificial breeding, public display and performance, cultural relic protection, or other special circumstances, approval shall be obtained in accordance with the law, and special marks shall be obtained and used in accordance with regulations to ensure traceability. Those selling or utilizing terrestrial wild animals of important ecological, scientific, and social value and wild animals under key local protection and their products shall provide lawful source certificates such as hunting, artificial breeding, and import and export certificates. Those selling the wild animals specified in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article shall also attach quarantine certificates in accordance with the law. Those using wild animals for public display and performance shall adopt safety management measures and ensure the health of the wild animals.

Article 822 — When wild animals under key State protection and terrestrial wild animals of important ecological, scientific, and social value or wild animals under key local protection are threatened by emergencies, the local people’s governments shall promptly adopt emergency rescue measures. The State shall strengthen the capacity for the shelter and rescue of wild animals. The wild animal protection departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with State regulations, organize the shelter and rescue of wild animals and strengthen the regulation and guidance of social organizations’ shelter and rescue work. Shelter and rescue institutions shall, in accordance with the actual needs of wild animal shelter and rescue, establish shelter and rescue premises and equip them with corresponding professional and technical personnel, rescue tools, equipment, and medicines. It is prohibited to buy or sell wild animals and their products under the pretext of wild animal shelter and rescue.

Article 823 — The wild animal protection department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, strengthen the regulation and guidance of wild animal release activities. Any entity or individual releasing wild animals into the wild shall select local species suitable for survival in the wild at the release site, shall not interfere with the normal life and production of local residents, and shall avoid harm to ecosystems.

Article 824 — Foreigners conducting field investigations of wild animals under key State protection or filming movies or videos in the wild in China shall obtain approval in accordance with the law and observe the provisions of relevant laws and regulations.

Article 825 — The State shall strengthen the protection of wild animal genetic resources and implement rescue protection of endangered wild animals. The wild animal protection department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, formulate plans for the protection and utilization of wild animal genetic resources, establish a national wild animal genetic resources gene bank, and implement key protection of the genetic resources of precious and endangered wild animals native to China. It is prohibited to provide the unique wild animal genetic resources of China to overseas institutions or personnel. Where international scientific research cooperation is conducted, approval shall be obtained in accordance with the law, Chinese scientific research institutions, universities, enterprises, and their researchers shall participate substantively in the research, a plan for national sharing of benefits shall be proposed in accordance with regulations, and the provisions of Chinese laws and administrative regulations shall be observed.

Article 826 — The list of wild animals or their products whose trade is prohibited or restricted by international conventions concluded or acceded to by the People’s Republic of China shall be formulated, adjusted, and published by the national endangered species import and export management institution. The import or export of wild animals or their products included in the list specified in the preceding paragraph, or the export of wild animals under key State protection or their products, shall require approval in accordance with the law and an import and export permit, and customs procedures shall be completed on the strength of the import and export permit. The export of wild animal species involving scientific and technological confidentiality shall be handled in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State Council.

Article 827 — The State shall organize international exchange and cooperation in wild animal protection and related law enforcement, strengthen collaboration with neighboring countries, protect the migration channels of wild animals such as migratory birds and migratory fish, establish a departmental coordination mechanism for preventing and combating the smuggling and illegal trade of wild animals and their products, and carry out actions to prevent and combat smuggling and illegal trade.

Article 828 — In areas where wild animal damage is serious, local people’s governments at or above the county level shall organize relevant entities and individuals to actively carry out comprehensive prevention and control of wild animal damage, and scientifically prevent possible harm from wild animals through the construction of isolation and protection facilities, the installation of safety warning signs, the strengthening of monitoring and early warning, and the publicity of protection knowledge. Where personal injury or death or loss of crops or other property is caused by the protection of precious and endangered terrestrial and aquatic wild animals and terrestrial wild animals of important ecological, scientific, and social value, compensation shall be provided in accordance with the law. Where measures are adopted in emergency situations in which wild animals endanger personal safety and cause damage to wild animals, legal liability shall not be borne in accordance with the law.

Section 2 — Wild Plant Protection

Article 829 — The wild plants protected under this Law refer to precious plants naturally growing in their original habitats and endangered and rare plants naturally growing in their original habitats with important economic, scientific, and cultural value. The protection of medicinal wild plants and wild plants in urban gardens and protected natural areas shall simultaneously be governed by relevant laws and regulations.

Article 830 — The State shall strengthen the protection of wild plants and strictly manage activities such as the collection, utilization, and overseas provision of wild plants of China.

Article 831 — The forestry and grassland and agriculture and rural affairs departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, respectively be in charge of the protection, supervision, and management of wild plants nationwide. The housing and urban-rural development department of the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and management of wild plants in urban gardens. The ecology and environment department of the State Council shall be responsible for supervising the protection of wild plants nationwide. Other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for work related to wild plant protection. The forestry and grassland and agriculture and rural affairs departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, respectively be in charge of the protection, supervision, and management of wild plants within their respective administrative areas. Other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for work related to wild plant protection.

Article 832 — The State shall protect wild plants and their growing environment. It is prohibited to illegally collect wild plants or damage their growing environment.

Article 833 — The State shall implement classified and hierarchical protection of wild plants. Wild plants are divided into wild plants under key State protection and wild plants under key local protection. Wild plants under key State protection are divided into Class I State-protected wild plants and Class II State-protected wild plants. Wild plants under key State protection and wild plants under key local protection shall be subject to list management with timely adjustment.

Article 834 — The State shall encourage and support the in situ protection of wild plants. In the natural concentrated distribution areas of wild plant species under key State protection and wild plant species under key local protection, protected natural areas shall be established in accordance with the law; in other areas, the wild plant protection departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level and other relevant departments may establish protection points or set up protection signs for key protected wild plants in light of actual conditions. It is prohibited to move or damage the protection facilities and protection signs for key protected wild plants without authorization.

Article 835 — Wild plant protection departments at all levels and relevant entities shall adopt rescue measures for wild plants under key State protection and wild plants under key local protection whose growth is threatened, restore their growing environment, and, where necessary, adopt measures such as ex situ conservation, the establishment of germplasm resource banks, and reintroduction to the wild.

Article 836 — The State shall establish and improve an ex situ conservation network for wild plants and progressively establish a national botanical garden system.

Article 837 — The wild plant protection department of the State Council shall be responsible for organizing nationwide wild plant resource surveys, monitoring, assessment, and information release. The wild plant protection departments of local people’s governments shall be responsible for relevant work within their respective administrative areas. The wild plant protection departments of people’s governments at or above the county level and other relevant departments shall monitor and supervise the impact of external factors on the growth of wild plants under key State protection and wild plants under key local protection, and adopt effective measures to maintain and improve the growing conditions of wild plants under key State protection and wild plants under key local protection. Where the growth of wild plants under key State protection and wild plants under key local protection is endangered, the wild plant protection departments shall investigate and handle the matter jointly with other relevant departments in accordance with the law.

Article 838 — Except for special needs such as scientific research, artificial cultivation, and cultural exchange, it is prohibited to collect Class I State-protected wild plants. Those collecting Class I and Class II State-protected wild plants shall apply for collection permits in accordance with the law. Those collecting wild plants under key State protection in urban gardens or protected natural areas shall first obtain the consent of the urban garden or protected natural area management institutions, and apply for collection permits in accordance with the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, respectively.

Article 839 — The State shall guide and regulate qualified entities and individuals to carry out artificial cultivation of wild plants in accordance with the law.

Article 840 — It is prohibited to sell or purchase Class I State-protected wild plants. The sale or purchase of Class II State-protected wild plants shall require approval in accordance with the law.

Article 841 — It is prohibited for foreigners to collect or purchase wild plants under key State protection and their germplasm resources within the territory of China.

Article 842 — The export of wild plants under key State protection and their products, or the import or export of wild plants and their products whose import and export is restricted by international conventions to which the People’s Republic of China is a party, shall require approval in accordance with the law and an import and export permit or label, and customs procedures shall be completed on the strength of the import and export permit or label. The wild plant protection department of the State Council shall copy the relevant wild plant import and export materials to the ecology and environment department of the State Council. It is prohibited to export unnamed or newly discovered wild plants of important value and their products.

Section 3 — Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species

Article 843 — For the purposes of this Law, “invasive alien species” refers to alien species that have been introduced from abroad, become established, and pose threats or harm to ecosystems, species, and their habitats and growing environments, affect China’s ecological environment, and impair the sustainable development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery and biodiversity.

Article 844 — The State shall adhere to risk prevention, source control, comprehensive governance, coordination and cooperation, and public participation; improve the system for the prevention and control of alien species invasion; strengthen the prevention, control, and management of invasive alien species; protect biodiversity; and safeguard national biosafety. The State shall severely crack down on the illegal introduction of alien species. No entity or individual shall, in violation of the provisions of laws and regulations such as the Biosafety Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Wild Animal Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, introduce, release, or discard alien species without authorization.

Article 845 — The agriculture and rural affairs department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, establish a coordination mechanism for the prevention and control of invasive alien species, make overall arrangements for the prevention and control of invasive alien species nationwide, and coordinate the resolution of major issues. The agriculture and rural affairs departments of provincial people’s governments shall, jointly with relevant departments, establish a coordination mechanism for the prevention and control of invasive alien species and organize the prevention and control of invasive alien species within their respective administrative areas. Customs shall improve the overseas risk early-warning and emergency response mechanisms and strengthen port quarantine supervision and management of invasive alien species through channels such as imported goods, means of transport, mailed items, passengers’ luggage, cross-border e-commerce, and border trade markets. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the law, be responsible for the prevention and control of invasive alien species within their respective administrative areas, and organize, coordinate, and urge relevant departments to fulfill their duties in the prevention, control, and management of invasive alien species in accordance with the law. The agriculture and rural affairs, forestry and grassland, natural resources, ecology and environment, and other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for the supervision and management of invasive alien species.

Article 846 — The agriculture and rural affairs department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, formulate and improve the list of invasive alien species, implement dynamic adjustment and classified and hierarchical management, establish an invasive alien species database, and formulate technical specifications for risk assessment, monitoring and early warning, and prevention, control, and remediation of invasive alien species.

Article 847 — The agriculture and rural affairs, natural resources, ecology and environment, customs, forestry and grassland, and other relevant departments of the State Council shall establish and improve emergency response mechanisms and organize the formulation of emergency response plans for emergencies involving invasive alien species in relevant fields.

Article 848 — The State shall strengthen the management of the approval for the introduction of alien species. Where alien species such as crops and forest and grass seeds and seedlings and aquatic fry are introduced from abroad for special needs such as variety breeding, import approval and quarantine approval shall be completed in accordance with the law. For first-time introductions, the introducing entity shall conduct a risk analysis of the potential impact of the introduced species on the ecological environment and submit a risk assessment report to the approval department. The approval department shall promptly organize review and assessment.

Article 849 — The agriculture and rural affairs department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, establish a general survey system for invasive alien species and keep abreast of the types, quantities, distribution, and degree of harm of invasive alien species in China.

Article 850 — The agriculture and rural affairs department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, establish a monitoring system for invasive alien species, build a national monitoring network for invasive alien species, arrange monitoring stations within the scope of their respective duties, and organize routine monitoring and information sharing. The agriculture and rural affairs departments and relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, carry out monitoring of invasive alien species within their respective administrative areas.

Article 851 — The State shall strengthen port prevention and control of invasive alien species. The importation of animals, animal products, plant seeds and seedlings, and other propagating materials shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, require a prior application and the completion of quarantine approval procedures. Imported animals, plants, animal and plant products, and other quarantine objects shall undergo quarantine at the port of entry. They shall not be unloaded from the means of transport without the consent of customs. Imported animals and plants requiring isolation quarantine shall undergo quarantine at isolation sites designated by customs. Imported animals that pass quarantine shall be permitted to enter the country. Imported plants, animal and plant products, and other quarantine objects that pass quarantine or pass after pest elimination treatment shall be permitted to enter the country.

Article 852 — The agriculture and rural affairs, natural resources, ecology and environment, forestry and grassland, and other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, research and formulate prevention and control strategies and measures for invasive alien species in their respective fields and guide localities in prevention and control. The agriculture and rural affairs, natural resources, forestry and grassland, and other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties and comprehensively considering factors such as the types of invasive alien species, the objects of harm, the degree of harm, and the trend of spread, formulate prevention, control, and remediation plans for invasive alien species within their respective administrative areas, organize their implementation, and promptly control or eliminate the harm.

Chapter V — Protection of Important Geographical Units

Section 1 — Protected Natural Areas

Article 853 — The State shall, with the goals of protecting nature, serving the people, and sustainable development, adhere to strict protection, scientific management, government leadership, multi-party participation, rational utilization, and social sharing; establish and improve a system of protected natural areas; protect biodiversity and the diversity of geological and geomorphological landscapes; maintain the health and stability of ecosystems; enhance the capacity to supply ecological products; and safeguard ecological security.

Article 854 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and management of all types of protected natural areas. The natural resources department of the State Council shall, upon authorization by the State Council, fulfill the responsibilities of the owner of State-owned natural resource assets within protected natural areas. The ecology and environment department of the State Council shall, within the scope of its duties, be responsible for organizing the formulation of the ecological environment supervision and management system for all types of protected natural areas and supervising law enforcement. The relevant departments of the State Council in charge of housing and urban-rural development, transport, water administration, agriculture and rural affairs, culture and tourism, and the coast guard institutions shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for relevant work within protected natural areas. The management institutions of protected natural areas established in accordance with regulations shall, in accordance with the duties prescribed by law and regulations, be responsible for the protection and management of their respective protected natural areas. The relevant local people’s governments at or above the county level shall fulfill duties such as comprehensive coordination of economic and social development, public services, social management, market supervision and management, and disaster prevention and mitigation in protected natural areas within their respective administrative areas; their relevant departments shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for relevant supervision and management work in protected natural areas.

Article 855 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall, jointly with the development and reform, finance, natural resources, ecology and environment, housing and urban-rural development, transport, water administration, agriculture and rural affairs, culture and tourism, and other relevant departments of the State Council, carry out protection collaboration and information sharing, and study and resolve major issues in protected natural area protection.

Article 856 — For protected natural areas spanning two or more administrative areas, the people’s governments of the relevant administrative areas shall strengthen consultation on protected natural area protection, or the relevant administrative areas shall jointly apply and the people’s government at a higher level shall coordinate the resolution; for those spanning two or more provincial-level administrative areas, the forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall resolve the matter in consultation with the people’s governments of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government where the protected natural areas are located.

Article 857 — The State shall strengthen the construction of a monitoring network system for protected natural areas, give full play to the role of various monitoring stations, strengthen the integrated analysis, sharing, and comprehensive application of monitoring data by means of information technology, comprehensively grasp the composition, distribution, dynamic changes, and biodiversity conditions of ecosystems, and promptly assess and provide early warning of ecological risks.

Article 858 — The State shall establish and improve a relevant standards system for protected natural areas, and organize the formulation and timely revision of relevant standards for protected natural areas in accordance with the law.

Article 859 — The State shall implement classified and hierarchical management of protected natural areas. Protected natural areas are divided, in descending order of ecological value and protection intensity, into national parks, nature reserves, and natural parks. Nature reserves and natural parks are divided into national-level and provincial-level. The State shall scientifically plan the overall layout of protected natural areas, strictly set the conditions for their establishment, and rationally determine their number and scale. The scopes of all types of protected natural areas shall not overlap.

Article 860 — The establishment, name change, and adjustment of regional scope or control zoning of national parks shall be handled in accordance with the provisions of the National Park Law of the People’s Republic of China. The establishment, name change, and scope adjustment of national-level nature reserves shall be submitted to the State Council for approval. The establishment, name change, and scope adjustment of provincial-level nature reserves shall be submitted to the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government for approval. The establishment and scope adjustment of natural parks shall be submitted to the people’s governments at or above the provincial level or their forestry and grassland departments for approval.

Article 861 — Protected natural areas shall be subject to zoned control. In accordance with the characteristics, functional positioning, and management objectives of ecosystems, national parks and nature reserves shall be divided into core protection zones and general control zones. In national parks, areas where ecosystems are well-preserved and highly representative, where core resources are concentrated, or that are ecologically fragile and need recuperation shall be designated as core protection zones, and areas outside the core protection zones shall be designated as general control zones. In nature reserves, areas where natural ecosystems are well-preserved or that are ecologically fragile and need recuperation, key distribution areas of rare and endangered wild animal and plant species, important nodes of ecological corridors, concentrated distribution areas of important natural relics, and other areas requiring key protection shall be designated as core protection zones, and areas outside the core protection zones shall be designated as general control zones. Natural parks shall be managed as general control zones, unless otherwise provided by laws and regulations, in which case such provisions shall govern.

Article 862 — The construction of communities around protected natural areas shall be coordinated with the protection objectives of the protected natural areas, so as to avoid or reduce adverse impacts on the protected natural areas.

Article 863 — The State shall implement holistic protection of protected natural areas, establish and improve a long-term mechanism for the joint participation of governments, enterprises and public institutions, social organizations, and the public in protection, guide and support the original residents and rural collective economic organizations within protected natural areas as well as residents and enterprises around protected natural areas to actively participate in the protection of protected natural areas, and provide ecological products and services consistent with the protection objectives of protected natural areas.

Article 864 — The State shall improve the public service system for protected natural areas, enhance public service functions, and promote social sharing of the ecological value of protected natural areas. In the general control zones of protected natural areas, appropriate areas may be designated and necessary auxiliary facilities and equipment installed in accordance with regulations to support public service activities such as scientific research, science popularization, eco-tourism, education, culture, and sports. Projects such as visits and tourism that are inconsistent with the protection objectives shall not be established within protected natural areas.

Article 865 — The State shall strengthen ecological construction in protected natural areas, respect the laws of nature, build ecological corridors, and carry out the restoration of important habitats and abandoned land.

Article 866 — The management institution of a national park shall organize the formulation of the overall plan for the national park under its management, specifying the objectives and tasks, objects of protection, and protection measures, and make arrangements for the planned ecological restoration activities and the production and living activities of original residents.

Article 867 — After a national park is established, the people’s governments of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government where the national park is located shall promptly organize the completion of the boundary survey of the national park; the management institution of the national park shall promptly set up boundary markers in accordance with the needs of protection and management. It is prohibited to damage, deface, obscure, or remove or move national park boundary markers without authorization.

Article 868 — For areas within national parks and nature reserves where the natural ecological processes and the survival and reproduction of protected objects show obvious seasonal variation patterns, seasonal differentiated control measures may be implemented upon scientific justification and on the premise of not impairing ecological functions.

Article 869 — Where commercial services are provided within national park areas, the management institution of the national park may select service providers through competitive means.

Section 2 — Important River Basins and Regions such as the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Article 870 — Ecological environment protection and related work in important river basins and regions such as the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau shall adhere to giving priority to ecology and green development, adapting measures to local conditions and implementing classified policies, overall coordination, scientific planning, innovation-driven development, and systematic governance.

Article 871 — The State shall, as needed, establish coordination mechanisms in important river basins and regions such as the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and make overall guidance and comprehensive coordination of ecological environment protection and other work in these important river basins and regions. The relevant departments of the State Council and the local people’s governments at all levels in these important river basins and regions shall do a good job of relevant work within the scope of their respective duties.

Article 872 — The ecology and environment department of the State Council shall, jointly with the development and reform, natural resources, water administration, agriculture and rural affairs, and other relevant departments of the State Council, formulate ecological environment protection plans for important river basins such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. The water administration department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, formulate comprehensive river basin plans. The comprehensive river basin plans for important river basins such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River are important bases for the protection, development, utilization, and conservation of water resources.

Article 873 — The industrial structure and layout of important river basins such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River shall be commensurate with the carrying capacity of the river basin ecological environment. It is prohibited to arrange industries that seriously affect ecosystems in key ecological functional zones of river basins.

Article 874 — The State shall strengthen the protection and restoration of the sources, key waters, lakes, drawdown areas of reservoirs, and estuaries of important river basins such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, so as to protect their good ecological functions.

Article 875 — The State shall promote the establishment of an evaluation system for the aquatic organism integrity index of ecosystems in important river basins such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, organize the evaluation of aquatic organism integrity, and use the results as an important basis for assessing the overall condition of ecosystems. The aquatic organism integrity index of important river basins shall be aligned with the water ecological environment quality standards.

Article 876 — The State shall implement special control of the shorelines of rivers and lakes in the Yangtze River basin, delimit the protection scope of river and lake shorelines and formulate shoreline protection plans in accordance with the provisions of the Yangtze River Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, strictly control shoreline development and construction, and promote the rational and efficient utilization of shorelines.

Article 877 — The State shall conduct scientific justification of and strengthen the control and management of water diversion across the Yangtze River basin. In implementing water diversion across the Yangtze River basin, priority shall be given to ensuring the water use safety and ecological safety of the water-exporting areas and their downstream areas, and the water use needs of both the water-exporting and water-importing areas shall be taken into overall account. The local people’s governments at or above the county level in the Danjiangkou reservoir area and its upper reaches shall strengthen the holistic protection of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, enhance water conservation capacity, and ensure stable and up-to-standard water quality.

Article 878 — The utilization of water resources in the Yellow River basin shall adhere to giving priority to water conservation, overall consideration, intensive use, and careful calculation; give priority to meeting the domestic water use of urban and rural residents; ensure basic ecological water use; and make overall arrangements for production water use.

Article 879 — The State shall implement a unified water and sediment dispatching system for the Yellow River basin in accordance with the provisions of the Yellow River Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China. Water and sediment regulation shall minimize the impact on aquatic organisms and their habitats.

Article 880 — The State shall strengthen the prevention and control of water and soil loss in the key prevention zones and key control zones of the Yellow River basin and the source areas of important tributaries, and the protection and remediation of ecologically fragile areas; carry out assessment of soil erosion and water and soil loss; and implement key prevention and control projects. It is prohibited to carry out production and construction activities that may cause water and soil loss in areas of the Yellow River basin with serious water and soil loss or ecologically fragile areas. Where construction is genuinely necessary for national strategy and national economy and people’s livelihood, scientific justification shall be conducted, and approval procedures shall be completed in accordance with the law.

Article 881 — The State shall strengthen the governance of important rivers and lakes such as the Huaihe River, the Haihe River, the Pearl River, the Songhua River, the Liaohe River, Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, Taihu Lake, Hongze Lake, and Chaohu Lake, consolidate and enhance the ecological functions of river basins such as water conservation, water and soil retention, and biodiversity protection, and ensure river basin ecological security.

Article 882 — The State shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Ecological Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, strengthen the protection of ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers and lakes, deserts, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, plateau permafrost, and spring areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and consolidate and enhance the ecological functions of national key ecological functional zones on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau such as water conservation, biodiversity protection, water and soil retention, and windbreak and sand fixation. The State shall make overall arrangements for the ecological security layout of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, promote the comprehensive, systematic, and source governance of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, deserts, and ice, implement major projects for the protection and restoration of important ecosystems, enhance the quality, diversity, stability, and sustainability of ecosystems, enhance the capacity to supply ecological products and ecosystem service functions, and build a strategic base of the national ecological security barrier. The industrial structure and layout of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau shall be commensurate with the carrying capacity of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s ecological environment.

Article 883 — The State shall establish and improve an ecological risk prevention and control system for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, adopt effective measures to raise the capability and level of preventing and controlling ecological risks such as natural disaster prevention and response to climate change, and ensure the ecological security of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The relevant departments of the State Council and the people’s governments at or above the county level on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and their relevant departments shall strengthen the supervision and management of activities such as construction, cultural tourism, and mountain outdoor sports on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, so as to effectively safeguard the ecological security of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Article 884 — The State shall establish and improve a system for the protection of snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and frozen soil on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, strengthen monitoring, early warning, and systematic protection of snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and frozen soil, implement closed protection of important snow-capped mountains and glaciers, and adopt effective measures to strictly control human disturbance. The State shall establish and improve a system for the management and protection of rivers and lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, strictly protect the natural grasslands in important ecological locations such as the sources of major rivers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, comprehensively strengthen the protection of natural forests on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and strengthen the ecological protection of plateau wetlands and peat resources. The State shall implement key protection of precious, endangered, and endemic wild animal and plant species on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The State shall strengthen the remediation of degraded grasslands, degraded wetlands, and desertified land and the prevention and control of water and soil loss on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, comprehensively remediate severely degraded land, and strengthen the prevention and control of water and soil loss in the source areas of important rivers, key water and soil loss prevention and control zones, and relatively densely populated plateau river valley areas.

Article 885 — Hainan Island shall, as a whole, adhere to giving priority to ecology and green development, innovate the systems and mechanisms for ecological civilization, continuously optimize the quality of the ecological environment and the efficiency of resource utilization, and strengthen accountability for ecological environment damage.

Article 886 — The State shall strengthen the protection and restoration of the ecology of the Qinling Mountains region, and consolidate and enhance the ecological functions of the Qinling Mountains in climate regulation, water and soil retention, water conservation, and biodiversity protection.

Article 887 — The State Council shall establish a coordination mechanism for strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and advancing the construction of key ecological projects such as the “Three-North” Shelterbelt Program, make overall arrangements for and coordinate the resolution of major issues, promote the construction of key ecological projects, and advance the implementation of major policies. The State shall strengthen the protection and restoration of ecosystems in the “Three-North” project construction areas, implement a target responsibility system, regularly carry out monitoring and assessment of construction effectiveness, and protect and consolidate the results of project construction.

Chapter VI — Prevention and Control of Ecological Degradation

Section 1 — Water and Soil Conservation

Article 888 — For the purposes of this Law, “water and soil conservation” refers to the preventive and remedial measures adopted against water and soil loss caused by natural factors and human activities.

Article 889 — Water and soil conservation work shall follow the principles of prevention first, protection priority, comprehensive planning, comprehensive governance, adaptation to local conditions, emphasis on key points, scientific management, and emphasis on benefits.

Article 890 — The water administration department of the State Council shall be in charge of water and soil conservation nationwide. The river basin management institutions established by the water administration department of the State Council for nationally important rivers and lakes shall, within the scope under their jurisdiction, bear water and soil conservation supervision and management duties in accordance with the law. The water administration departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be in charge of water and soil conservation within their respective administrative areas. The forestry and grassland, agriculture and rural affairs, natural resources, ecology and environment, and other relevant departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, do a good job of water and soil loss prevention and control.

Article 891 — The State shall establish and improve standards for water and soil conservation. The water administration department and the standardization department of the State Council shall organize the formulation and improvement of national standards for the comprehensive control of water and soil loss, water and soil conservation in production and construction projects, and water and soil loss monitoring. Where national standards do not provide, local standards or industry standards may be formulated in accordance with the law.

Article 892 — The State shall formulate water and soil conservation plans on the basis of the results of water and soil loss surveys and the delimitation of key water and soil loss prevention zones and key control zones. For plans concerning infrastructure construction, mineral resources development, urban construction, public service facility construction, and implementation plans for the layout of major industries and projects that may cause water and soil loss during implementation, the entities organizing the formulation of the plans shall propose countermeasures and measures for water and soil loss prevention and control in the plans, and seek the opinions of the water administration departments of the people’s governments at the same level before submitting the plans for approval.

Article 893 — The water administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen water and soil conservation monitoring, improve the water and soil conservation monitoring network, regularly organize water and soil loss surveys and publish the survey results, and bring into play the role of water and soil conservation monitoring in government decision-making, economic and social development, and public services.

Article 894 — Local people’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with water and soil conservation plans, adopt measures such as closed protection, natural restoration, and key remediation; organize entities and individuals to plant trees and grass; expand forest and grass coverage; conserve water sources; strengthen the management of activities such as earth extraction, sand digging, and quarrying; and prevent and mitigate water and soil loss.

Article 895 — The State shall, in accordance with territorial spatial planning and use control requirements, establish a spatial control system for water and soil conservation and implement differentiated protection and remediation measures. It is prohibited to engage in activities such as earth extraction, sand digging, and quarrying that may cause water and soil loss in areas prone to collapse and landslides and mudslide-prone areas. Production and construction activities that may cause water and soil loss shall be restricted or prohibited in areas with serious water and soil loss or ecologically fragile areas. Where construction is genuinely necessary for national development strategy and national economy and people’s livelihood, scientific justification shall be conducted, and approval procedures shall be completed in accordance with the provisions of the Water and Soil Conservation Law of the People’s Republic of China. On the slopes and banks of erosion gullies, on both banks of rivers, and around lakes and reservoirs, land owners, land use right holders, or relevant management entities shall establish vegetation protection belts. It is prohibited to reclaim or develop vegetation protection belts. It is prohibited to reclaim and plant crops on steep slopes of 25 degrees or more. Where economic forests are planted on steep slopes of 25 degrees or more, tree species shall be scientifically selected, the scale rationally determined, and water and soil conservation measures adopted to prevent water and soil loss. It is prohibited to reclaim forests or grasslands and to collect Nostoc flagelliforme. It is prohibited to strip turf, dig up tree stumps, or indiscriminately dig up Cordyceps, licorice, Ephedra, and other plants in key water and soil loss prevention zones and key control zones.

Article 896 — Forest felling shall adopt rational methods and strictly control clear-cutting; protective forests such as water conservation forests, water and soil conservation forests, and windbreak and sand-fixation forests may only be felled for the purposes of tending and regeneration; measures to prevent water and soil loss shall be adopted for felling areas and skidding trails, and afforestation shall be promptly renewed after felling.

Article 897 — The water administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the management of human activities such as surface disturbance and earth and rock excavation, and strictly control water and soil loss caused by human activities. For production and construction projects that may cause water and soil loss, established in mountainous areas, hilly areas, wind-sand areas, and other areas determined by water and soil conservation plans to be prone to water and soil loss, the production and construction entities shall formulate water and soil conservation plans, submit them to the water administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level for approval, and adopt water and soil loss prevention and control measures in accordance with the approved water and soil conservation plans. For production and construction activities not included in water and soil conservation plan management, water and soil loss prevention and control shall be carried out in accordance with the water and soil loss prevention and control standards for production and construction activities.

Article 898 — The water and soil conservation facilities of production and construction projects for which water and soil conservation plans shall be formulated in accordance with the law shall be designed, constructed, and put into use simultaneously with the principal project; upon completion and acceptance of production and construction projects, the water and soil conservation facilities shall be subject to acceptance; where the water and soil conservation facilities have not been accepted or fail acceptance, the production and construction projects shall not be put into use. Where production and construction projects are established or other production and construction activities are carried out in mountainous areas, hilly areas, wind-sand areas, and other areas determined by water and soil conservation plans to be prone to water and soil loss, and water and soil conservation facilities, landforms, and vegetation are damaged and the original water and soil conservation functions cannot be restored, water and soil conservation compensation fees shall be paid, and the fees shall be specially used for water and soil loss prevention and control.

Article 899 — The State shall strengthen key water and soil conservation projects such as the improvement of quality and efficiency of comprehensive small watershed remediation, the conversion of slope farmland to terraces, silt dams, erosion gully control, slope collapse control, and gully consolidation and plateau protection in key water and soil loss prevention zones and key control zones, and intensify ecological restoration.

Article 900 — The State shall encourage and support the contracted remediation of barren mountains, barren gullies, barren hills, and barren mudflats, prevent and control water and soil loss, protect and improve the ecological environment, and promote the rational development and sustainable utilization of land resources. For the contracted remediation of barren mountains, barren gullies, barren hills, and barren mudflats and the contracted rural land in areas with serious water and soil loss, the land contract contracts concluded in accordance with the law shall include provisions on the responsibility for preventing and controlling water and soil loss.

Article 901 — In water erosion areas, comprehensive small watershed remediation shall be promoted in an integrated manner with river basin water systems as the unit; comprehensive remediation of water and soil loss on slope farmland and in gullies shall be carried out; engineering measures and plant measures shall be adopted in light of local conditions; the construction of projects such as the conversion of slope farmland to terraces and silt dams shall be strengthened; conservation tillage and high-standard farmland construction shall be promoted in a coordinated manner; and supporting facilities such as field roads and slope water systems shall be improved. Ecologically clean small watersheds shall be constructed to provide more and better ecological products embodying water and soil conservation functions. In wind erosion areas, local people’s governments and their relevant departments shall organize entities and individuals to adopt measures such as rotational closure and rotational grazing, tree and grass planting, and the installation of artificial sand barriers and grid shelterbelts in light of local conditions, so as to establish a windbreak and sand-fixation protection system. In gravity erosion areas, local people’s governments and their relevant departments shall organize entities and individuals to adopt measures such as runoff drainage and diversion, slope cutting and load reduction, slope support and consolidation, and the construction of retaining works, so as to establish a monitoring, forecasting, and early-warning system.

Article 902 — In drinking water source protection areas, local people’s governments and their relevant departments shall organize entities and individuals to adopt measures of preventive protection, natural restoration, and comprehensive remediation; construct supporting vegetation filter belts; carry out the construction of ecologically clean small watersheds; strictly control the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; reduce non-point source pollution caused by water and soil loss; and protect drinking water sources.

Article 903 — Where crops have already been planted on steep slopes where reclamation is prohibited, ecological restoration shall be carried out in accordance with State regulations; where farmland is scarce and the withdrawal of farmland is genuinely difficult, terraces shall be constructed or other water and soil conservation measures adopted. Where crops are planted on slope farmland below the slope at which reclamation is prohibited, water and soil conservation measures such as terrace construction, slope water system improvement, water storage and soil conservation tillage, or withdrawal of farmland shall be adopted in light of different circumstances.

Article 904 — The topsoil of land occupied by production and construction activities shall be stripped, preserved, and utilized in layers, so as to achieve a balance between earth and rock excavation and filling and reduce the scope of surface disturbance. Production and construction projects for which water and soil conservation plans shall be formulated in accordance with the law shall comprehensively utilize the sand, stone, earth, gangue, tailings, and waste residue discharged; where disposal is genuinely necessary, they shall be stored at the storage sites determined in the water and soil conservation plans, and measures such as retention, slope protection, and flood control and drainage shall be adopted. After production and construction activities end, trees and grass shall be promptly planted and vegetation restored on the bare land of earth extraction sites, excavation surfaces, and storage sites. In arid and water-scarce areas, production and construction activities shall adopt measures to prevent wind erosion and install precipitation storage and infiltration facilities, so as to make full use of precipitation resources.

Article 905 — The State shall encourage and support the adoption of the following measures conducive to water and soil conservation in mountainous areas, hilly areas, wind-sand areas, and other areas prone to water and soil loss: (1) no-tillage, contour farming, rotational tillage, grass-field rotation, and intercropping; (2) closure and tending, rotational closure and rotational grazing, and barn feeding; (3) developing biomass energy, utilizing solar, wind, and water energy, and replacing firewood with coal, electricity, and gas; (4) migration of people out of ecologically fragile areas; and (5) other measures conducive to water and soil conservation.

Section 2 — Prevention and Control of Desertification

Article 906 — For the purposes of this Law, “land desertification” refers to the process of the expansion of natural deserts and the destruction of vegetation and cover on sandy soil caused mainly by unreasonable human activities, resulting in the formation of shifting sand and exposed sandy soil. “Desertified land” includes land that has already become desertified and land with an obvious tendency toward desertification.

Article 907 — The prevention and control of desertification shall adhere to the principles of prevention first, combining prevention with control, rational utilization, unified planning, adaptation to local conditions, prevention in accordance with hazards, and classified policies.

Article 908 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall be responsible for organizing, coordinating, and guiding nationwide desertification prevention and control. The forestry and grassland, agriculture and rural affairs, water administration, natural resources, ecology and environment, meteorology, and other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, jointly do a good job of desertification prevention and control. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall organize and lead relevant departments to closely cooperate in jointly doing a good job of desertification prevention and control within their respective administrative areas.

Article 909 — The forestry and grassland department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, formulate the national desertification prevention and control plan in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Desertification. Local people’s governments at or above the county level may, in light of actual needs, organize the formulation of desertification prevention and control plans for their respective administrative areas.

Article 910 — The State shall strengthen the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification, actively advance desertification prevention and control, focus on ecological restoration of desert edges, sand source areas, and passage areas, strengthen the control of natural ecological space and the protection of sand-fixing plants, promote protective tillage measures, implement ecological projects such as shelterbelt construction, and carry out comprehensive rocky desertification control in karst areas.

Article 911 — The local people’s governments at or above the county level in areas where desertified land is located shall, in accordance with desertification prevention and control plans, delimit a certain proportion of land, build windbreak and sand-fixation forest networks and shelterbelts in light of local conditions, and plant perennial shrubs and herbaceous plants. Except for felling for the purposes of tending and regeneration, felling of windbreak and sand-fixation forest networks and shelterbelts shall not be approved. Before felling windbreak and sand-fixation forest networks and shelterbelts for the purposes of tending and regeneration, replacement forest networks and shelterbelts shall be formed in advance nearby. For existing windbreak and sand-fixation forest networks and shelterbelts in areas where forest regeneration is difficult, felling shall not be approved.

Article 912 — It is prohibited to cut or dig shrubs, medicinal plants, and other sand-fixing plants on desertified land, unless otherwise provided by laws and administrative regulations. The county-level people’s governments in areas where desertified land is located shall establish a vegetation management and protection system, improve the management and protection organization system, and build management and protection facilities, so as to strictly protect vegetation.

Article 913 — The water administration departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level in areas where desertified land is located shall strengthen the unified allocation and management of water resources in river basins and regions, and prevent vegetation destruction and land desertification caused by the over-development and utilization of groundwater and upstream water resources. The local people’s governments at or above the county level in areas where desertified land is located shall not approve the reclamation of farmland at desert edges and on forest land and grassland; where reclamation has already occurred and adversely affected ecology, farmland shall be returned to forest and grassland in a planned manner.

Article 914 — The State shall establish a system of closed and protected desertified land areas. Contiguous desertified land for which remediation conditions are temporarily unavailable shall be planned as closed and protected desertified land areas. Within the scope of closed and protected desertified land areas, activities that damage vegetation are prohibited. It is prohibited to resettle migrants within the scope of closed and protected desertified land areas. Without approval, construction activities such as the construction of railways and highways shall not be carried out within the scope of closed and protected desertified land areas.

Article 915 — Local people’s governments at all levels in areas where desertified land is located shall, in accordance with desertification prevention and control plans, organize relevant departments, entities, and individuals to adopt measures such as engineering measures, biological measures, and rational allocation of ecological water use in light of local conditions, so as to restore and increase vegetation, prevent land desertification, and remediate already desertified land.

Article 916 — The State shall encourage entities and individuals to donate funds or carry out public welfare desertification control activities in other forms on a voluntary basis.

Article 917 — The holders of the right to use State-owned desertified land and the holders of the contractual management right over collectively owned land shall adopt remediation measures to improve land quality. The holders of the right to use land and the holders of the contractual management right who adopt measures such as returning farmland to forest and grassland, planting trees and grass, or closure for desertification control shall enjoy policy preferences in accordance with State regulations.

Article 918 — Those engaged in production and operation activities such as planting, breeding, tourism, wind power, and photovoltaic power generation within the scope of desertified land shall adopt measures to prevent land desertification.

Article 919 — Local people’s governments at all levels in areas where desertified land is located may organize local rural collective economic organizations and their members to carry out centralized remediation of already desertified land on a voluntary basis.

Chapter VII — Ecological Restoration

Article 920 — The people’s governments at all levels and their relevant departments carrying out ecological restoration activities, as well as entities and individuals bearing ecological restoration responsibilities in accordance with the law, shall observe the relevant provisions of this Chapter in carrying out ecological restoration activities.

Article 921 — Ecological restoration shall establish and improve a working mechanism combining source protection with whole-process restoration and governance, so as to achieve holistic protection, systematic restoration, and comprehensive governance.

Article 922 — The natural resources department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, organize the implementation of major ecological restoration projects, and make overall arrangements for ecological protection and restoration in key river basins and important regions. The ecology and environment department of the State Council shall, within the scope of its duties, guide, coordinate, and supervise ecological protection and restoration work.

Article 923 — The natural resources departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, jointly with relevant departments, formulate territorial spatial ecological restoration plans in accordance with the law. The relevant departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, organize the formulation of special plans for ecological restoration and other related matters. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with State regulations, organize the implementation of special plans for ecological restoration and other related plans within their respective administrative areas.

Article 924 — In formulating ecological restoration plans and designing project plans, opinions of relevant parties shall be fully solicited, scientific justification shall be conducted, and the objectives, contents, implementation plans, and restoration technical measures of ecological restoration shall be determined.

Article 925 — The natural resources and ecology and environment departments of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, conduct dynamic monitoring of the implementation of major ecological restoration projects. The relevant departments of local people’s governments shall, within the scope of their respective duties, conduct dynamic monitoring of the implementation of various ecological restoration projects.

Article 926 — The relevant departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, establish and improve a supervision mechanism for the implementation process of ecological restoration, and conduct follow-up inspections of major ecological restoration projects. The relevant departments of local people’s governments shall strengthen supervision of various ecological restoration projects and promptly organize follow-up inspections.

Article 927 — After ecological restoration projects are completed, the relevant departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties and in light of the different characteristics of various ecological restoration projects, organize the acceptance of the ecological restoration projects.

Article 928 — The State shall implement a system of post-completion management and maintenance of ecological restoration projects. After ecological restoration projects pass acceptance, the people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall determine the entities responsible for post-completion management and maintenance, and specify the contents, measures, period, and funding sources of management and maintenance.

Article 929 — The State shall encourage and support the research, development, and application of science and technology for ecological restoration, enhance the independent innovation capability in the field of ecological restoration, and raise the scientific and professional level of ecological restoration. The natural resources department of the State Council shall, jointly with relevant departments, formulate standards and specifications related to ecological restoration and organize their implementation.

Article 930 — The State shall adhere to policy support, enterprise and social participation, and market-oriented operation, adopt effective measures to encourage social capital to participate in the whole process of ecological restoration projects such as investment, design, restoration, and management and maintenance. The State shall establish a fund guarantee system for ecological restoration, support the establishment of green funds and special ecological bonds, encourage social donations, and broaden funding channels for ecological restoration.

Article 931 — People’s governments at all levels shall scientifically protect and restore forest ecosystems, and strengthen the protection and restoration of forest ecosystems in ecologically fragile areas. For newly afforested young forest land and other places that should be closed for afforestation, the local people’s governments shall organize mountain closure for afforestation. People’s governments at all levels shall, in light of local conditions, implement forest ecological restoration projects for abandoned and damaged mountains, degraded forest land, and barren mountains, barren hills, barren land, and barren mudflats suitable for afforestation caused by natural factors and other reasons, so as to restore vegetation.

Article 932 — The State shall strengthen the protection of ecologically fragile grasslands. For degraded, desertified, salinized, rocky-desertified, and water-and-soil-eroded grasslands, local people’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with grassland protection, restoration, and utilization plans, organize ecological protection and restoration, so as to enhance ecosystem stability.

Article 933 — The people’s governments at or above the county level shall adhere to systematic governance, strengthen wetland restoration, restore wetland area, and enhance wetland ecosystem quality. The people’s governments at or above the county level shall comprehensively remediate and restore natural wetlands with severe fragmentation or degraded functions, and give priority to restoring important wetlands with seriously degraded ecological functions.

Article 934 — Marine ecosystems of important ecological, economic, and social value that have been damaged shall be restored. Marine ecological restoration shall focus on improving the habitat and growing environment of animals and plants and restoring biodiversity and basic ecosystem functions, with natural restoration as the mainstay and artificial restoration as a supplement, and give priority to restoring typical and representative marine ecosystems. The natural resources department of the State Council shall be responsible for making overall arrangements for marine ecological restoration, take the lead in organizing the formulation of marine ecological restoration plans, and implement relevant major marine ecological restoration projects. In formulating marine ecological restoration plans, scientific justification and assessment shall be conducted.

Article 935 — The people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the remediation and restoration of ecologically degraded rivers and lakes, make overall use of measures such as ecological water replenishment, biological purification, ecological dredging, and river and lake connectivity, comprehensively remediate river and lake ecosystems, and improve and restore river and lake ecosystems. The local people’s governments at or above the county level in the areas where estuaries are located and their relevant departments shall, in accordance with the requirement of coordinated river-sea management, formulate and implement plans for estuarine ecological restoration and other protection measures, strengthen comprehensive monitoring of water, sand, salt, tidal flats, biological populations, and estuary morphology, adopt effective measures to prevent seawater intrusion and backflow, and maintain good estuarine ecological functions.

Article 936 — Before exploiting mineral resources, the mining right holder shall formulate a mining area ecological restoration plan in accordance with the law. The mining right holder shall carry out mining area ecological restoration in accordance with the approved mining area ecological restoration plan. The mining right holder shall set aside mining area ecological restoration fees in accordance with regulations, and the fees shall be specially used for mining area ecological restoration.

Article 937 — The State shall establish and improve an effectiveness assessment mechanism for ecological restoration, and formulate and improve assessment standards and technical guidelines for the effectiveness of ecological restoration. The natural resources, ecology and environment, and other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within the scope of their respective duties, carry out effectiveness assessment of ecological restoration. The people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall strengthen the effectiveness assessment of ecological restoration.

← Back to the China Laws Directory⬇ Download Full Text as PDF

Free PDF download of the complete article.