Adopted at the Twelfth Session of the Standing Committee of the Fourteenth National People’s Congress on September 13, 2024
Effective: October 1, 2024
Table of Contents
Chapter I — General Provisions
Article 1 — This Law is enacted for the purposes of protecting important natural ecosystems, natural relics, and natural landscapes of national significance, preserving the authenticity and integrity of natural ecosystems, constructing national parks, and promoting the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature.
Article 2 — This Law shall apply to the planning, establishment, protection, management, utilization, and supervision of national parks within the territory of the People’s Republic of China and other sea areas under its jurisdiction. For the purposes of this Law, a “national park” means a specific land or sea area that is delimited and protected with the approval of the State for the purposes of protecting important natural ecosystems, natural relics, and natural landscapes of national significance, realizing the scientific protection and rational utilization of natural resources, and promoting the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature.
Article 3 — The State shall establish a system of national parks. National parks shall be an important part of the system of protected natural areas and shall be the main body of nature reserves. The State shall establish a management system under which national parks are the main body, nature reserves are the foundation, and various types of natural parks are the supplement.
Article 4 — The State shall uphold the principle of prioritizing ecological protection and shall adopt a scientific approach to the planning, establishment, protection, and management of national parks. National parks shall be protected in an integrated manner, with unified management, and with sustainable development.
Article 5 — The State shall exercise unified management over national parks. The competent department for forestry and grassland under the State Council shall be in charge of the supervision and administration of national parks nationwide. The relevant departments under the State Council shall, within their respective scopes of duties, do a good job in the protection and management of national parks.
Article 6 — Local people’s governments shall cooperate in the protection and management of national parks and support the sustainable development of the economic and social conditions in the areas where national parks are located. The State shall encourage and support scientific research institutions, institutions of higher learning, enterprises, public institutions, and social organizations to participate in the protection, scientific research, education, and other activities of national parks.
Chapter II — Planning and Establishment
Article 7 — The State shall formulate a layout plan for the development of national parks. The layout plan for the development of national parks shall specify the overall layout, development goals, and key tasks of national parks and shall be announced to the public.
Article 8 — The establishment of a national park shall meet the following conditions: (1) it has a typical and representative natural ecosystem; (2) it is the core distribution area of rare, endangered, and endemic species or an important habitat; (3) it has significant scientific value in natural relics and natural landscapes; and (4) its natural and cultural landscape is of national significance. The scope of national parks shall be delimited based on the goals and requirements for protecting natural ecosystems, natural relics, and natural landscapes, and shall give consideration to the integrity of the ecosystems.
Article 9 — The establishment of a national park shall be applied for by the people’s government of a province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government, evaluated and examined by the competent department for forestry and grassland under the State Council, and approved by the State Council. National parks shall be uniformly named and the State Council shall issue a certificate of establishment.
Article 10 — National parks shall prepare overall plans. The overall planning of a national park shall specify the scope, functional zoning, protection objectives, protection measures, utilization scope, community development, and other contents of the national park, and shall be subject to the approval of the State Council.
Article 11 — National parks may be zoned into core protection areas and general control areas according to functional positioning and management objectives. Core protection areas are areas where human activities are prohibited except for scientific research, monitoring, and necessary protection facility construction and maintenance. General control areas are areas where limited human activities that do not damage the ecosystem function may be carried out.
Chapter III — Protection and Management
Article 12 — The State shall establish a unified, standardized, and efficient management system for national parks. A national park management agency shall be established for each national park to be uniformly responsible for the protection and management of the national park.
Article 13 — National park management agencies shall perform the following duties: (1) formulating and implementing management plans and annual work plans; (2) organizing the protection of natural resources and ecosystems in national parks; (3) carrying out monitoring, patrols, and scientific research; (4) organizing and carrying out publicity, education, and science popularization activities; (5) investigating and handling illegal acts within national parks in accordance with the law; and (6) other duties assigned by the State.
Article 14 — Within national parks, the following activities are prohibited: (1) mining, quarrying, sand excavation, and reclamation; (2) building industrial and mining enterprises, commercial and residential areas, and other construction projects inconsistent with the protection of national parks; (3) grazing, logging, hunting, fishing, and collecting wild plants in core protection areas; (4) introducing and releasing exotic species; (5) damaging, altering, or moving boundary markers and protection facilities; and (6) other activities prohibited by laws and regulations.
Article 15 — The State shall encourage and support national parks in carrying out scientific research and monitoring activities, and shall establish a monitoring system for the ecological environment and natural resources of national parks. National park management agencies shall regularly publish reports on the status of natural resources and ecosystems in national parks.
Article 16 — The State shall, in accordance with the law, protect the legitimate rights and interests of the owners and users of natural resources such as land, forests, grasslands, and wetlands within national parks. The State shall establish a compensation mechanism for the ecological protection of national parks.
Chapter IV — Participation and Sharing
Article 17 — National parks shall be open to the public within the scope permitted by the overall plan, and shall provide the public with services such as scientific research, education, recreation, and cultural experiences. National park management agencies shall determine the areas open to the public, the routes, the time periods, and the number of visitors based on environmental capacity and ecological monitoring results, and shall announce such information to the public.
Article 18 — National park management agencies shall establish a franchise system. The operation of services such as catering, accommodation, eco-tourism, and commodity sales within national parks shall be subject to a franchise system, and the specific measures shall be formulated by the State Council.
Article 19 — The State shall encourage the residents in and around national parks to participate in the protection and management of national parks and in franchise activities. National park management agencies shall give priority to the employment of residents from the area where the national park is located and surrounding areas for ecological management and protection positions.
Article 20 — A national park shall be established as a national education base for nature and a site for science popularization education. The State shall support national parks in carrying out various forms of nature education activities and raising public awareness of ecological protection.
Chapter V — Legal Liability
Article 21 — Where anyone, in violation of the provisions of this Law, engages in prohibited activities within a national park, the national park management agency shall order it to cease the illegal act, restore the original state or adopt other remedial measures, and may impose a fine of not less than RMB 5,000 yuan but not more than RMB 50,000 yuan; if the circumstances are serious, a fine of not less than RMB 50,000 yuan but not more than RMB 500,000 yuan shall be imposed. Where a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.
Article 22 — Where anyone engages in construction activities inconsistent with the protection of national parks in violation of the provisions of this Law, the national park management agency shall order it to cease the construction, dismantle the illegal buildings within a prescribed time limit, and restore the original state, and may impose a fine. Where a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.
Article 23 — Where anyone introduces or releases exotic species in a national park in violation of the provisions of this Law, the national park management agency shall order it to take remedial measures within a prescribed time limit and impose a fine. If losses are caused, the violator shall bear the liability for compensation in accordance with the law.
Article 24 — Where any national park management agency or the relevant department fails to perform its duties in accordance with the law, the relevant responsible persons shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the law. Where a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.
Chapter VI — Supplementary Provisions
Article 25 — The State Council shall, in accordance with this Law, formulate implementing regulations.
Article 26 — This Law shall come into force on October 1, 2024.
Disclaimer: This is an unofficial English translation provided for informational purposes only by Dan Young Business Consultancy. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness, this translation is not an official version and shall not be relied upon as a substitute for the original Chinese text. Official Chinese versions should be consulted for legal, regulatory, or compliance purposes. Dan Young Business Consultancy assumes no liability for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in this translation. For professional legal advice regarding national parks and environmental protection in China, please consult qualified legal counsel.
Free PDF download of the complete article.
