General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that implementing the national park system “is an important measure for China to advance natural ecological protection, build a Beautiful China, and promote harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.” China is working to establish a protected natural area system with national parks as the mainstay, gradually incorporating natural ecological spaces with the most important natural ecosystems, the most distinctive natural landscapes, the finest natural heritage, and the richest biodiversity into national parks for strict protection. On January 1 this year, the National Park Law officially came into force. On March 12, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress adopted the Ecological Environment Code of the People’s Republic of China, incorporating the establishment and improvement of a protected natural area system with national parks as the mainstay into the code. From the National Park Law to the Ecological Environment Code, a more systematic legal foundation has been provided for the protection and management of national parks, marking a new stage of law-based and standardized development in the high-quality advancement of national park construction.
Implement zoning-based management and control in accordance with the law, and strengthen supervision over important ecological spaces. The National Park Law divides national parks into core protection areas and general control areas, translating zoning-based management objectives into specific spatial units. For example, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has opened wildlife migration corridors, promoted the orderly withdrawal of production and living activities from core protection areas, and adopted multiple measures to improve habitat quality. Statistics from 2024 show that the numbers of Northeast China tigers and Northeast China leopards increased from 27 and 42 at the beginning of the pilot program to around 70 and 80 respectively. The key to zoning-based management and control lies in adopting differentiated measures and applying targeted policies according to different zones. In principle, human activities are prohibited in core protection areas, while human activities are strictly restricted in general control areas. This approach not only safeguards the bottom line of ecological protection and protects the areas most in need of conservation, but also defines clear spatial boundaries for scientific utilization and innovative development, achieving a combination of rigid constraints and flexible guidance in institutional design.
Break down administrative barriers and improve collaborative efficiency through rule-of-law mechanisms. Guided by a systematic approach, the National Park Law effectively addresses the problem of fragmented management of protected spaces and realizes integrated governance. The law clearly stipulates that “the state shall establish a unified, standardized, and efficient national park management system” and that “the state shall adhere to the integrated protection of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, and carry out overall protection, systematic restoration, and comprehensive governance of national parks in accordance with the characteristics and inherent laws of natural ecosystems.” Wuyishan National Park spans Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. The two provinces launched the “Wuyishan National Park 110” ecological protection linkage mechanism and promoted cross-provincial ecological and environmental law enforcement cooperation. The Regulations of Fujian Province on Wuyishan National Park and the Regulations of Jiangxi Province on Wuyishan National Park were implemented simultaneously, with dedicated chapters on interprovincial cooperation. This achievement in interprovincial collaborative legislation for national parks has promoted the standardization and legalization of national park protection and management. At the national level, the National Park Law integrates scattered local legislation and practices through unified legal rules, providing a higher-level legal basis for cross-regional collaborative governance. Meanwhile, the law establishes the statutory responsibility of the national park authority under the State Council to uniformly supervise and manage national parks nationwide, and clarifies that each national park management institution shall specifically undertake protection, management, and administrative law enforcement duties within its jurisdiction. This enables centralized and unified management of natural resources and establishes a state-led management system with vertical coordination.
Promote international exchanges and cooperation through the rule of law, and encourage mutual learning in national park construction experience. The National Park Law stipulates that “the state shall support and promote international exchanges and cooperation in the field of national parks through various means.” National park construction is a global practice. Countries around the world have accumulated rich experience in ecological protection, institutional innovation, community collaboration, and other areas. Exchanges and cooperation help countries learn from and promote one another. For example, China’s Giant Panda National Park has established a partnership with France’s Pyrenees National Park to carry out practical cooperation in biodiversity monitoring, flagship species protection and population recovery, community co-governance, science popularization, and public education. Based on China’s national conditions, including its large population and complex relationship between people and land, China’s national park system has elevated effective practices into legal and institutional norms, forming Chinese experience that can serve as a reference. The implementation of the National Park Law not only provides legal保障 for the high-quality development of China’s national parks, but also represents an institutional practice through which China shares ecological governance wisdom with other countries.
Adhere to public welfare for all, and deepen public participation and nature education on the track of the rule of law. National parks are a public welfare undertaking for all. The core of their public welfare nature lies in enabling shared benefits for all under the premise of strict protection. Such sharing does not mean simple unrestricted access; rather, it means establishing order and defining boundaries through the rule of law. The National Park Law includes a dedicated chapter on “Participation and Sharing.” It emphasizes strengthening visitor management and services in national parks, reasonably determining visitor capacity, and clarifying visitor behavior norms. It also encourages and supports public participation in national park protection, the development of various forms of nature and ecological environmental protection education, and the cultivation of public awareness of loving nature and protecting the ecological environment. For example, the Regulations on Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, which will come into force on May 1, 2026, provide under the institutional framework of the National Park Law that areas and routes for nature education, forest wellness, sightseeing, ecological science popularization, and other activities shall be designated within general control areas, and diversified exhibition areas shall be built. By continuously carrying out study tours and other forms of nature education for the public, especially young people, national parks can guide people to love and protect nature while getting close to it, allow them to share the sense of gain and happiness brought by national park development, and contribute to Chinese modernization featuring harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. (Wang Haiyun, Li Jing)
(Source: People’s Daily)