National parks plan prioritizes protection

Editor's Note: A document setting out a plan for the country's national parks was released on Sept 26. Five experts share their views on the plan and its likely effects:

Integrity of ecological systems is the priority

At the 37th meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform on July 19, which was presided over by President Xi Jinping, a comprehensive plan for the national park system was officially passed in line with the package of relevant pilot reforms implemented since the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee.

On the basis of China's nature preservation practice and successful efforts in other countries, the plan prioritizes protection and supervision while pursuing institutional innovations.

The plan calls for systematic efforts to protect the country's national parks, with the participation of all parties concerned and the scientific setting of standards. The complexity of ecological systems means tailored measures and caution are needed for the implementation of the national park system.

China has good reason to emulate the success of other countries in this regard. It should also heed different voices at home when it comes to the defining of the areas of national parks, their ownership and management.

The comprehensive plan that was set out makes clear that the priority for national parks is to preserve the integrity of ecological systems, and their other functions include environmental education and scientific research. The plan also maps out how the central government will gradually attain sole ownership of national parks, ruling out potential conflicts of interests.

Wang Yi, deputy director at the Institutes of Science and Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Lessons of mistakes must be heeded

China's national parks are expected to protect large swaths of land that are of enormous ecological value. Previous pilot programs have included wild pandas, Siberian tigers and the Sanjiangyuan region, the source of the country's three big rivers - the Yangtze, the Yellow and the Lancang. Other rivers and mountains may join the national parks program in the near future, which will help boost the nation's image and public appreciation of the country's natural resources.

To avoid national parks being overexploited, their day-to-day management and natural resources should be in the hands of the central government. Past mistakes in running natural parks, many of which have become either amusement parks or tourist resorts due to their profitability-driven management, must not be repeated.

For instance, admission to national parks should not be priced too high, while the entry of soldiers, students, seniors and those with physical impairments should be free. Volunteers are also encouraged to partake in the operation of national parks.

Yang Rui, a professor at Tsinghua University.

Local governments must fulfill their protection responsibilities

The comprehensive plan for the nation's national parks offers a glimpse of the leadership's determination to protect the environment. With the national parks' ownership clarified, their management streamlined and funding channels diversified, the national park system will be able to advance more rapidly.

Apart from ownership and resource allocation, the national park plan also clarifies what local residents in such parks can do to contribute and the services they can receive. Local governments, for their part, should fulfill their duties to supplement the system.

The management of national parks largely hinges on the subsidies offered by the central government, meaning they should not be commercially exploited, a key step to eradicate possible power-money exchanges. Explicit guidelines are also in place to instruct all the departments concerned, be they at the central or local levels, to draw inspiration from established pilot projects across the country.

Su Yang, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council

Institutional reforms will be necessary

There are several concerns that have to be addressed before the law on national parks comes into effect. The first is how to ensure the new law is compatible and in line with the existing one on nature reserves.

Over the past six decades, China has developed a sophisticated nature management system, which includes nature reserves, scenic attractions, geological parks and forest parks operated by multiple departments, particularly local governments. Parallels and differences between these and national parks should be defined in terms of legislation.

Institutional reforms are called for to demarcate administrative boundaries when it comes to the management of national parks and local natural resources. Specific organizations and funds will have to be established to take care of daily maintenance and regulate the use of resources.

The law on national parks should be able to convey the parks' Chinese characteristics without making the same mistakes that were made in the preservation of nature reserves, such as overlapped management and flawed supervision.

Wang Fengchun, a researcher of the Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee under the National People's Congress

Parks should be immune to exploitation

As protectors of the most valued ecology in the country, national parks should be immune to any sort of exploitation and instead under strict protection. Their role, according to international practices, is essentially about preserving vulnerable land and marine resources. Thus the number of visitors should be capped at reasonable levels.

Likewise, China's national park system will supplement the nationwide efforts to safeguard the ecology of nature reserves, while creating new jobs and other development opportunities for neighboring communities. It is, however, not designed to replace the existing nature reserve system but rather to improve the country's management of all types of natural reserves. The Philippines could well serve as an inspiration in terms of elaborately and efficiently categorizing natural reserves.

Zhu Chunquan, China's representative at the International Union for Conservation of Nature

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/06/2017 page11)