On the 29th, the General Office of the Standing Committee of the Qinghai Provincial People's Congress held a press conference to release the "Regulations of Qinghai Province on the Construction of a National Ecological Civilization Highland" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"). The "Regulations" will come into effect on August 1, 2024.

It is introduced that Qinghai, as an important core area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has a special and important ecological status and major and arduous ecological responsibilities. In order to deeply promote the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, maximize ecological functions, and carry out legislation on building a national ecological civilization highland, it is very necessary.

The picture shows the scenery within the Sanjiangyuan National Park. Photo by Li Jiangning

"The 'Regulations of Qinghai Province on the Construction of a National Ecological Civilization Highland' is China's first local regulation with 'ecological priority' as its core principle, marking that Qinghai Province has taken a solid step in realizing the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature," said Ding Yongshun, member of the Party Group and deputy director of the Qinghai Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

The "Regulations" consist of eleven chapters and seventy-six articles. "The 'Regulations' use five special chapters—'Ecological Security Guarantee,' 'Construction of Nature Reserves,' 'Ecological Protection and Restoration,' 'Biodiversity Conservation,' and 'Innovation of Ecological Civilization Systems'—to institutionalize and concretize the protection of Qinghai's ecological environment as a 'matter of national importance,'" introduced Lei Ting, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the Qinghai Provincial People's Congress. The "Regulations" focus on absorbing the achievements of reform and innovation in Qinghai Province's ecological civilization system and support high-quality development with high-level ecological environment protection.

In terms of ecological security guarantee, the "Regulations" propose improving the ecological environment protection governance system, focusing on improving regional control of the ecological environment, ecological environment supervision of ecological protection red lines, and the ecological environment monitoring system, strengthening ecological risk prevention and control, and enhancing the supply capacity of ecological products and ecosystem service functions.

In terms of ecological protection and restoration, the "Regulations" clearly adhere to the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, sand, and ice, implement systematic governance based mainly on natural restoration and combining natural restoration with artificial restoration, coordinate the implementation of various ecological protection and restoration projects, increase ecosystem protection efforts, build a new pattern of全域 protection and systematic governance, and promote the continuous improvement of the quality of natural ecosystems. At the same time, the "Regulations" write ecological environment damage compensation into legal provisions, clearly stipulating that infringers bear restoration responsibilities in accordance with the law, and "the environment has value, and damage entails responsibility" is established as an institutional provision and internalized as a social consensus.

The picture shows the press conference site. Photo by Li Jiangning

In terms of biodiversity conservation, the "Regulations" integrate the concept of biodiversity conservation into the entire process of ecological civilization construction, clearly stipulate that biodiversity conservation goals and main tasks be included in the five-year plans for national economic and social development, effectively respond to the challenges facing biodiversity, comprehensively improve the level of biodiversity conservation, ensure that important ecosystems, biological species, and biological genetic resources are comprehensively protected, and jointly build a beautiful homeland of harmony among all things.

In terms of green and low-carbon development, the "Regulations" propose adhering to precise pollution control, scientific pollution control, and pollution control in accordance with the law, focusing on the total emission control system for key pollutants, continuously and deeply fighting the battle against pollution, strengthening the treatment of solid waste and new pollutants, enhancing environmental risk early warning, prevention and control, and emergency response capabilities, and supporting green and low-carbon development.

In terms of ecological civilization systems, the "Regulations" propose establishing and improving regional joint pollution prevention and control, emergency response to environmental emergencies, and environmental information disclosure systems, corporate environmental credit evaluation systems, ecological protection compensation systems, and long-term ecological protection supervision mechanisms, deepening the systematic integration of ecological civilization system reform, and promoting the modernization of the environmental governance system and governance capabilities.