China’s Philosophy on Development of an Ecological Civilization
263
of ecological goods by the central government, ecological value exchange between
different regions, trading of water rights, emission rights, and carbon emission quotas,
premiums of ecological goods, and charges for tourism products.
5 Core Functions
The natural resources and resource endowments of different regions within a country
can be disparate, so their functions should be differentiated as well. China is now
implementing the system of functional zoning, where territorial spaces are classified
into four types, namely development zones to be optimized, key development zones,
limited development zones, and prohibited development zones.
The former two types will eventually develop into metropolitan areas like Beijing
or Tokyo, and the latter two will ultimately become major agricultural production
areas and important ecological areas. China is now implementing the Grain for
Green Project in important ecological areas to turn marginal farmland to forests
and grasslands in an effort to reduce production spaces while increasing ecological
spaces.
Up to now, China has approved five major national parks. The first is the ThreeRiver-Source National Park, which covers an area of tens of thousands of square
kilometres and was established on the initiative of General Secretary Xi Jinping. The
second is the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Northeast China
used to be home to a large number of tigers, of which some ran away to Russia;
with the establishment of the national park, they are returning to their hometown.
The third is the Giant Panda National Park. Giant pandas are suffering from habitat
fragmentation and food chain destruction due to human activity. In response, China
has decided to set up a giant panda reserve with an area of 27,000 km
2 and designate
it as a national park. The fourth is the Qilian Mountain National Park. The Qilian
Mountain is an important ecological barrier and water conservation area in West
China and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country. The Qilian
Mountain National Park will cover a planned area of more than 50,000 km
2 .
The system of functional zoning has established differentiated policies for
different regions. Development zones to be optimized such as Beijing have seen their
carrying capacity weakening, so development must be optimized there. Key development zones like the Chengdu-Chongqing region have relatively strong carrying
capacity and are expected to accommodate more businesses and populations for intensive development and higher efficiency. Limited development zones cannot become
congruous urban areas, but small-scale development is allowed in certain areas. In
prohibited development zones such as the Three-River-Source National Park and
Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, development activities in any
form shall be prohibited except for particular reasons.
263
of ecological goods by the central government, ecological value exchange between
different regions, trading of water rights, emission rights, and carbon emission quotas,
premiums of ecological goods, and charges for tourism products.
5 Core Functions
The natural resources and resource endowments of different regions within a country
can be disparate, so their functions should be differentiated as well. China is now
implementing the system of functional zoning, where territorial spaces are classified
into four types, namely development zones to be optimized, key development zones,
limited development zones, and prohibited development zones.
The former two types will eventually develop into metropolitan areas like Beijing
or Tokyo, and the latter two will ultimately become major agricultural production
areas and important ecological areas. China is now implementing the Grain for
Green Project in important ecological areas to turn marginal farmland to forests
and grasslands in an effort to reduce production spaces while increasing ecological
spaces.
Up to now, China has approved five major national parks. The first is the ThreeRiver-Source National Park, which covers an area of tens of thousands of square
kilometres and was established on the initiative of General Secretary Xi Jinping. The
second is the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Northeast China
used to be home to a large number of tigers, of which some ran away to Russia;
with the establishment of the national park, they are returning to their hometown.
The third is the Giant Panda National Park. Giant pandas are suffering from habitat
fragmentation and food chain destruction due to human activity. In response, China
has decided to set up a giant panda reserve with an area of 27,000 km
2 and designate
it as a national park. The fourth is the Qilian Mountain National Park. The Qilian
Mountain is an important ecological barrier and water conservation area in West
China and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country. The Qilian
Mountain National Park will cover a planned area of more than 50,000 km
2 .
The system of functional zoning has established differentiated policies for
different regions. Development zones to be optimized such as Beijing have seen their
carrying capacity weakening, so development must be optimized there. Key development zones like the Chengdu-Chongqing region have relatively strong carrying
capacity and are expected to accommodate more businesses and populations for intensive development and higher efficiency. Limited development zones cannot become
congruous urban areas, but small-scale development is allowed in certain areas. In
prohibited development zones such as the Three-River-Source National Park and
Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, development activities in any
form shall be prohibited except for particular reasons.