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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
China’s Wetland Management Laws and Practices,
and Their Future
1
Law school, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
2
Public Administration & Law School, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350028, China
Submission date: 2023-10-18
Final revision date: 2024-02-04
Acceptance date: 2024-02-08
Online publication date: 2024-08-05
Publication date: 2025-01-02
Corresponding author
Li Feng
Public Administration & Law School, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350028, China
Public Administration & Law School, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350028, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(1):187-201
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
China places particular emphasis on protecting wetland ecosystems, which is mainly reflected in its
legislation. China enacted special legislation regarding wetlands in 2022. However, wetland protection
legislation must be combined with wetland management practises to effectively promote the achievement
of wetland protection objectives. In the past 50 years, the rate of wetland loss in China has reached 21.6%,
and wetland protection work in China remains imperative. Consequently, this paper examines China’s
wetland legislation changes over the past four decades and analyzes the highlights of this new Wetland
Conservation Law (hereinafter referred to as WCL) at first. Then it concentrates on the status quo of
wetland management in China and attempts to identify problems in wetland management, especially the
connection between law and management practice. In this paper, the management status of the Poyang
Lake wetland, which is one of China’s most significant wetlands, serves as a starting point for a discussion
of China’s wetland management. Finally, pertinent suggestions are made. Recommendations include the
establishment of dedicated agencies for wetland protection, the establishment of a wetland management
coordination mechanism, the improvement of wetland monitoring, the diversification of wetland funding
mechanisms, and the provision of diverse means for the public to participate in wetland protection.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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