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China has finalized the registration of property rights for its first five national parks, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s efforts to promote ecological civilization. The Ministry of Natural Resources has outlined the ownership, management responsibilities, and ecological boundaries for the Giant Panda National Park, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, Sanjiangyuan National Park, and Wuyi Mountain National Park. This initiative aims to protect the ecosystems’ integrity and ensure the sustainable, scientific use of their valuable resources.
Launched after six years of preparation in October 2021, these parks span across ten provincial-level regions, including Sichuan Province and the Xizang Autonomous Region, encompassing nearly 30% of the country’s key wildlife species. The sizes of these parks are roughly 22,000 square kilometers for Giant Panda National Park, about 4,269 square kilometers for Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, 14,100 square kilometers for Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, approximately 190,700 square kilometers for Sanjiangyuan National Park, and over 1,280 square kilometers for Wuyi Mountain National Park.
The unified registration of property rights for natural resources—such as water, forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, and minerals—serves to reinforce the public ownership of these assets. It also enhances the protection of property rights linked to natural resources, clarifies the roles and responsibilities of owners and regulatory bodies, and provides a strong foundation for advancing ecological civilization, according to experts.
This registration process addresses key challenges in ecological protection, including unclear ownership and vague responsibilities, thereby facilitating more effective conservation of natural resources. Furthermore, the creation of a comprehensive ecological ledger—integrating water, food, economic, and carbon reserves based on registration data—aims to enable holistic protection of the parks and support asset-based management of natural resources.
By July 31, property rights registration had been completed for 1,057 critical areas covering about 320,000 square kilometers. These areas include national parks, protected regions, forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, mineral resources with proven reserves, and uninhabited islands. Moving forward, the Ministry plans to strengthen the legal, standardized, and digital frameworks for the unified registration of natural resources. During the next five-year plan (2026-2030), efforts will focus on registering newly established parks, significant wetlands, and key rivers and lakes on both domestic and international levels.
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