Ecological Red Line

by+Li+Zhuoxi

This term refers to a crucial barrier to guarantee and maintain Chinas ecological safety in regions that play an important role ecologically and require strict enforcement of regulations. Many realms are subject to the concept， including water resources protection， biodiversity preservation， water and soil conservation， wind prevention and sand dune fixation， and coastal eco-system stability maintenance， in addition to ecologically sensitive and fragile areas that are vulnerable to water and soil erosion， soil denudation， desertification， and salination.

The “Ecological Red Line”is another crucial limit for China， trailing only the preservation of at least 1.8 billion-mu （120 million hectares） of farmland.

On February 7， 2017， the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued Opinions on Drawing and Strictly Safeguarding the Ecological Red Line， which urged local governments to draw the Red Line around districts in which exploitation is prohibited. This national initiative will be completed before 2020.

Overall goals have been clarified in the Opinions. By the end of 2017， the Ecological Red Line must be drawn in the BeijingTianjin-Hebei region as well as all provinces and municipalities along the Yangtze River Economic Belt. By the end of 2018， the Red Line must be drawn in other provinces， autonomous regions and municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the Central Government. By the end of 2020， the whole country will complete the demarcation and calibration of the Ecological Red Line and establish a system for the Red Line. By the end of 2030， the layout of the Red Line should be further optimized， the Ecological Red Line System will be in full force， and the national eco-safety net will ensure strong safeguards.