China completes property rights registration for 5 national parks

China's Ministry of Natural Resources announced on Monday that the country has completed property rights registration for its first five national parks, a crucial step in promoting ecological conservation.

The five national parks – Sanjiangyuan National Park, Giant Panda National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, and Wuyishan National Park – now have their ownership of various natural resource assets officially established and registered through legal registration.

This registration outlines the authority scope for various government levels, clarifies ownership, oversight, and responsibilities regarding natural resources, and enhances property rights management in national parks.

The registration for the first five national parks have all been completed, and now they have their own 'household registration books,' which has solved problems such as unclear ownership of natural resource assets, providing effective and strong property rights support for the construction of national parks," said Qiu Liefei, deputy director of the Natural Resources Rights Confirmation and Registration Bureau under the Ministry of Natural Resources.

National parks contain the most vital parts of China's natural ecosystems, marked by unique landscapes, exceptional natural heritage and unparalleled biodiversity.

These five parks established in 2021 as China's first batch of national parks cover 230,000 square km of protected land and are home to nearly 30 percent of the country's key terrestrial wildlife species.

Qiu said the ministry will continue to intensify its efforts in registering important natural resources.

"In the next step, we will basically complete the property rights registration of natural resources including newly-established national parks, international and national-level important wetlands, important rivers and lakes during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). We will also orderly promote the property rights registration of other natural resources such as nature reserves, national key forest areas, proven mineral resources, sea areas and uninhabited islands, and strive to achieve a total registered area of 1 million square kilometers during the period," he said.