The conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity are beneficial to the sustainable development of the national economy and for increasing the living standard of the people. China has taken the environmental protection as one of its basic national policies, and is carrying out the principle “to conduct the ecological conservation and the ecological construction at the same time” and “to attach equal importance to pollution prevention and control and to the ecological conservation”. China has actively taken actions on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and formulated a series of policies, laws, regulations, plans and measures in this field.

China compiled its China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan in 1994, in which the priority of ecosystems for biodiversity conservation and the priority of species under protection are determined. It clarifies the objectives in 7 aspects and raises 26 priority action programs and 18 priority projects that require immediate implementation. At the end of 1997, the State Council approved the " China's Biodiversity: A Country Study", which determined the objectives of national capacity building for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in China. It covers areas of legislation, institutional construction, human resources, policy framework, protection facilities, science and technology, education and public participation as well as international cooperation. In 1999, China formulated its National Biosafety Framework of China, which gives the policy framework and regulation framework for national biosafety management, technical principle framework for risk assessment and management of GMOs and their products, and requirements for national capacity building for biosafety management.

The Chinese government has promulgated China Trans-Century Green Engineering Plan, National Ecological Environment Construction Plan, and Compendium of National Ecological Conservation. China set up its Compendium of Development Plan for Nature Reserves in China (1996-2010), specifying the targets and specific programs for nature reserves planning nationwide. China also formulated the China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan for Forestry, the China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan in Agricultural Sectors, the China Marine Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan, the China National Wetlands Conservation Action Plan, Action Plan for Ex situ Protection of Giant Panda, etc. These ensure the integration of activities of major sectors into the national action plans.

China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan

China's Biodiversity: A Country Study