The big environmental stories in the Chinese media (29 January - 4 February)
After investigating the NEA, the central environmental disciplinary inspectors visited another central government agency, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA). In a report released on 1 February, the inspection team pointed out that the NFGA’s governance capacity is not sufficient to protect the natural resources it oversees. Like the NEA, the NFGA was required to submit a correction plan within 30 working days.
China planned to establish a national park system and start operating the first park in 2020. The plan is seriously behind schedule now with none of the 10 pilots officially established. The inspection team pointed out that the NFGA failed to meet the central government’s expectation for this important task.
The administration also failed to protect some of the most important wetlands across the country. “It lacks systematic planning for wetland protection and management,” the report said.
Zoologists and environmentalists have long called for China to update its list of protected animals, which has barely changed since its creation in 1989. Inspectors accused the NFGA of negligence for leaving some of the most endangered species off the list for so long.
Unlike the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the NFGA is a deputy ministerial level government body. Thus, critics believe it is granted much less power to implement its policy, and that is one reason it lacks capacity.
(Sources: China Dialogue)
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