1.1 Introduction to the Socio-economic Development
1.2 The Status and Role of Forestry in the National Socio-Economic Development
1.3 Status and Role of China's Forestry in Forestry Development of the Asia-Pacific Region
Before 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, the Chinese socio-economy was that of a semi-feudal, semi-colonial society. Social upheaval, economic stagnation and frequent occurrence of natural calamities pushed the socio-economy towards the verge of collapse.
Within a short period of seven years between 1949 and 1956, the Chinese government accomplished the socialist transformation of the old semi-feudal economic system and established preliminarily a new industrial system based on heavy industry and a co-operative system in agriculture. By 1957, China's gross value of industrial and agricultural output had reached RMB 124.1 billion yuan, of which the gross output value soared from RMB 34.3 billion yuan in 1952 up to RMB 70.4 billion yuan for industries along with speedy industrial development, and RMB 48.4 billion yuan to RMB 53.7 billion yuan for agriculture. During the given period, the gross output value for forestry increased from RMB 290 million yuan to RMB 930 million yuan (absolute figure based on 1957 fixed prices) with its proportion in gross agricultural output value increasing from 0.7% to 1.7%.
Between 1958-1978, China was shocked by frequent political movements which brought about adverse impacts on the social and economic development of the country. Except in the period between 1961-1965 during which economic adjustment was carried out, the national economic development was seriously unbalanced. Due to the mistake of blind pursuance of high growth rate in production and grand magnitude of construction projects, the heavy industry took up over 30% in the national income creating an unbalanced national economic structure. The present goals were not met in production and construction, and people's living conditions could not be duly improved for a lengthy period.
In the winter of 1978, the Chinese government adopted a new policy for reform and opening to the outside world to promote social and economic development, corrected the Left Deviation mistakes in the previous economic activities, lowered the rate of industrial growth from 13.5% in 1978 down to 8% in 1979 (the actual rate was 8.5%), and cut down the investment in capital construction projects under the Central planning from RMB 45 billion yuan to RMB 36 billion yuan. Meanwhile, the purchasing prices of farm produce were increased which has gradually changed the ratio between accumulation and consumption in the national income. Subsequently a series of unprecedented major reform policies were implemented in the ten years between 1978 and 1987 to promote social and economic development in China, of which the reform of rural joint contract responsibility system was most prominent and successful. These policies laid a solid foundation for the rapid and healthy development of China's socio-economy in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Between 1978 and 1987, China's gross social output value increased from RMB 684.6 billion yuan to RMB 2,308.3 billion yuan and the gross value of industrial and agricultural output from RMB 563.4 billion yuan to RMB 1,848.9 billion yuan. The national income rose from RMB 301 billion yuan to RMB 932.1 billion yuan and the social labour productivity from RMB 760 yuan to RMB 1,787 yuan (based on the fixed prices of the given years).
Entering into the 1990s, China's national economy reached a higher stage on the basis of its high and sustained growth during the 1980s. Industrial structure and product composition have been further adjusted, scope of opening to the outside world expanded, and people's living standards substantially raised.
China's economy in 1994 maintained the trend of development as in the early 1990s with new achievements scored. The national economy continued its rapid rate of growth which was projected to be around 11% for the gross national product and 16% for the industrial value added. Product composition was further adjusted. In the field of agriculture, the total grain output reached 445 billion kilograms, a bumper harvest in history, despite serious flood and drought damage in many localities and the volume of commodity grains purchased by the State was in general equivalent to that in 1993. The trend of over-rapid growth in investment on social fixed assets was brought under initial control with the growth rate dropping from 58% in 1993 down to 24.4%. Investment structure was improved in 1994 which witnessed successful implementation of major national construction projects. The domestic market is brisk, supply of daily consumables abundant and conflicts between supply and demand of production materials have been obviously mitigated.
New progress has been made in the implementation of the opening policy with the total value of import and export breaking US$ 200 billion for the first time in history. The cash balance of the State increased from US$ 21.2 billion at the end of 1993 up to US$ 50 billion by the end of 1994 and the inward direct overseas investment in 1994 surpassed US$ 30 billion. By 1996, China's foreign exchange reserves had exceeded US$ 100 billion. Along with the economic development, the living conditions of urban and rural residents have been further improved. In spite of inflation, the actual annual growth rate, compared to that of last year, was around 4% in farmers' average per capita net income and around 7% in the average per capita income for consumption of the urban residents. The bank deposits of the urban and rural residents reached RMB 1 900 billion yuan, an increase of RMB 500 billion yuan in the given year or a rise of over RMB 200 billion yuan compared to that of 1993.
In 1994, the total population in China was 1.1985 billion and the total number of employees exceeded 615 million. The annual net population growth rate was 1.4% between 1986 and 1994. The new national economic accounting system statistics revealed that the gross domestic product was RMB 4,379.9 billion yuan in 1994 and the annual average growth rate was 9.5% between 1986 and 1994. The total import and export in 1994 valued US$ 236.73 billion, of which export value reached US$ 121.04 billion and import value US$ 115.69 billion with an respective annual net growth rate of 14.6%, 18% and 11.8% between 1986 and 1994.
1.2.1 Improving the Deteriorating Ecosystems and Environment
1.2.2 Securing the High and Stable Yield of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and a Rise in Grain Yield by 50 Billion Kilograms
1.2.3 Meeting the Market Demand for Forest Products
1.2.4 Poverty Eradication in Mountainous Areas
1.2.5 Providing Employment Opportunities
Forestry is a major component of the national economy in China. It is not only an industry but also a public undertaking; it falls into the category of agriculture in a broad sense, but also functions as a backbone industry and raw material supply sector incorporating economic, social and ecological benefits. The role of forestry in national economic and social development is highlighted by the fact that forestry provides ecological shelters to promote the high and stable yield in agriculture and animal husbandry, to secure conservation of water resources and guarantee the long-term functions of water conservancy facilities. Forestry is a major means to revitalize rural economy and in particular the mountain economy; to adjust the rural industrial structure, and solve the problem of energy shortage in rural areas. Forestry is also of great significance for speeding up development of the national economy, improvement of ecosystems and the environment, promotion of spiritual civilization and advancement of social progress. With proper forest rehabilitation and forestry development in China, forestry will play an increasingly important role in the national social and economic development.
China has scored some achievements in environmental protection. However, the general trend of environmental deterioration has not been fundamentally reversed due to prolonged exploitation and unwise use of forest vegetation.
Soil erosion is a very serious problem in China. In present China, water eroded area alone totals 1.79 million square kilometres with an annual volume of soil loss reaching 5 billion tons, valued as high as RMB 7.16 billion yuan. Consequently, reservoirs, lakes and river courses are silted up and river beds heightened. Statistics show that, since 1949, the total lake area in the country has shrunk by 1.86 million hectares or 40% of the existing lake area; 22 major reservoirs have been silted up and abandoned, with a loss of water storage volume of 400 billion cubic meters. Functions of water conservancy facilities and flood control capacity of large rivers are weakened to a substantial extent.
Land desertification ranks the top among the ten major environmental problems challenging the world today. China is a country with large stretches of widely distributed deserts creating extremely adverse impacts. The total area of deserts, Gobi, desertified land and sandy stretches in China approaches 1.53 million square kilometres or 16% of the country's total land area. The desertification process has been accelerating, from an average annual rate of 1,560 square kilometres in the 1950s to 2,100 square kilometres in the 1980s, and has the potential risk of further aggravation.
According to preliminary estimates, since the beginning of the 90s, a total of 20-40 million hectares of farm crops are adversely affected by natural calamities throughout the country with a drop in grain yield of over 20 billion kilograms; the direct economic loss caused by all types of natural calamities reaches as high as RMB 50-60 billion yuan each year. In recent years, natural calamities have occurred more frequently but have had aggravated impacts. The annual calamity-stricken area in China in the 1980s was 1.7 times more than that in the 1970s and 2.1 times of that in the 1950s.
China is one of the countries in the world which host the most diverse species of fauna and flora. However, forest depletion, pasture degradation and environmental deterioration have resulted in shrinking of the habitats and decline in the populations of fauna and flora in China. China has 32,800 species of higher plants, and about 104,500 species of animals. According to an estimate, the number of fauna and flora species being threatened makes up 15-20% of China's total, higher than the world average of 10-20%. In the last 100 years, over 10 wild fauna species and more than 200 wild flora species have become extinct.
In this connection, speeding up the pace of forest ecosystem development and improvement of ecosystems and the environment to reverse the general trend of environmental deterioration is a great historical mission the society bestows on the forestry sector.
By the end of this century, population in China will reach 1.3 billion people. Based on the per capita share of grain during the Eighth Five-Year Plan period, calculations indicate that the grain yield by 2000 shall be no less than 500 billion kilograms, a net increase of 50 billion kilograms over the present production; this is an urgent strategic goal to accomplish. Within this context, the most important and practical strategic option shall be the development of woody plants which contribute food and oils, transforming deserts into farmland and opening up new ways of grain production while efforts shall be continuously made to strengthen development of farmland shelterbelts, improve farming conditions and guarantee high and stable yields in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Statistics reveal that a larger proportion of the existing 63.03 million hectares of plantable wasteland can be used to produce food and oils from woody plants; production in the existing 6.7 million hectares of woody grain/oil plantations is mostly low and can be increased substantially through integrated technical renovation, 1-2 times for woody grain crops and 4-5 times for woody oil plants; within the farmland shelterbelt networks, crop yield can be increased by 10-20%. By now, there are still 54.9 million hectares of farmland without shelterbelt protection half of which require the establishment of shelterbelt networks. Among China's desertified land stretches, 6.7-13.4 million hectares can be transformed into farmland with great potential. Furthermore, agroforestry shall be another means to increase grain production. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the area of new and young forest stands in China has been increasing by 2 million hectares every year, a part of which can be used for intercropping with crops to achieve the goal of dual harvests.
Meeting the market demand for forest products and securing effective supply to the society is the fundamental requirement of the national economy on forestry practice.
Projection of the forest products market shows that, in the coming 15 years or even further into the future, timber demand (including commercial timber, timber for the self-use of farmers, and for cultivation) in China shall be on the increase. China's demand shall be 164 million cubic meters for timber (for both construction and processing industries, the same hereinafter) and 77.6 million cubic meters for fuelwood by the year 2000, rising to 180 million cubic meters and 80 million cubic meters respectively by the year 2010.
China's wood-based panel production in 1995 was 6.5 million cubic meters. Projections indicate that, by the year 2000, the demand will have risen to 9-10 million cubic meters, of which demand for plywood, particleboard, MDF and fibreboard shall be 2.9-3.2, 2.75-3.06, 2.05-2.28, and 1.3-1.45 million cubic meters respectively; by the year 2010, corresponding demand of wood-based panels shall be 13-14 million cubic meters, of which demand for plywood, particleboard, MDF and fibreboard shall be 3.82-4.12, 4.6-4.96, 2.9-3.12, and 1.67-1.8 million cubic meters respectively. The increase in output over 1995 will be 2.5-3.5 million cubic meters by the year 2000 and 3-4 million cubic meters by the year 2010.
At present, China's commercial pulp production capacity totals over 10 million tons, of which wood pulp accounts for merely 10%, far from meeting the demand for paper making in China especially the manufacture of high quality paper products. Every year China spends more than US$ 3 billion on the import of wood pulp, paper and paper products totalling almost 4 million tons. Projection reveals that China's pulp production will reach 23 million tons by the year 2000, wood pulp supply will be 4.14 million tons based on the calculation that wood pulp accounts for 18% of the total pulp production; pulp production will exceed 35 million tons by the year 2010 and wood pulp supply be about 8 million tons based on the wood pulp percentage of 22 %.
China is a country in the world with rich bamboo resources and is a big bamboo consumer. According to projections, bamboo demand in China will reach 16 million tons by the year 2000 (compared to a production of 10.2 million tons) and 30 million tons by the year 2010.
Rosin is China's traditional exported oriented and foreign exchange earning product. Analysis indicates that the international rosin market will remain stable and the total supply to the domestic market be secured. It is projected that rosin demand will be 420,000 tons by the year 2000 of which 230,000 tons for the domestic market and 500,000 tons by the year 2010 of which 265,000 tons for domestic consumption. Hence, rosin production in China is facing the challenges of expanding scale and improving efficiency, development of new products, raising product quality, and strengthening its capacity for international competition.
There are a diverse varieties of economic forest products in China. Analysis shows that the gap between demand and supply (total amount) for the fruit market is very small, whereas woody oil/grain products and raw materials for the chemical industry, various well-known, special, high-quality and new products are in short supply. The total demand for economic forest products will be 55 million tons (including 9.4 million tons of woody oil/grain products) by the year 2000 and 91.835 million tons (including 17 million tons of woody oil/grain products) by the year 2010. Therefore, the orientation of development for economic forests shall be control of fruit tree growing to a proper scale, vigorous development in the production of dry fruits, oil plants and raw materials for the chemical industry, varieties of various well-known, special, high-quality and new products in particular.
China is a country with innumerable mountains and the mountain population makes up 56% of the country's total. Due to historical, social and natural factors, economic development in mountainous China has been very slow, many farmers in the mountainous area are still living in poverty without necessary ability for upgrading. This has seriously hindered the State's economic and social development.
Poverty in China is particularly acute in the mountainous areas: in 1992, the average per capita income for mountainous farmers was 20% lower than the national average (40% lower for farmers in western China's mountainous areas); of the 592 poverty-stricken counties supported by the State's 87 Poverty Alleviation Programme, 496 counties or 84% are in the mountainous area; 1,000 poverty-stricken State forest farms are all in the mountainous area. Every year many farmers have sufficient food and clothing only for part of the year. Of the 80 million poverty-stricken people in China in 1994, most lived in remote central and western mountainous areas with poor access, unbalanced ecosystems, poor natural conditions, backward means of production and stagnant economy. It is an arduous task to help these people get rid of poverty.
In the mountainous area, the per capita share of arable land is merely about 0.1 hectare, 10% lower than the national average, whereas the per capita share of forest land approaches 0.4 hectare, much higher than the national average of 0.1 hectare. In mountainous China, there are not only 90% of China's total forest land and 80% of the country's total stocking volume, but also many major production bases for woody oil/grain products, fruits, tea, bamboo, forest by-products, special and local produce and medicinal herbs. Forestry is therefore the basis and pioneer of other industries in the mountainous area. Without priority being given to appropriate forestry development, vigorous advancement of other industries cannot be promoted and achieved.
By 2000, efforts will be made, in line with the strategic goal for the State's second-step development and the 87 Poverty Alleviation Programme, to adjust the economic structure of rural mountainous areas, establish and develop forestry industries so as to give initial shape to integrated mountainous development led by forestry. It is intended that by the end of this century, the overwhelming majority of poor farmers in the mountainous area would have solved the problem of food and shelter. The per capita net income for rural farmers will increase from RMB 653 yuan in 1992 to over RMB 1,100 yuan in 2000, of which over 50% will be gained through integrated forestry development. Other targets are that the poverty-stricken counties will have been lifted out of poverty and the average per capita net income for farmers in the poverty-stricken counties will exceed RMB 700 yuan; around 1,000 State forest farms will have shaken off poverty; the integrated forestry activities dominating mountainous development will absorb 15 million (10% of the rural total), surplus rural labourers in the next five years. Forestry development with a growth rate of 15% will promote the development of mountainous economy at a rate of 10-11%. Between 2001-2010, efforts shall be made to widen, deepen and speed up the pace of integrated mountainous areas development, to achieve relatively balanced local economic development and to improve quality of the environment substantially so as to give initial shape to sustainable development.
Forestry in China has developed into an industrial sector with 2.5 million employees in over 38,000 organizations engaging in afforestation and silviculture, logging, timber processing, forest products chemical industry and diversified operations etc.. In addition there are 150,000 rural collective forest farms and a great number of specialized forestry households and priority forestry households. The continuous development in forestry activities have increased the economic benefits in the forest areas, promoted migration of surplus rural labour force and provided the society with enormous employment opportunities.
1.3.1 Forest Resources
1.3.2 Production and Trade of Timber and Forest Products
1.3.3 Protection of Ecosystems and the Environment
1.3.4 Forest Protection
1.3.5 Development of Forestry Legal System
1.3.6 International Cooperation
As a large country in the world with a population of 1.2 billion (1994) and a territory of 9.6 million square kilometers, the Chinese government attaches great significance to and actively carries out friendly exchanges and cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and has played its due role in and made great contributions to the promotion of forestry development and environmental protection in Asia and the Pacific through the development of national ecological programmes and large scale afforestation and greening activities.
According to information released by FAO in 1995 (data of Taiwan Province listed under P.R. China), there were 859 million hectares of forest land in 1990 in Asia and the Pacific3 and 162 million hectares in China (of which the mainland has 129 million hectares) accounting for 18.9%. Of the 578 million hectares of forest land in the region, 134 million hectares or 23% are in China. The forest cover in China is 14% and there is a long way for China to go compared to other countries such as Japan (66%), Malaysia (54%) and Indonesia (64%). As far as forest stocking volume is concerned, the total stocking volume in the region is 62.12 billion cubic meters of which 9.79 billion cubic meters (the official figure being 10.137 billion) or 15.8% are in China and the stocking volume per hectare is 96 cubic meters. Comparing to other countries in the region, quality of the forest resources in China is fairly low.
3 Totals of "Asia and the Pacific" may vary according to countries selected. Details are best checked with FAO Forestry Paper No. 124 "Forest Resources Assessment 1990 - Global Synthesis" Rome, 1995. This publication (Table 3) gives a developing Asia-Pacific total of 660 million ha of "forests and the wooded land" and 497 million ha for forest alone. To these must be added forest areas for developed countries of the region. The use of the term "forest" requires care and definitions are presented in the FAO publication to avoid confusion (Editor).
China is a populous country with enormous consumption of fuelwood ranking the second (200 million cubic meters) in the Asia-Pacific region just behind India (263 million cubic meters). Its consumption makes up 22.9% of the regional total. By 2010, fuelwood consumption in China is expected to reach 221 million cubic meters or 21.2% of the Asia-Pacific regional total of 1 044 million cubic meters.
Demand for industrial timber will increase substantially in China along with its economic development. As per the up-dated material released by FAO in 1996 (data of Taiwan Province listed under P.R. China, the same situation hereinafter), China's industrial roundwood production for 1994 was 101.9 million cubic meters, consumption 104.1 million cubic meters, import 4.587 million cubic meters and export merely 2.41 million cubic meters. It is projected that China's industrial roundwood consumption will reach 194 million cubic meters by 2010. In 1994, the Asia-Pacific regional industrial roundwood production was 310.2 million cubic meters, consumption 345.5 million cubic meters, import 65.881 million cubic meters and export merely 30.545 million cubic meters and China's share was 33%, 30%, 7% and 8% respectively. It is projected that the regional industrial roundwood consumption will reach 584 million cubic meters by 2010 of which China will have a share of 33 %.
According to the statistics of FAO, China's sawntimber production for 1994 was 25.162 million cubic meters, consumption 26.865 million cubic meters, import 2.4 million cubic meters and export merely 0.737 million cubic meters. In the same year, the Asia-Pacific regional sawntimber production was 105 million cubic meters, consumption 122.7 million cubic meters, import 26.152 million cubic meters and export merely 8.455 million cubic meters and China's share was 24%, 22%, 9% and 9% respectively. It is projected that China's sawntimber consumption will reach 44.26 million cubic meters by 2010 accounting for 20.5% of the Asia-Pacific regional total consumption.
In 1994, the Asia-Pacific regional total production of wood-based panels was 52.035 million cubic meters, consumption 52.535 million cubic meters, import 15.183 million cubic meters and export 14.683 million cubic meters. In the same year China's total production of wood-based panels was 21.59 million cubic meters or 33% of the regional total, consumption 25.119 million cubic meters or 41%, import 3.954 million cubic meters or 26% and export 0.425 million cubic meters or 3%. It is projected that the regional wood-based panel consumption will reach 105.448 million cubic meters by 2010 and 32.855 million cubic meters in China which accounts for 31 % of the regional total.
China's consumption of paper and paperboard will increase from 29.789 million tons in 1994 to a projected 71.728 million tons by 2010 while the Asia-Pacific regional consumption will increase from 84.6 million tons in 1994 up to 189.241 tons by 2010 and China's share from 35% in 1994 to 38% by 2010. As far as import and export are concerned, China is a major importer of paper and paperboard with an import quantity of 4.044 million tons and an export quantity of merely 1.158 million tons in 1994 accounting for 26% and 16% of the regional total import/export respectively.
In 1993, the total output value of forest products in China was US$ 34.659 billion making up 29% of the Asia-Pacific regional total of US$ 117.713 billion and the output value of forest products in China accounts for only 2% of its GDP. China's import of forest products was equivalent to US$ 4.648 billion making up 13% of the Asia-Pacific regional total import value of US$ 35.242 billion, while its export value of forest products exceeds US$ 1.121 billion or 6.4% of the regional total of US$ 17.548 billion.
The on-going grand ecological forestry programmes initiated by the Chinese government and the achievements of these programmes have set up good examples for the countries in Asia and the Pacific region. With unremitting efforts in the past two decades, the ten ecological forestry programmes in China have scored remarkable achievements and such environmental problems hindering the sustainable social and economic development in China as desertification, water and soil erosion and farmland degradation have been obviously mitigated. The timely completion of the first phase of China's Three-north Shelterbelt Development Programme has effectively brought desertification in this region under control which will play an active role in environmental protection and improvement not only for China but also for its neighbouring countries such as Japan and Mongolia.
The shelterbelt systems being established along the upper reaches of China's major rivers have produced remarkable social and ecological benefits. In particular, the establishment of a shelterbelt system along the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River has promoted the gradual rehabilitation of the forest vegetation and initial control of water and soil erosion which not only have mitigated to a great extent the damage caused by flood and drought in south-western China but also will bring about positive effects on the Southeast Asian countries which are subject to the influence of the Yangtze River system. The success of China's ecological forestry programmes highlights the necessity and significance of joint governmental and social involvement. Its successful practice will provide sound experiences for the protection of ecological environment and sustainable social and economic development in countries of the Asia-Pacific region, Southeast Asia in particular so as to achieve simultaneous progress and development.
As a country deficient in forest resources, China encounters much greater challenges in forest protection during its process of forestry development compared to many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Nevertheless, the Chinese government has made unremitting and effective efforts in protection of its forest resources and prevention and control of forest diseases, insect pests and forest fires.
In the light of the status quo of the domestic forest resources, the Chinese government has formulated a series of laws, regulations and policies which take logging quota management as the central element of forest resource management and adopt overall management of the forest resource consumption. Based on the needs for forest resource management in major forest regions, the State has appointed forest resource supervisory commissioners and established supervisory organizations to work in major forestry provinces and key forest industrial enterprises to exercise supervision and control of the total volumes of logging, transportation and timber sales so as to guarantee wise consumption of the forest resources.
With regard to prevention and control of forest fire, forest diseases and insects, the State has promulgated Regulations on Prevention and Control of Forest Pests and Diseases and Regulations on Forest Fire Prevention. The guideline is to focus on prevention first and to complement this by integrated control measures for fires as well as pests and diseases. A forest diseases and pests projection and forecast system and a forest plant quarantine and preventive service networking system have been established and improved. Integrated artificial, chemical and biological approaches have been adopted to prevent the large scale and frequent occurrence of major forest diseases and pests. The percentage of forest diseases and pests under prevention and control (biological and chemical control) has been raised and the rate of integrated prevention, and control increased from 36.7% during the Sixth Five-Year Plan period to 40% in the early 1990s. In recent years, the rate of damage caused by forest fires (the percentage of damaged area to forest area) in China has dropped substantially from around 8 per thousand before 1987 to 2 per thousand in 1994 which is lower than the world average and the best practice recorded in history.
The Chinese government gives top priority to forestry legislation. In February 1979, the Sixth Session of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China adopted the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China (for Trial Implementation). In September 1984, the Seventh Session of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China adopted the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China which came into force as in January, 1985. In November 1988, the Fourth Session of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China adopted the Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China. After the promulgation of the Forest Law and the Wildlife Protection Law, the State Council issued a series of supporting administrative regulations such as Regulations for Implementation of the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China, Regulations on Forest Fire Prevention, Regulations on Prevention and Control of Forest Pests and Diseases, and Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Terrestrial Wildlife. By September 1994, China has promulgated for forestry 4 laws, 4 administrative regulations, more than 60 sectoral rules and regulations, and over 200 local bye-laws and local governmental regulations - this has constituted a basic legal framework to guarantee sustainable forestry development.
As a developing country, China is fully aware of her obligations and major role in protection of ecosystems and the environment of our Mother Earth. Not long after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992, the Chinese government put forward the Ten Major Policy Measures to promote environmental protection and development. With the support of UNDP, China has completed the formulation of such major documents as China's Agenda 21, the Implementation Plan for the Priority Programmes of China's Agenda 21, the Forestry Action Plan for China's Agenda 21, Outline of China's Programme for Environmental Development, China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan, China Wetland Conservation Action Plan, and China National Action Plan to Implement the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The Forestry Action Plan for China's Agenda 21 is a major document highlighting the spirit of China's Agenda 21 and promoting China's forestry to be in line with the international practice; it is a comprehensive, operational and directive document formulated in the light of the specific Chinese conditions and its forestry status, and by absorbing and highlighting the experiences gained by the relevant action plans being or to be implemented by the Chinese government.
