Creating a ‘Conservation with Chinese Characteristics’

As China becomes increasingly influential in international affairs, it is important to understand the unique characteristics of Chinese environmental values and policy processes. This is especially true given the rate and scale of China’s environmental impacts on natural ecosystems from local to international levels. Currently, however, Chinese conservation values, policies and practices are not well-integrated. We identify four systemic barriers to conservation in China that contribute to this poor integration: weak rule of law; unclear land tenure; top down government authority; and disconnects between scientific research and management implementation. To advance China toward an environmentally secure future, we suggest that combining traditional Chinese environmental values with contemporary science and international conservation practices will help to create a ‘Conservation with Chinese Characteristics’. We do not believe that traditional values should replace modern science and management. Rather, we suggest that, given the cultural and political conditions in China today, using traditional values to frame contemporary environmental science and ecosystem-based management may create stronger societal support for conservation implementation.