National Pilot Zones for Eco-Environmental Conservation
China's national pilot zones for eco-environmental conservation are national-level platforms for the reform of the eco-civilization system.
The decision of the 18th CPC Central Committee at its fifth plenary session in October 2015, and the 13th Five-year Plan for 2016-2020 both brought the plan to establish national pilot zones for ecological conservation under a set of unified standards.
In August 2016, the central authorities issued a document on building these pilot zones. Three provinces – Fujian, Guizhou and Jiangxi, all with relatively good environment strengths in natural resources – were chosen as the first group to develop pilot zones. In May 2019, Hainan Province was added to the list.
In November 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission published a list of reform measures and positive practices for application in other parts of China. The list included 90 reform measures and successful cases in 14 areas:
•property rights of natural resource assets,
•territorial space development and protection,
•environmental governance,
•household waste sorting and treatment,
•improvement of water resources and the water environment,
•improvement of rural living environments,
•conservation and restoration,
•green, circular and low-carbon development,
•green finance,
•eco-compensation,
•poverty alleviation through eco-environmental programs,
•judicial practice,
•legislation and supervision, and
•performance review and auditing.
The results from these pilot zones will promote other places with their reform of the eco-civilization system, and boost the building of China's eco-civilization from 2021 to 2025.
Applying top-level design to their own programs, the national pilot zones have gained valuable experience in institutional innovation and growth models, which can be applied in other areas. Their resource utilization has been increased, their eco-environment continues to improve, and there have been notable improvements in the quality and efficiency of development. With positive results in economic and social progress and environmental protection, these pilot zones have provided new opportunities for modernization with harmony between humanity and nature, and provide institutional support for boosting green development and building an eco-civilization in a beautiful China.
国家生态文明试验区
国家生态文明试验区，是生态文明体制改革的国家级综合平台。中共十八届五中全会和“十三五”规划《纲要》明确提出，设立统一规范的国家生态文明试验区。2016年8月，中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅印发《关于设立统一规范的国家生态文明试验区的意见》，福建、江西和贵州三省作为生态基础较好、资源环境承载能力较强的地区，被纳入首批统一规范的国家生态文明试验区，探索形成可在全国复制推广的成功经验。2019年5月，中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅印发了《国家生态文明试验区（海南）实施方案》，将海南纳入试验区范围。
2020年11月，国家发展改革委印发《国家生态文明试验区改革举措和经验做法推广清单》，内容包括自然资源资产产权、国土空间开发保护、环境治理体系、生活垃圾分类与治理、水资源水环境综合整治、农村人居环境整治、生态保护与修复、绿色循环低碳发展、绿色金融、生态补偿、生态扶贫、生态司法、生态文明立法与监督、生态文明考核与审计等14个方面，共90项可复制可推广的改革举措和经验做法。这标志着国家生态文明试验区已取得阶段性成果，将极大促进各地区进一步深化生态文明体制改革，对“十四五”时期加快推进生态文明建设具有重要意义。
建设国家生态文明试验区，是将中央顶层设计与地方具体实践相结合，以体制创新、制度供给、模式探索为重点，集中开展生态文明体制改革综合试验，率先建成较为完善的生态文明制度体系，形成一批可在全国复制推广的重大制度成果，资源利用水平大幅提高，生态环境质量持续改善，发展质量和效益明显提升，实现经济社会发展和生态环境保护双赢，形成人与自然和谐发展的现代化建设新格局，为加快生态文明建设、实现绿色发展、建设美丽中国提供有力制度保障。