Reclamation projects to face tough hurdles

China will approve no more land reclamation projects unless they pertain to key national strategies, according to a circular released by the State Council on Wednesday.

The central government said that new marine conversion projects — transforming water areas to land — will be subject to a strict approval process, and local authorities no longer have the power to approve such projects.

Related departments, including the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Development and Reform Commission, will complete a survey of such sea conversions by the end of this year, and produce a list of illegal or unfinished projects, the circular said.

Ongoing projects should minimize the amount of marine area affected, and any illegal projects will undergo ecological assessments, it said.

According to the circular, local authorities will repair the ecological damage that has been done in the course of illegal projects, and demolish harmful facilities.

Local authorities were also urged to establish a real-time ecological monitoring system and strengthen punishments for authorities that fail to perform their duty.

In the past, conversions of water to land have contributed to economic development by mitigating land shortages in coastal regions and providing space for public infrastructure and industrial parks.

However, illegal and irregular activities have created a number of problems for marine ecosystems.