The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) announced the results of the unified and confirmed registration of natural resources for the first batch of five national parks on Monday, clarifying their ownership, management responsibilities and ecological boundaries to serve the protection and supervision of natural resources.

China announced its first batch of national parks in 2021 — Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, Wuyi Mountain National Park, Giant Panda National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, and Sanjiangyuan National Park — with the aim of protecting the integrity of their ecosystems while making use of valuable natural resources scientifically and rationally.

The Civil Code mandates that the State Council, or China's Cabinet, represents the State in exercising ownership of all publicly owned natural resource assets. However, for a long time, it was unclear who exactly represents this exercise, how it is carried out, and what the rights of the exercise entail.

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This ambiguity has now been resolved through the unified and confirmed registration of natural resources. By upholding public ownership, strengthening property rights protection, and clearly delineating the roles of owners and regulators, such registration provides a robust legal foundation for national park management.

This approach not only solidifies the property rights foundation for ecological civilization construction, but also ensures the practical implementation of the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, which is also known as the "Two Mountains Theory".

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From the pilot exploration of five national parks to full-scale implementation, the unified and confirmed registration of natural resources covered 1,057 key areas nationwide, totaling 32 million hectares as of the end of July, the ministry said.