Qinghai strengthens spatial planning to balance development and conservation

Facing the dual challenges of ecological protection and economic development, Qinghai has established a territorial spatial planning system covering all administrative levels, enforcing ecological boundaries as statutory obligations in a province where ecological protection red lines cover more than 42 percent of the land, a natural resources official said.

"Territorial spatial planning is the guideline for national spatial development, the spatial blueprint for sustainable development, and the fundamental basis for all development, protection and construction activities," said Zhu Ruizhen, deputy director of the Territorial Spatial Planning Bureau at the Qinghai Provincial Department of Natural Resources.

Zhu said the planning system carries particular significance in Qinghai, home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers and a key ecological security barrier on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Ecological protection red lines cover 42.56 percent of the province's total area, one of the highest proportions in the country.

To provide precise spatial support for major projects, Qinghai has established a four-level, three-category territorial spatial planning system. Plans at the provincial, eight prefecture-level and 40 county-level tiers have been approved and implemented, supported by 184 township plans, 53 detailed regulatory plans and more than 1,900 village plans.

The ecological and environmental code, which will take effect on Aug 15, has further strengthened the legal foundation of the planning system, Zhu said, reinforcing its role in advancing law-based governance.

In mineral resource management, Qinghai became the first province in the country to withdraw mining rights from nature reserves. All 85 mining rights in the Sanjiangyuan and Qilian Mountain nature reserves and 78 mining rights in the Qinghai section of Qilian Mountain National Park have been revoked, with ecological restoration completed.

New mining projects are prohibited in all protected areas and must comply with both territorial spatial and mineral resource plans. The province now has 22 national-level and 40 provincial-level green mines operating under strict environmental standards.

To address conflicts between ecological protection red lines and local development needs, the department conducted field investigations and refined enforcement rules last year. Exemptions have been codified for facility agriculture and infrastructure upgrades serving long-term residents living within protected areas.

"In safeguarding our ecological protection red lines, we have also ensured the reasonable production and living needs of local residents," Zhu said.

The department has also shifted from a reactive to a preventive approach by participating in site-selection discussions before projects enter the implementation stage, rather than identifying conflicts during the permitting process.

"We are moving the entire process to the very front end," Zhu said, adding that the department is developing a digital "one map" platform to assess proposed sites and identify potential conflicts in advance.