Improving legislation for environmental protection was a hot topic at the Environment and Resources Protection Conference of the National People's Congress (NPC).

The three-day event ended yesterday in Shanghai.

"Nowadays, the attention given to the amendment of old laws is much less than that given to the drafting of new laws,'' said Mao Rubai of the NPC Environment and Resources Protection Committee.

"Similarly the legislative work is more focused on the writing period than the reviewing.''

Yet a sound legal structure for environmental protection is not determined solely by the number of laws.

"Only with good quality can the laws be better implemented,'' Mao added, pointing out that some of the problems encountered in environmental work have a lot to do with legislation.

Sheng Huaren, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, voiced similar sentiments, and said several pieces of environmental legislation now top the NPC agenda.

They include promotion and protection of natural reserves and protection and development of sea islands.

China is the world's largest coal consuming country, and development and use of coal resources has resulted in widespread environmental and biological problems.

Expanding the use of renewable energy is an effective way to curb those problems. However, without an effective policy to encourage development and marketing of renewable energy, the process will remain slow.

The NPC plans to legislate in this field to fuel its growth.

In 1994 the State Council passed the Natural Reserve Protection Regulation, yet after so many years the regulation has in many ways failed to keep pace with the new situation.

"The establishment and management of natural reserves is still chaotic,'' Mao said.

The lack of healthy plans and over-development are rampant. Thus a law to further enhance the protection and management of the reserves is under consideration.

When talking about the necessity of drafting a law for sea islands, Mao said the absence of such a law has already resulted in great disorder by putting both the environment of China's islands and the ocean surrounding them at risk.

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