China has unveiled a new ecological protection plan for the 2026–2030 period, establishing concrete environmental targets as part of its initiative for green modernization.
The plan was jointly released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources on Tuesday.
The plan forms part of China's wider "Beautiful China" initiative, which outlines environmental priorities under the 15th Five-Year Plan. It aims to steadily improve ecosystem quality, enhance ecosystem diversity, stability and resilience, and strengthen the country's overall ecological security.
Among the key targets set for 2030 are raising the Ecological Quality Index to 86.5 and keeping protected areas at no less than 18% of the country's total land area.
Additionally, the plan seeks to increase the soil and water conservation rate to above 74%, and sets a target of expanding forest coverage to 25.8% by the end of the decade.
Beyond these numerical benchmarks, the plan outlines specific implementation tasks. These include optimizing the spatial layout of ecological zones and advancing ecosystem protection and restoration projects nationwide.
The plan also calls for comprehensively strengthening biodiversity conservation efforts. Officials have described these measures as central to balancing continued economic growth with long-term environmental sustainability.
The announcement comes as China's landmark Ecological and Environmental Code is set to take effect. The code consolidates more than 30 existing environmental laws into a single unified framework.