The newly revised Marine Environmental Protection Law will come into force on January 1 next year. What is the significance of the revision of the Marine Environmental Protection Law, and how to strengthen the concept of ecological protection?
A few days ago, in response to the implementation of the Marine Environmental Protection Law (revision), Liu Haitao, deputy director of the Administrative Law Office of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said that the revision of the Marine Environmental Protection Law is of great significance for protecting and improving the marine environment, allowing the people to better enjoy the blue sea and blue sky, clean beaches, ensuring ecological safety and public health, safeguarding the country's marine rights and interests, building a maritime power, promoting sustainable economic and social development, and realizing the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
Establish a target responsibility system and an assessment and evaluation system
In this regard, Liu Haitao, deputy director of the Administrative Law Office of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress [NPC], said that the revised Marine Environmental Protection Law consolidates the responsibilities of departments and localities, clearly defines the division of responsibilities, requires the people's governments of coastal areas to be responsible for the quality of the marine environment in the sea areas under their management, strengthens the coordination mechanism of coastal local areas, and implements a responsibility system for marine environmental protection objectives and an assessment and evaluation system.
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At the same time, we will strengthen the construction of a marine environmental supervision and management system with overall planning and regional linkage between land and sea, promote the construction of marine environmental supervision and management capacity, increase the management and control of ecological environment zoning, comprehensive management of key sea areas, management of sea discharge permits, interview and rectification, information sharing, credit evaluation, sealing and seizure, etc., and improve the planning, standards, monitoring, early warning, investigation, environmental impact assessment, emergency response and other systems.
In addition, it is clarified that the state will strengthen the control of marine environmental quality, promote the comprehensive management of sea areas, strictly manage sea discharge permits, and improve the quality of the marine environment in key sea areas.
Hu Songqin, deputy director of the Department of Oceanography of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, introduced that the revised Marine Environmental Protection Law focuses on the outstanding problems of marine ecological environmental protection, summarizes the practical experience of marine ecological environmental protection, and has many institutional innovations and pragmatic measures. For example, a responsibility system and an assessment and evaluation system for marine environmental objectives have been established.
Specifically, Hu Songqin introduced that the revised marine environmental protection law clarifies that the local people's governments at or above the county level in the coastal areas are responsible for the quality of the marine environment in the sea areas under their management, and implements the responsibility system and assessment and evaluation system for marine environmental protection objectives"Spell of Tightening".
Improve the compensation system for marine ecological protection
Regarding the revision and implementation of the Marine Environmental Protection Law, Lin Dan, deputy director of the Law Office of the National People's Congress Environmental Protection Committee, said in response to reporters' questions that the revision of the Marine Environmental Protection Law will include acts that cause ecological damage to the waters under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China outside the waters under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China into the scope of application of this law. At the same time, "protection first" should be regarded as one of the principles that should be adhered to in the marine environment, and the leading role of the principle of protection priority in marine environmental protection should be fully emphasized.
Haikou Bay, Haikou City, Hainan Province. Photo according to Xinhua News Agency
At the same time, the revision of the Marine Environmental Protection Law further clarifies the responsibilities of relevant departments in marine ecological protection, Lin Dan introduced, including the responsibilities of relevant departments in ecological protection and restoration, supervision responsibilities, publicity and education responsibilities, public opinion supervision responsibilities, etc., and the completion of marine environmental protection goals is included in the content of assessment and evaluation.
In terms of strengthening the institutional design of marine ecological protection, Lin Dan introduced that the revision of the Marine Environmental Protection Law has strengthened the guiding role of marine ecological environmental protection regulations, refined the requirements of ecological protection red lines, optimized marine environmental standards and monitoring and investigation systems, and increased the provisions on marine ecological environment quality investigation, marine resources investigation, and marine ecological early warning and monitoring. Improve the compensation system for marine ecological protection, and increase the requirements for the State Council and coastal provincial-level people's governments to support the development of marine ecological protection compensation, and local people's governments at all levels to implement marine ecological protection compensation funds.
Any unit or individual
It has the right to supervise and report acts that damage the marine ecology
Lin Dan also introduced that the revision and implementation of the Marine Environmental Protection Law has taken multiple measures to strengthen the protection of marine ecology.
For example, in Chapter 3 of Marine Ecological Protection, the overall requirements of the state to strengthen marine ecological protection and improve the quality, diversity, stability and sustainability of marine ecosystems are added. In accordance with the overall requirements for the establishment of the nature reserve system, improve the provisions on the delineation and classification standards of sea-related nature reserves; increase and improve the system of investigation, monitoring, assessment and protection of marine biodiversity, maintain and restore important marine ecological corridors, and prevent the destruction of biodiversity by various behaviors, including development and utilization; and increase the provisions on scientifically carrying out the multiplication and release of aquatic organisms, and taking effective measures to protect typical and representative marine ecosystems such as seaweed farms and seagrass beds.
Lin Dan said that in Chapter 4 of the prevention and control of land-based pollutants, Chapter 5 of the pollution prevention and control of engineering construction projects, Chapter 6 of the prevention and control of pollution from waste dumping and Chapter 7 of the prevention and control of pollution from ships and related operations, ecological protection requirements have been added accordingly to avoid or reduce the impact of navigation, exploration, development, production, tourism, scientific research and other activities on marine life.
In addition, Lin Dan stressed that the law also gives any unit or individual the right to supervise and report acts that damage the marine ecology, and stipulates corresponding legal responsibilities for acts that damage the marine ecology.
Red Star News chief reporter Zhang Yanliang reported from Beijing
Editor: Zhang Xun, Editor: Deng Minguang
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