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Cases / Law, regulation and treaties · China · 2018

China halts commercial sea reclamation projects in 2018

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

China stopped approving general commercial coastal reclamation in 2018. Caixin Global reported that mangrove area had already fallen from 42,000 hectares in the 1950s to 14,600 hectares in 2013.

What?
China stopped approving general commercial coastal reclamation projects in 2018, with exemptions for large state-approved, infrastructure, public-service and defence projects. Caixin Global
Where?
Coastal China Caixin Global
When?
Announced January 2018; State Council circular July 2018 Caixin Global
Who?
Gained
  • Local governments and developers — Developed land filled before the ban, cheaply compared with urban plots Caixin Global
Lost
  • Mangroves — Area fell from 42,000 hectares in the 1950s to 14,600 hectares in 2013 Caixin Global
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
The State Oceanic Administration stopped approving general commercial reclamation projects, and a July 2018 State Council circular formalised the decision. Caixin Global
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

The State Oceanic Administration said in January 2018 that it would not approve general commercial reclamation projects (Caixin Global).

A State Council circular in July 2018 formalised the decision, exempting large state-approved projects, infrastructure, public services and defence (Caixin Global).

Caixin Global reported that about 13,000 hectares a year had been filled since 2006, and that mangroves had fallen from 42,000 hectares in the 1950s to 14,600 hectares in 2013 (Caixin Global).

Local governments and developers, who held land filled before the ban, developed it cheaply compared with urban plots; the reported cost was 140,000 to 300,000 yuan per mu (Caixin Global).

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: Murray et al. (2014) reported that 28% of Yellow Sea tidal flats present in the 1980s had been lost by the late 2000s, and up to 65% over 50 years on historical maps.
    • None on record The sources reviewed give the reclamation cost per mu in one place and per acre in another; this record uses mu.
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not state whether reclamation continued after the 2018 ban.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Terms used on this page

    Science and environment

    Hectare (ha)
    A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.
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