Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislation

Abstract Coastal zones, while rich in natural resources, are highly vulnerable ecosystems. Consequently, their legal protection has become a widely recognized societal priority. Currently, China lacks national-level legislation specifically governing coastal zone protection and management. However,...

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Main Author: Jianbin Fu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-04-01
Series:Marine Development
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44312-025-00051-8
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author Jianbin Fu
author_facet Jianbin Fu
author_sort Jianbin Fu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Coastal zones, while rich in natural resources, are highly vulnerable ecosystems. Consequently, their legal protection has become a widely recognized societal priority. Currently, China lacks national-level legislation specifically governing coastal zone protection and management. However, the development of local coastal zone legislation has provided valuable experiences and lessons, serving as an important foundation for future national legislation. Despite this progress, comprehensive research on local coastal zone legislation remains limited, and its role in informing national-level legislation has not been sufficiently analyzed. This study conducts macro- and micro-level examinations of local coastal zone legislative texts in China, identifying their strengths and weaknesses to offer insights for national legislation. The findings highlight several strengths, including the incorporation of regional characteristics, the establishment of a systematic framework for coastal zone protection, and the promotion of integrated land–sea management. However, local legislation also faces significant challenges, such as a lower legislative hierarchy, fragmented legislative efforts, inadequate management systems, and piecemeal legislation. Based on these findings, the study proposes a legal framework for national coastal zone legislation, emphasizing the need to define legislative objectives and fundamental principles, delineate the scope and boundaries of coastal zones, establish a coordinated and integrated management mechanism, and adopt appropriate comprehensive management systems. This study provides theoretical support for the formulation of national coastal zone legislation.
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spelling doaj-art-f90cc5f924f94de68558bcbdcd79900f2025-08-20T02:17:04ZengSpringerMarine Development3004-832X2025-04-013111510.1007/s44312-025-00051-8Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislationJianbin Fu0Law School, Ocean University of ChinaAbstract Coastal zones, while rich in natural resources, are highly vulnerable ecosystems. Consequently, their legal protection has become a widely recognized societal priority. Currently, China lacks national-level legislation specifically governing coastal zone protection and management. However, the development of local coastal zone legislation has provided valuable experiences and lessons, serving as an important foundation for future national legislation. Despite this progress, comprehensive research on local coastal zone legislation remains limited, and its role in informing national-level legislation has not been sufficiently analyzed. This study conducts macro- and micro-level examinations of local coastal zone legislative texts in China, identifying their strengths and weaknesses to offer insights for national legislation. The findings highlight several strengths, including the incorporation of regional characteristics, the establishment of a systematic framework for coastal zone protection, and the promotion of integrated land–sea management. However, local legislation also faces significant challenges, such as a lower legislative hierarchy, fragmented legislative efforts, inadequate management systems, and piecemeal legislation. Based on these findings, the study proposes a legal framework for national coastal zone legislation, emphasizing the need to define legislative objectives and fundamental principles, delineate the scope and boundaries of coastal zones, establish a coordinated and integrated management mechanism, and adopt appropriate comprehensive management systems. This study provides theoretical support for the formulation of national coastal zone legislation.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44312-025-00051-8Coastal zone legislationIntegrated coastal zone managementLocal legislationInstitutional choice
spellingShingle Jianbin Fu
Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislation
Marine Development
Coastal zone legislation
Integrated coastal zone management
Local legislation
Institutional choice
title Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislation
title_full Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislation
title_fullStr Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislation
title_full_unstemmed Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislation
title_short Advancing coastal zone legislation in China’s new era: a comprehensive analysis of local legislation
title_sort advancing coastal zone legislation in china s new era a comprehensive analysis of local legislation
topic Coastal zone legislation
Integrated coastal zone management
Local legislation
Institutional choice
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44312-025-00051-8
work_keys_str_mv AT jianbinfu advancingcoastalzonelegislationinchinasneweraacomprehensiveanalysisoflocallegislation