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　　In accordance with the requirements of the "Plan for Deepening Reform of Party and State Institutions," the Ministry of Natural Resources has been officially established. This undoubtedly represents a major transformation in China's natural resource management system. We must adopt a strategic perspective that takes into account both historical context and the bigger picture, grasp the new tasks and requirements of natural resource work in the new era, and live up to the trust placed in us and fulfill our mission with integrity. Therefore, it is indeed worth exploring exactly what functions the Ministry of Natural Resources is tasked with, as well as the practical foundations, theoretical underpinnings, and legal rationale behind these functions.

　　Meaning of natural resources

　　Regarding the meaning of natural resources, the "Cihai," the Encyclopædia Britannica, and the United Nations Environment Programme all offer definitions in various forms. Scholar Cai Yunlong, in his book "Principles of Natural Resource Science," proposes: “ Natural resources are any naturally occurring substances and phenomena that humans can obtain from nature to meet their needs and desires, as well as the outcomes of human activities that have been applied to them. Alternatively, natural resources can be viewed as the initial inputs into human social life that originate from the natural world. ” The author believes that this understanding is more comprehensive and accurate, and also aligns with the fundamental tenets of Marxism. According to Marx... “ Humanized nature ” According to this viewpoint, the natural resources referred to as “natural objects” also encompass components that have been shaped by human activities. Based on their geographical characteristics, natural resources are categorized into mineral resources (crust), water resources (hydrosphere), land resources (surface), biological resources (biosphere), and climate resources (atmosphere). 5 Major categories. In academia, these are often further divided into renewable resources and non-renewable resources. Recognizing that natural resources encompass natural entities that embody the fruits of human labor makes it clear that natural resource management entails not only the tasks of conservation and utilization but also responsibilities such as nurturing, renewal, and restoration. Similarly, understanding the relativity between renewable and non-renewable resources enables us to more consciously protect and make rational use of natural resources, thereby promoting differentiated management approaches.

　　The relationship among resources, environment, ecology, and land territory.

　　Natural resources, the natural environment, and ecological systems represent functional distinctions of nature from the perspective of human well-being. Among these, resources embody nature's substantive functions, reflecting nature's direct utility to humanity; the environment embodies nature's capacity to absorb and provide services, establishing a relationship between nature and humans in which nature serves as the object and humans as the subject; and ecology reflects the reciprocal relationships and co-evolutionary dynamics between the subject—living organisms, including humans—and the object—the natural environment—thus capturing nature's state of existence. Resources, the environment, and ecology each highlight different functions of nature toward humanity, yet they are all unified within the overarching entity of nature itself, interdependent and mutually influential. Compared with the natural environment, natural resources share certain commonalities—such as their holistic nature, regional characteristics, and public good status—while also exhibiting distinct features, including scarcity, asset value, and multipurpose usability. The concepts of natural resources and land resources are remarkably similar in meaning; however, if we were to draw finer distinctions, land resources encompass not only natural resources but also infrastructure elements attached to the national territory—such as roads, water conservancy projects, ports, airports, and historical sites—and possess a stronger carrier role, whereas natural resources themselves have more pronounced elemental functions. From the analysis above, it becomes clear that resources, the environment, and ecology constitute distinct categories within the construction of an ecological civilization. Natural resource management plays a crucial role not only in ecological civilization building but also in economic, political, cultural, and social development.

　　Functions of the Natural Resources Department

　　Natural resources are the foundation of development, the source of ecological health, and the cornerstone of people’s livelihoods. The natural resources sector fulfills three key functions: ensuring development, protecting the ecological environment, and providing services for people’s well-being. The reform plan emphasizes... “ Building an ecological civilization is a millennial plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. We must firmly establish and put into practice the philosophy that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and comprehensively manage the integrated system of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, and grasslands. ” This reflects three key concepts: First, the concept of ecological civilization. Natural resources play a fundamental and central role in ecological protection and development; strengthening work related to natural resources is an essential component of building an ecological civilization. Second, the concept of dialectical unity. Work on natural resources must consistently support economic development without exceeding the carrying capacity of resources and the environment, thereby achieving a balance between development and conservation. “ Win-win ” Third, the concept of systemic synergy. An ecosystem is a unity of diversity and integrity. It is highly necessary for the natural resources authority to exercise all responsibilities for land-use regulation across the entire national territory, thereby achieving unified protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, and grasslands. Based on the above analysis, ecological conservation occupies a prominent position among the three major functions of the natural resources authority and will become its primary function and greatest responsibility in the future.

　　Thoroughly implement the fundamental strategy of promoting harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

　　The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized that, “ Building an ecological civilization is a millennial plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. We must firmly establish and practice the philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," adhere to the fundamental national policy of conserving resources and protecting the environment, treat the ecological environment with the same care we give to life itself, comprehensively manage the integrated system of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, and grasslands, implement the strictest environmental protection system, foster green modes of development and lifestyles, and unswervingly follow the path of civilized development characterized by productive growth, prosperous livelihoods, and a sound ecological environment. By doing so, we can build a beautiful China, create a favorable living and working environment for our people, and make contributions to global ecological security. ” This is the overarching goal and guiding principle for natural resource work in the new era—a fundamental guideline and action blueprint for all future endeavors. To effectively implement this basic strategy, the author believes it is essential to adhere to the following principles:

　　We must uphold the principles of respecting nature, adapting to nature, and protecting nature. Nature is the mother from which humanity has emerged, the prerequisite for our self-improvement, and the foundation for our self-development. We should abandon the notion of treating nature as our master, dominator, or controller, and instead embrace the idea that humans and nature are a community with a shared future.

　　Adhere to the principles of prioritizing conservation, giving top priority to protection, and relying primarily on natural restoration. In resource development and conservation, place conservation first and strive to reduce resource consumption in economic and social development. In ecological protection and development, prioritize protection—developing through protection and protecting through development. In ecological construction and restoration, rely primarily on natural restoration, while combining it with artificial restoration efforts.

　　Uphold green development, circular development, and low-carbon development. Foster the mindset that clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, that protecting the ecological environment is to protect productivity, and that improving the ecological environment is to enhance productivity. Promote the formation of spatial patterns, industrial structures, production methods, and lifestyles that conserve resources, protect the environment, and improve ecology, thereby achieving an intrinsic unity and mutual promotion between development and protection.

　　Adhere to integrated development, comprehensive protection across the entire region, and holistic remediation. Based on the carrying capacity of resources and the environment, coordinate land development, protection, and remediation efforts to achieve a harmonious balance between concentrated development and balanced growth, promote synergistic advancement between localized development and comprehensive regional protection, and integrate resource conservation as a priority with efficient utilization. This will fundamentally reverse the trend of environmental degradation and create a favorable living and working environment for the people.

　　Uphold strict prevention at the source, rigorous management throughout the process, and severe punishment for any harm caused. Foster the concepts of recognizing nature’s intrinsic value, paying for its use, and compensating for any damage inflicted. Strengthen awareness of property rights protection, land-use regulation, and accountability. Improve the incentive-and-restraint-based interest-oriented mechanism, and promote the rule of law and institutionalization of resource oversight.

　　Adhere to government leadership, enterprise as the main body, and public participation. Improve market mechanisms, enhance the government’s regulatory role, harness the enthusiasm and self-discipline of enterprises, and leverage the supervisory role of social organizations and the public.

　　Adhere to overall planning, systematic design, and coordinated advancement. Strengthen... “ Mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands ” The concept of a community of life adheres to the diversity, integrity, and intrinsic laws of ecosystems. It involves holistic protection, systematic restoration, and comprehensive management of all elements of terrestrial and marine ecosystems—covering upstream, midstream, and downstream areas; mountainous regions both above and below the summit; and both surface and underground environments. This approach aims to enhance the ecosystem’s capacity for self-regulation, self-repair, and self-balancing, thereby safeguarding ecological equilibrium and ensuring sustained productivity.

　　From a global perspective, natural resources and their management face three major challenges: worsening resource scarcity, inequitable distribution of benefits, and unsustainable utilization. In the course of building ecological civilizations, Western countries have also accumulated extensive experience. From the perspective of natural resource governance systems, the following can be summarized: land-use regulation is the prerequisite; property rights protection is the foundation; interest coordination is the key; resource conservation is the fundamental principle; integrated management is the trend; and legal system development is the guarantee.

　　Establish a new positioning for natural resource work that keeps pace with the times.

　　In light of the changing principal social contradictions in China, the need to promote high-quality development, and the requirements for advancing ecological civilization, we propose that the mission of natural resource management in the new era should be: building a beautiful country, fostering comprehensive development, and enhancing the benefits of resources for the people.

　　Building a beautiful country means fully implementing the concept of green development, playing a leading role in ecological civilization construction, and making greater contributions to the journey of building a beautiful China. We must intensify efforts to protect ecosystems at their source. Scientifically formulate land-use plans, coordinate production, living, and ecological spaces, and establish a networked system for protecting ecosystems at their source. We must firmly advance comprehensive resource conservation and circular utilization. Implement the strictest land-saving policies, innovate new approaches and models for resource conservation and utilization, and comprehensively enforce total control and reduction-oriented management of construction land. We must comprehensively strengthen integrated land remediation. Integrate land remediation with national strategies such as rural revitalization, regional coordinated development, and poverty alleviation, and explore... “ Comprehensive Land Consolidation +” Drive new models for integrated urban-rural development and regional transformation, and amplify the impact of remediation efforts.

　　Promoting all-round development means responding to the people’s growing aspirations for a better life, better leveraging the foundational supporting role of natural resources, and fostering the all-round development of individuals and the comprehensive progress of society. Structural reforms on the supply side must achieve even greater results. We need to optimize the allocation of existing resources, expand the supply of high-quality incremental resources, and promote— “ Three reductions, one lowering, and one supplementation ” Promote industrial transformation and upgrading, as well as the emergence of new growth areas and new drivers of development. To advance the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, we must demonstrate greater commitment and responsibility. Actively participate in the formulation of rural strategic plans, strengthen land-use guarantees for rural revitalization, and effectively manage inter-provincial land balance and the adjustment of indicators linking increases and decreases in land use. To facilitate the implementation of the regional coordinated development strategy, we must adopt more concrete measures. Optimize the spatial layout of land use, support the economic transformation and development of resource-based regions, and improve and implement the mechanism linking population with land use.

　　Enhancing resource benefits for the people means faithfully implementing the development philosophy centered on the people, leveraging the institutional and political advantages of China’s public ownership of resources, and ensuring that the development and utilization of resources better benefit the broad masses. We must conscientiously and responsibly refine the fundamental land system to promote the healthy development of the real estate sector. We should accelerate the establishment of a residential land supply system that aligns with a housing system featuring multiple suppliers, diversified channels of保障, and a combination of rental and home purchase options, and increase the proportion of land allocated for rental housing and co-ownership housing. We must spare no effort in providing resource support for poverty alleviation efforts. Focusing particularly on poverty alleviation in deeply impoverished areas, we should make good use of existing support policies, actively innovate poverty alleviation approaches, and speed up the realization of new effectiveness from resource-based poverty alleviation policies. We must persistently carry out the work of unified real estate registration. We should enhance both the quality and efficiency of registration, accelerate the application of information platforms, and introduce more measures that are convenient and beneficial to the public.

　　Strict supervision of the development, utilization, and protection of natural resources

　　The development, utilization, and protection of natural resources run through the construction of ecological civilization. “ Source, process, consequences ” The entire process—adhering to the strictest resource protection system, implementing the strictest resource conservation system, and establishing the strictest ecological protection and restoration system—holds fundamental and overarching significance for advancing the institutional development of ecological civilization and represents the central task of natural resource management.

　　Establishing a centralized and unified management system for natural resources is an urgent priority. Centralized and unified management of natural resources aligns with the characteristics of these resources—scarcity, integrity, public good nature, and multifunctionality—and is consistent with the global trend toward integrated natural resource management. It also helps to implement the requirements of the ecological civilization reform. The reform plan integrates the responsibilities of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the State Oceanic Administration, and the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping, and Geoinformation, along with the planning, management, resource surveys, and property rights registration duties of relevant departments, to establish the Ministry of Natural Resources. This creates favorable conditions for building a centralized and unified management system for natural resources. The newly established agency will bring together the management of major natural resources—including land, minerals, marine areas, water, forests, and grasslands—under one umbrella, thereby achieving functional integration. “ Five Unifications ” namely, unified investigation and evaluation, unified property rights registration, unified use control, unified monitoring and regulation, and unified remediation and restoration.

　　Accelerate the improvement of systems for the protection and conservation of natural resources. Resource protection and conservation are the primary strategies for safeguarding the ecological environment. In response to prominent issues such as prioritizing development over protection, emphasizing quantity over quality, and still adopting a wasteful approach to resource utilization, we must refine and implement the strictest possible systems for resource protection and conservation—including enforcing the system of arable land protection and balancing occupation with replenishment, improving the systems for protecting grasslands, forests, and wetlands and providing compensation for their use, and establishing ecological protection redlines, permanent basic farmland, and urban development boundaries. “ Third-line ” Improve regulatory systems, innovate mechanisms for water, land, and mineral conservation, and refine the system for constructing reclaimed land.

　　Focus on establishing a system for land remediation and ecological restoration. The reform plan will... “ Integrated governance of the mountain-water-forest-farmland-lake-grassland system ” and “ Unified exercise of all responsibilities for land use control and ecological conservation and restoration. ” This has been incorporated into the establishment requirements of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Therefore, ecological restoration and systematic governance are undoubtedly fundamental functions of the natural resources sector. Land remediation serves as an important platform for ecological restoration and is an essential component of systematic governance. We must adhere to the principle of systematic governance, integrating land management, mining remediation, water management, marine management, mountain management, grassland management, and forest management. We should coordinate and promote comprehensive restoration and remediation of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, and grasslands, thereby effectively enhancing the resource and environmental carrying capacity.

　　Establish a spatial planning system and oversee its implementation.

　　Ecological and environmental problems, at their root, are caused by the overexploitation, extensive use, and extravagant waste of natural resources. To fundamentally address this issue, we must strengthen the regulation of natural resources—especially by implementing comprehensive land-use control across the entire national territory. On the basis of unified, coordinated, and authoritative land-use planning, we need to establish a spatial planning system and promote... “ Integrated planning of multiple plans ” And oversee the implementation of the plan. This represents the biggest breakthrough in this round of reform of the natural resource management system and will also become a key responsibility of the natural resource authorities in the future.

　　The reform plan has clarified two key relationships: The first is the relationship between land-use control and spatial planning. From a legal perspective, spatial planning serves both as the fundamental basis for land-use control and as an important tool for implementing it—these two are inseparable. From a planning theory standpoint, since... 20 Starting from the 1980s and 1990s, scholars such as Friedman successively proposed... “ Action-oriented ” the planning perspective, thereby replacing it “ Policy-centered ” The classic planning model focuses on addressing the disconnect between planning formulation and implementation. As demonstrated by practices in various countries, spatial planning activities encompass a continuous process—comprising resource surveys, plan formulation, plan implementation, and enforcement oversight—that is sequentially linked and characterized by ongoing information feedback; these components are inseparable. The reform proposal assigns both land-use control and spatial planning responsibilities to the natural resources authority, thereby integrating plan formulation, implementation, and oversight into a unified whole and laying a solid foundation for effectively enforcing land-use controls.

　　The second aspect concerns the relationships among various types of spatial planning. Currently, among China’s major spatial plans—such as the Overall Plan for Land Use, Urban and Rural Planning, and the Planning for Functional Zones—the Planning for Functional Zones occupies a strategic position. However, its legal foundation remains weak, and both its theoretical underpinnings and practical implementation are still insufficiently mature. This reform plan integrates these major categories of planning under the jurisdiction of the natural resources authorities, laying the groundwork for establishing a unified, coordinated, and authoritative spatial planning system and promoting— “ Integrated planning of multiple plans ” By leveraging the strengths of each regulation and avoiding their weaknesses, we have created important conditions. In the future, we should build a spatial planning system—based on the strategy of functional zones and centered on national land use planning—that features top-down, hierarchical control, mutual reinforcement between overall and specialized plans, and seamless integration of grassroots land-use planning with urban and rural planning.

　　Effectively fulfill the responsibilities of the owner of all types of natural resource assets owned by the entire population.

　　The reform plan takes addressing the issue of inadequate ownership of natural resources as a key consideration and empowers the Ministry of Natural Resources. “ Fulfill the responsibilities of the owner of all types of natural resource assets owned by the entire people. ” This is also one of the highlights of this round of reform. Overall, the reform plan implements... “ Separate according to owner and regulator. “” One department is responsible for one task. ” the guiding principles. On the one hand, we will integrate the responsibilities of owners of scattered natural resource assets that are collectively owned by the people and establish a unified agency to exercise ownership rights. On the other hand, we will set up the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, which will be administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources and will primarily be responsible for overseeing and managing the development, utilization, and protection of forest, grassland, wetland, desert, and terrestrial wildlife resources, as well as managing various nature reserves including national parks. This arrangement not only helps address the issue of inadequate ownership of natural resources but also strikes a good balance between unified management and specialized management.

　　One of the goals of improving the regulatory system for natural resource assets is to clearly delineate the rights of natural resource asset owners from the powers of natural resource managers, thereby addressing... “ Athlete ” With “ Referee ” The issue of dual roles. However, natural resources and natural resource assets are, after all, different attributes of the same natural space; spatial-use controls not only affect but also determine the value of natural resource assets. From the perspective of reducing management costs and enhancing administrative efficiency, it is necessary to unify the survey and assessment of natural resources and their asset management, as well as to coordinate regulatory policies. The reform plan fully takes this practical reality into account. Rather than completely separating natural resource asset management from natural resource regulation, it establishes management agencies for protected areas such as national parks, which would be under the administration of the Ministry of Natural Resources. In the future, there is even the prospect of setting up within the Ministry a dedicated agency responsible for overseeing natural resource assets owned by the entire people. By establishing an internal division-of-labor mechanism, this approach will enable mutual oversight and mutual promotion.

　　Establishing a regulatory body for natural resource assets owned by the entire people represents a completely new endeavor. This body will exercise, on behalf of the state, the ownership rights over natural resource assets collectively owned by the people, thereby ensuring the effective realization of ownership rights over these assets and safeguarding their preservation and appreciation in value. It is necessary to empower this body with responsibilities including the transfer, leasing, equity participation, and mortgage of natural resource assets collectively owned by the people. At the same time, it is important to strike a proper balance between directly exercising ownership rights and entrusting departments or local authorities to act as agents in exercising such rights, as well as between managing natural resource assets collectively owned by the people and protecting the rights and interests of collectively owned natural resources.

　　Accelerate the unified survey and registration of property rights for natural resources.

　　The reform plan consolidates the responsibilities for surveying, confirming rights, and registering resources—including land, minerals, marine areas, water, wetlands, forests, and grasslands—under the Ministry of Natural Resources. This move lays a solid foundation for addressing longstanding challenges in resource management, such as multiple government agencies issuing conflicting directives, inconsistent standards, redundant surveys, and unclear property rights records. It represents a significant milestone toward centralized and unified management of natural resources.

　　Unified survey and assessment is a crucial foundational task for natural resource regulation. Unified standards are the prerequisite. We must systematically develop survey standards for various types of natural resources, standardize resource classification, coordinate systems, spatial data, and surveying and mapping specifications, thereby establishing a comprehensive framework for natural resources. “ One image, one set of data. ” Comprehensively and accurately grasp China's natural resources. “ Family assets ” Unified indicators are the core. We must coordinate and define the tasks for nationwide basic surveys and special surveys, standardizing requirements for aspects such as survey quantity, quality, ecological characteristics, distribution, ownership, and utilization status. A unified platform is essential for ensuring consistency. We need to systematically establish a shared platform for resource surveys and regulatory information, unifying mechanisms for information acquisition, storage, processing, publication, and updating. Unified evaluation provides the guiding direction. On the basis of unified surveys, and in conjunction with the coordinated preparation and implementation of spatial planning, we should conduct unified assessments of resource and environmental carrying capacity and establish a resource and environmental monitoring and early-warning system.

　　The effective protection of property rights over natural resource assets is the foundation for building an ecological civilization system and the cornerstone for sustained, healthy economic and social development. We must take unified property rights registration as the basis and accelerate the establishment and improvement of a natural resource asset property rights system characterized by clear ownership, well-defined rights and responsibilities, smooth circulation, strict protection, and effective supervision. First, we must speed up property rights confirmation, adhering to the principles of public ownership of resources and statutory property rights, clearly defining the owners of various natural resource assets, and appropriately resolving major property disputes in accordance with the law. Second, we must expedite registration and certification: building on the foundation of unified real estate registration, we should promote unified property rights registration for all natural ecological spaces—including water flows, forests, mountains, grasslands, wastelands, and tidal flats—so as to achieve consistency in registration agencies, legal bases, registries, and information platforms. “ Four Unifications ” Third, we must accelerate the development of a rights system, establish a property rights system for natural resources, and draw up a comprehensive list of rights. On the premise of complying with planning and land-use regulations, we will grant various rights—including the transfer, leasing, mortgage, inheritance, and equity participation—of resource use rights. Fourth, we must strictly protect the legitimate rights and interests of right holders, treat all entities holding natural resource use rights equally and afford them fair protection. We will also improve the mechanisms for mediating and resolving property rights disputes and establish systems for compensating damages to natural resources and providing remedies for rights violations.

　　Deepen the reform of the paid-use system for natural resources.

　　The system of paid use of natural resource assets is one of the core institutions within the ecological civilization institutional framework and constitutes an important component of the reform of the property rights system for natural resource assets. Since the reform and opening-up, China has gradually established a system of paid use for natural resource assets owned by the entire people, playing a significant role in promoting the protection and rational utilization of natural resources and safeguarding the rights and interests of owners. However, major challenges remain, including insufficient coverage of paid use, a limited variety of paid-use methods, an unreasonable mechanism for price formation, an imperfect revenue distribution system, and inadequate regulatory oversight. Deepening the reform of the system of paid use of natural resources is a crucial task for the natural resources authorities.

　　2016 At the end of the year, the State Council issued the "Guiding Opinions on the Reform of the Paid Use System for Natural Resource Assets Owned by All the People," proposing: “ Except in cases where national laws and policies permit allocation or free use, full implementation of paid use shall be enforced. ” Moreover, comprehensive arrangements have been made to improve the paid-use systems for state-owned land resources, water resources, mineral resources, forest resources, grassland resources, marine areas, and islands. Taking the establishment of the Ministry of Natural Resources as an opportunity, we must integrate the reform of the paid-use system for natural resource assets owned by the whole people with reforms of the natural resource property rights system, the land space use control system, the natural resource asset management system, the resource tax and fee system, and the ecological protection compensation system. Furthermore, this integration should be closely linked with the development of public resource trading platforms and the inventory and accounting of natural resource assets. We need to intensify our efforts and accelerate the implementation of these related reform measures.

　　Establishing a unified urban-rural construction land market is also an important component of deepening the reform of the paid-use system for natural resources. In addition to advancing the three pilot programs for rural land system reform, it is essential to implement policies regarding rural residential land. “ Separation of Three Powers ” And towns “ Multi-agent land supply ” It is also a major reform task at present. Residential land. “ Separation of Three Powers ” In essence, while maintaining the fundamental nature of rural land property rights and ensuring the stability of rural social structures, activating dormant rural land assets will strongly promote the free flow and equal exchange of factors between urban and rural areas. Urban areas... “ Multi-agent land supply ” In essence, this involves shifting land supply from a single government channel to multiple channels—including the government, enterprises, and collectives—while moderately liberalizing the primary land market and focusing on invigorating the secondary land market. This approach not only meets the fundamental requirement of promoting market-oriented allocation of urban and town land but also represents an indispensable path toward building a unified urban-rural land market.

　　Focus on advancing capacity building for natural resource management.