Building an Ecological Civilization in China： Towards a Practice Based Learning Approach

The adoption by the 18th Congress of the Communist Party of China in November 2012 of a policy on ecological civilization is a landmark event for the nation and the world community. China＇s vision for building an ecological civilization is comprehensive, multi-sectoral and systemic and is intended to direct and balance progress among ecological, economic, social, cultural and political dimensions of change. Some on-going efforts and potential future activities that meet China＇s vision of an ecological civilization are described. Establishment of dedicated ecological civilization areas for experimenting with legal, regulatory and administrative incentives that would facilitate the march towards the ideal is encouraged. Chinese biosphere reserves which are designated with the explicit aim of building harmony between humans and nature would be suitable candidates for designing and developing such dedicated ecological civilization areas.