In order to put the protection of giant pandas and other
wildlife under the law, the Chinese government put the protection
of rare animals and plants into the Constitution. A set of laws,
like the Forest Law, the Law on the Protection of Wildlife, The
Environmental Protection Law have been made and passed. In 1987,
the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed an
amendment to the Criminal Law, saying "smugglers of giant pandas
shall have a punishment of at least a 10-year sentence and
confiscation of property; under grave circumstances, life sentence
or even death sentence together with a total confiscation of
property shall be applied." These legislative measures have so far
effectively protected giant pandas and other rare animals from
human harm.
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Besides, lawmakers in northwest China 's Shaanxi Province enacted a
regional law on November 26, 2007 that is intended to improve
protection of the Qinling Mountains , a habitat of endangered giant
pandas. The law, which will take effect on March 1, 2008 is aimed
at preserving biodiversity, preventing soil erosion and promoting
harmony between human and nature in the mountain range, which is a
divide between China's north and south. It requires all future
development projects in the Qinling Mountains to be assessed for
their possible impact on the ecology and bans real estate projects
and polluting industries in nature reserves, where the ecology is
more vulnerable.
All About Laws and regulations on environmental
protection,
Giant panda
(China.org.cn December 25, 2007)
