Analysis of the Dilemmas and Development Pathways of China’s Glacier Protection System

Abstract

This paper comprehensively examines the severe and increasingly deteriorating situation confronting glacier protection in China, while systematically identifying the inherent deficiencies and structural gaps in the country’s current legal and regulatory framework governing glacial resources. It emphasizes the urgent and pressing need to address the cascading ecological crises and water resource shortages triggered by accelerating glacier ablation, a phenomenon that has been exacerbated by global climate change over the past few decades. Although a handful of existing national laws, local regulations, and policy documents in China touch upon certain aspects of glacier conservation, there remains a conspicuous absence of specialized, comprehensive legislation explicitly dedicated to the protection of glaciers as unique and irreplaceable natural assets. By conducting an in-depth comparative analysis of domestic legislative practices (including recent local initiatives in Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) and international legislative models for glacier protection (such as the pioneering frameworks in Argentina and Kyrgyzstan), this study proposes a set of targeted recommendations. These include advancing the legislative process for a specialized national Glacier Protection Law, establishing four fundamental legal institutions for glacier conservation, and refining the regulatory system to ensure the comprehensive, systematic, and science-based protection of glacier resources. The ultimate goal of these measures is to promote the sustainable development of glacial ecosystems, safeguard critical water supplies for ecological and socioeconomic needs, and provide a robust legal foundation for China’s efforts to address the challenges of climate change in the cryospheric domain.