Abstract:(1) Four phases in the history of nature conservation in China are recognized; in the first phase, there was a gradual loss of biotic diversity and reduction in distributional range of many species; development accelerated these processes in the Second and third phases, but public awareness has led to the integration of environmental concepts in development during the fourth phase.(2) Eighteen laws were promulgated between 1979 and 1988, but enforcement remains problematical.(3) The number of species protec...