Environment and Law in Early Imperial China (Third Century BCE–First Century CE): Qin and Han Statutes Concerning Natural Resources

Abstract

In this article I examine three passages of law from early imperial China and argue that their purpose was conservation. I concentrate particularly on one recently discovered set of monthly ordinances, which systematically protected young animals and birds from over-hunting and limited hunting by fire and other activities with the goal of sustainable use. This demonstrates that people in early imperial China were neither unaware of nor indifferent to environmental concerns. However, this sort of regulation did not bring about effective environmental protection in part because limitations in scientific knowledge led to statutes that could not achieve the desired result.