Shanxi optimizes the forest-related approval process with a "single map"

Shanxi Province recently introduced reforms to its administrative approval procedures involving forestry. Relying on the natural resources “one map” system, it integrates forestry and grassland data, protected natural areas, and related foundational data, with a focus on addressing issues such as inconsistent interdepartmental data, unclear landtype boundaries, and overlapping approval authorities. According to a notice from the Shanxi Provincial Government Information Office, the reforms are also aligned with territorial spatial planning, and space has been reserved in the “15th FiveYear Plan” for forestry and grassland development for major projects, transportation networks, and public welfare projects. The province’s annual provinciallevel control quota for approving the occupation of forest land has also been raised. At the same time, a tiered allocation and coordinated adjustment mechanism has been established at the provincial, municipal, and county levels to enhance support for project implementation. The Shanxi Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau said that by deeply integrating forestry and grasslandrelated data with multiple types of data such as the natural resources system, projects can achieve intelligent comparison, automatic preinspection, and mutual recognition of results during site selection, application, and approval, reducing the need for companies to repeatedly submit materials while also improving the efficiency of grassrootslevel approvals and the ability to enforce ecological redline controls.