自然区划单独立法研究——以《长江保护法》为例

《长江保护法》是我国第一部自然区划单独立法，但相关研究只注重其对长江流域环境保护的影响，而忽视了它对自然区划单独立法的指导与借鉴意义。事实上，《长江保护法》对回答环境法治的三个问题提供了重要启迪。这三个问题是：为何自然区划需要单独立法？什么样的自然区划可以单独立法？自然区划法应如何立法？尤其是在强调立法节制的当下，为长江这一自然区划单独立法而不是修正涉及长江环境保护的环境法律，背后更是具有深远的立法考量与丰富的研究价值。以《长江保护法》为素材，对三个问题进行深入探讨，不仅有利于《长江保护法》未来的革新与发展，更能为新颁布的《黄河保护法》与《青藏高原保护法》等环境法律提供更为详备的理论支撑，进而最终作用于环境法治的发展与完善。《长江保护法》之所以被制定和颁布，缘于长江等自然区划的环保特殊性与现有法律的普适性存在不洽，并且自然区划的环境法治与环境法律的法域链接存在不洽，导致普适的环境法律无法满足自然区划特殊的环境保护需求，以及环境法治在自然区划上的实施过程与实施效果出现了断裂。自然区划需要单独立法，然而却并非所有的自然区划都需要单独立法，长江流域为自然区划立法提供了一个标准型样范。一方面，长江流域具备地理与人文的特殊性，长江流域的环境保护具备环保需求与规制手段的特殊性。另一方面，长江流域跨越多个行政区域，且又是一个完整而聚合的生态系统。因此，只有具有特殊性与广域性的自然区划才会产生与旧有环境法律的上述不洽，才具有单独立法的必要。为了让自然区划法适应于当前环境法律体系，且能更好地发挥其独特的优势与作用，需要将自然区划法置于环境法律体系中的特殊法地位，在法律适用中予以优先适用。并且，自然区划法具有一项不同于现有环境法律的原则——完整性原则。在该原则的指导下，自然区划法需要选择一种与当前环境法律有别的立法模式：确立以地方政府为规制对象，并围绕提升环境质量而非个体规制，赋予地方政府以法律责任。

Study on separate legislation of natural regionalization: Taking “Yangtze River Protection Law” as an example

The Yangtze River Protection Law is the first independent law in China specifically focused on natural zoning. However, existing research has mainly emphasized its impact on environmental protection in the Yangtze River Basin, while neglecting its significance as a guide and reference for independent laws on natural zoning. In fact, the Yangtze River Protection Law provides important insights into three key questions regarding environmental rule of law:why does natural zoning require separate legislation? What kind of natural zoning can be subject to independent laws? How should laws on natural zoning be formulated? Particularly in the current emphasis on legislative restraint, enacting a separate law for the Yangtze River''s natural zoning instead of amending existing environmental laws related to its protection reflects profound legislative considerations and rich research value.Using the Yangtze River Protection Law as a basis, conducting an in-depth exploration of these three questions not only benefits future innovations and developments of this law but also provides more comprehensive theoretical support for newly enacted environmental laws such as the Yellow River Protection Law and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Protection Law. Ultimately, this will contribute to the development and improvement of environmental rule of law.The reason why the Yangtze River Protection Law was formulated and promulgated is due to the environmental uniqueness of natural zoning areas such as the Yangtze River does not align with existing universal laws, and there is a mismatch between environmental governance in natural zoning areas and the jurisdictional linkages of environmental laws. As a result, universal environmental laws cannot meet the specific needs for environmental protection in natural zoning areas, leading to a disconnect between the implementation process and effectiveness of environmental governance in these areas.While it is necessary to have separate legislation for natural zoning, not all natural zones require individual legislation.The Yangtze River Basin provides a standard model for legislating on natural zones.On one hand, the Yangtze River Basin possesses geographical and cultural uniqueness, which requires special measures for its environmental protection.On the other hand, it spans multiple administrative regions while functioning as an integrated ecosystem.Therefore, only those natural zones that possess both uniqueness and broad coverage will experience mismatches with existing environmental laws mentioned above and necessitate separate legislation.In order to make sure that legislation on natural zones can adapt to current legal frameworks concerning environment while better utilizing their unique advantages and roles, it is necessary to grant special legal status within the framework of environmental law systems by prioritizing their application during legal proceedings.Furthermore, legislation on natural zones has a principle distinct from existing environmental laws-integrity principle.Under this guiding principle, legislation on natural zones needs to adopt a legislative approach different from current ones by establishing local governments as regulatory targets rather than individual regulation, and assign legal responsibilities to local governments.