Public participation in environmental decision-making (EDM) has been broadly discussed. However, few recent studies in English have focused on the participation subject, scope, ways, and procedure in the EDM of developing countries such as China in the worldwide governance transformation. This study aims to provide an overview of public participation in EDM in China, thus elucidating both the legislation and practice of public participation in EDM in China to a broader audience, as such an overview has not yet been provided. At the beginning of this article, we clarify the key definitions of EDM, public participation and the public, and establish an analytical framework for analyzing public participation in EDM in China. We analyze the scope of the public, the participation scope, ways of participating, and participation procedure in EDM in legislation and practice, through document analysis and empirical survey. We then comment on challenges for public participation in EDM in China—including low public participation in EDM, narrow scope of participation, unbalanced ways of participation, and unreasonable participation procedure. In conclusion, we draw wider implications for public participation in EDM in China, arguing for a transformation from a decision-maker-oriented mode to a collaboration mode.

Problems of the human–animal relationship in China are associated with imperfect legal protection. Few recent studies in English have focused on the entire legislation framework for wildlife protection, or paid sufficient attention to revision of the Wildlife Protection Law of China. This study aims to provide a review of the legislation pertinent to the overall framework of wildlife protection in China, thus making the legislative framework understood by a broader audience. We present various legal documents of national, local, and international level—including the Constitution, national laws, national administrative regulations and departmental rules, and local regulations and rules, all selected for their direct and close relation to wildlife protection. We then discuss the challenges of internal defects in the legislation for wildlife protection and problems of coordination between the laws—including the lack of stipulation on the definition of wildlife, the narrow scope of the legal protection of wildlife, the incomplete stipulation on the property rights of wildlife, the imperfect stipulation on wildlife utilization, the relatively limited protection system of wildlife habitats, and the relatively vague damage compensation caused by wildlife protection, with an emphasis on revisions of the Wildlife Protection Law of China in 2016. In conclusion, we draw wider implications for the legal protection of wildlife in China, arguing for a more sustainable human–animal relationship.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic led to global concerns about the delicate relationship between humans and wildlife. However, quantitative research on the elements of a wildlife management policy framework in a certain country is lacking. In this study, we try to close this research gap by analyzing the formulation preferences of key elements in the wildlife management policy framework, as well as the coordination between them, in China, which is generally regarded as a main wildlife consumption country. Based on the content analysis of China’s wildlife management policy documents, with a three-dimensional analytical framework, we find that: China’s wildlife management policy framework prefers the use of compulsory tools, while voluntary and mixed tools are not fully used; adequate attention is paid to the biodiversity conservation objectives and attention is paid to the objectives of public health protection and wildlife welfare, while the utilization objective is restricted to some extent; government sectors, industry, citizens, and non-governmental organizations are involved in wildlife management policies and the degrees of participation of citizens and non-governmental organizations are relatively low. In conclusion, we draw wider implications for China’s wildlife management policy formulation, arguing for a more coordinated and participatory policy framework.

Religion plays a significant role in the way Western societies respond to criminal offenses. However, the research on how religion plays a role in handling the challenges of crime in non-Western countries is lacking. In this study I try to close this research gap by analyzing the victim-offender mediation in China’s Tibet, where influenced by religion, history and culture, a set of local solutions to control criminal offenses have traditionally been formed. Based on the field survey and second-hand information, I discuss how religious factors play a role in local victim-offender mediation in terms of the basis for mediation, mediator, mediation tactics, and guarantee for mediation agreement. While Buddhism acts as a form of self-control over the adherents of Buddhism, it works as a form of social control as well. Buddhist lama as the main mediator strategically uses Buddhist principles as mediation tactics in victim-offender mediation. After the mediation agreement is reached, religious ceremony is usually conducted as a guarantee. In conclusion I summarize the possible contribution of the research findings to the basic issues of restorative justice.