Development history, problems, and suggestions for the comprehensive surveyance and monitoring of natural resources in China

For a long time, China’s land, forestry, grasslands, water, and other natural resources have been independently investigated, monitored, and managed by different departments. This has resulted in contradictory investigation results, uncertainty in and difficult management of natural resources, and other problems, which all affect the scientific investigation, effective management, and rational use of the natural resources in China. This study applies literature analysis and field research methods to review the history, analyze the status and problems, and propose countermeasures to improve the capacity of comprehensive natural resource surveys in China. The study aims to provide insights for improving the comprehensive survey system for natural resources in China. The results reveal the problems in the current integrated natural resource survey, including unclear management of natural resources and delineation of responsibilities, difficulty in unifying survey techniques and methods, no basis for an investigation standard system, and a lack of integration of survey teams. The results suggest that it is necessary to clarify the management needs for natural resources, build a classification system to serve natural resources management, promote the integration of natural resource survey techniques, build a technical system for integrated natural resource surveys, clarify the logical relationship between basic and special investigations for natural resources and build a standardized system, specify the division of responsibilities of the Ministry of Natural Resources, establish a collaborative mechanism for integrated natural resource surveying, integrate natural resource survey teams, and finally, establish an organizational team for integrated natural resource survey monitoring. This will provide the technical support and theoretical basis needed for improving the ability and extent of the modern management of natural resources.