Image: boxoffice.comThe Chinese government recently banned film productions and artistic performances from nature reserves.

The directive issued by the State Environmental Protection Administration, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage now requires approval from authorities before any shooting or set construction can begin, and calls for proper restoration of the affected areas.

The regulation came about after Chinese director Chen Kaige was fined 90,000 yuan (11,600 USD) for environmental damage caused by the making of his movie The Promise (budgeted at $35 million USD). Chen was then nominated for a "Green Chinese" award, which is given to those who have made a significant contribution to the environment. The government sponsors of the award defended their decision to include Chen in their selection because the controversy surrounding the environmental damage of his film led to a greater awareness of environmental protection.

China's nature reserves cover only about 15% of the country's total land area, and performances and filming will still be allowed peripherally around these sites. The fine for offenders is 500,000 yuan (62,500 U.S. dollars) and 1 million yuan(130,000 U.S. dollars). Some critics note that these fines are not much of a deterrent considering the costs of making a film often run upwards of several million dollars.

Via China Daily; China Daily/BizChina
and TreeHugger; Yahoo News