The State Council promulgated and put into effect the National Emergency Plan for Unexpected Geological Hazards, under which the MLR worked out the Rapid Disposal Procedures for Damages and Dangers Caused by Geological Hazards.

More than 40,000 stations for public monitoring and prevention of geological hazards were set up throughout the country and a national online releasing system for information of public monitoring and prevention of hazards was developed. Pilot operation of the first nationwide distance consultation on geological emergencies was successfully carried out. Monitoring of and warning against geological hazards were conducted effectively, leading to the dodge of 500 geological hazards, the safe relocation of 11,376 people and the stave-off of property losses of 341 million yuan（～US$42.6 million）. Geological hazards causing casualties or direct economic losses of more than 500,000  yuan（～US$62,500）totaled 854 throughout China. These hazards caused 1,021 casualties, including 578 deaths, 104 missing persons and 339 injuries. The direct economic losses brought about by them amounted to 3.65 billion yuan（～US$456 million）, and the total losses incurred in 7 provinces —Anhui, Guangdong, Yunnan, Sichuan, Fujian, Liaoning and Hubei— accounted for 91.7% of the total of China.

The second-phase geological hazard control project for the Three Gorges Reservoir area was completed and passed the State-level check and acceptance. Engineering projects were implemented at plenty of sites, including 163 ones for controlling collapses and landslides, 71 ones for protecting banks that were prone to collapse, 147 ones for repairing and reinforcing high cut slopes, and 803 ones for consolidating deep foundations. Part of the projects for relocating residents and avoiding harms were accomplished. The third-phase emergency control project of geological hazards was fully demonstrated, and related control work was started in an all-round way.

Significant progress was made in the monitoring of ground subsidence in the Yangtze River Delta. A joint conference on the monitoring of ground subsidence in the Yangtze River Delta and a discussion on the prevention and control of ground subsidence were held. The Notice on Ground Subsidence and Groundwater Environment Status in the Yangtze River Delta was circulated. Monitoring results indicated that the ground subsidence in the delta generally tended to ease up. Interim results were obtained in the investigation and monitoring of ground subsidence in the North China Plain.

Monitoring of groundwater was persistently carried out in major cities and plain areas; the development of three State-level groundwater monitoring demonstration areas (Beijing, Jinanand Urumqi) was emphatically promoted; and the quality of the monitoring network and the level of automatic monitoring were greatly enhanced. A trial operation of China’s groundwater information network had begun.

Data of groundwater level monitoring in China’s 160 cities showed that by comparison with the previous year, the groundwater level exhibited a tendency of rise in 38 cities, remained basically stable in 96 cities, and assumed a general trend of fall in 26 cities. Data of groundwater quality monitoring suggested that as compared with the previous year, the groundwater pollution was aggravated in 21 cities, the water quality or pollution essentially kept stable in 123 cities and the water pollution tended to ease in 14 cities.

Geological environmental investigation of mines in various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government was essentially completed, and planning of environmental protection and control for provincial-level mines was carried out. A central budgetary appropriation of 753.31 million yuan（～US$94 million）was made for the projects of mine environment control. The qualification license of national mine park was approved for and granted to 28 units which had applied for such a license.

Protection of geological relics was strengthened and a central budgetary appropriation of 96.00 million yuan（～US$12 million）was made for geological relic protection projects. The construction of geoparks continued to proceed steadily. Four national geoparks — the Yandang Mountain Geopark in Zhejiang, the Taining Geopark in Fujian, the Hexigten Geopark in Nei Mongol and the Xingwen Geopoark in Sichuan — were approved as world geoparks by the UNESCO. Fifty-three national geoparks were newly approved, bringing the total number of national geoparks in Chinato 138.

Significant progress was made in the protection of paleontological fossils. A national seminar on the protection and management of paleontological fossils and a forum on the construction and management of national geoparks of the paleontological fossil type were held. The exit/entry permit system for paleontological fossils was improved and the procedures for examining and approving the exit and entry of such fossils were standardized. In 2005, a total of 6 batches of paleontological fossils were examined and approved for going out of Chinafor exhibition. In cooperation with the Australian government, the MLR cracked down trans-boundary smuggling and illegal trading of paleontological fossils. The Australian government turned over to Chinafor the first time a group of precious paleontological fossils.

Protection of geothermal and mineral-water resources was further intensified. Activities of naming “ChinaGeoheatCity” and “China Hot-spring Home” were initiated. Three sites — Qionghai in HainanProvince, Xiaotangshan in Beijing, and Chenzhou in HunanProvince— were examined and approved as “China Hot-spring Home”.