Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and Recommendations
Watershed eco-compensation (WEC) is considered a significant environmental policy instrument for watershed ecological protection and management. However, in the legislation and practice of eco-compensation in China, the development of the WEC mechanism is still in the initial stages. In this paper,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/5/777 |
| _version_ | 1797473433548750848 |
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| author | Xinyi Cheng Lan Fang Lan Mu Jun Li Heng Wang |
| author_facet | Xinyi Cheng Lan Fang Lan Mu Jun Li Heng Wang |
| author_sort | Xinyi Cheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Watershed eco-compensation (WEC) is considered a significant environmental policy instrument for watershed ecological protection and management. However, in the legislation and practice of eco-compensation in China, the development of the WEC mechanism is still in the initial stages. In this paper, the institutional opportunities and challenges of WEC are analyzed from the existing policies, laws, and economical instruments. Theoretically, WEC in China has seen a combination of punitive-based “Watershed Ecological Damage Compensation (WEDC)” and incentive-based “Watershed Ecological Protective Compensation (WEPC)”. Through a comparative analysis of domestic and foreign watershed compensation practices, the results demonstrate that most of China’s WEC projects have an insufficient legal basis, a single compensatory subject, insufficient compensation funds, and an imperfect market-oriented compensation mechanism. To improve watershed eco-compensation in China, it is recommended to strengthen legislation, select diversified eco-compensation approaches, and establish a market-based and systematic eco-compensation mechanism for watersheds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:14:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-51fd809868914ec4bc35ab97c0b20fe9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:14:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-51fd809868914ec4bc35ab97c0b20fe92023-11-24T00:03:04ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-03-0114577710.3390/w14050777Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and RecommendationsXinyi Cheng0Lan Fang1Lan Mu2Jun Li3Heng Wang4Northwest Institute of Historical Environment and Socio-Economic Development, Shaanxi Normal University, 620 West Chang’an Street, Xi’an 710119, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Historical Environment and Socio-Economic Development, Shaanxi Normal University, 620 West Chang’an Street, Xi’an 710119, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Historical Environment and Socio-Economic Development, Shaanxi Normal University, 620 West Chang’an Street, Xi’an 710119, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Historical Environment and Socio-Economic Development, Shaanxi Normal University, 620 West Chang’an Street, Xi’an 710119, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Historical Environment and Socio-Economic Development, Shaanxi Normal University, 620 West Chang’an Street, Xi’an 710119, ChinaWatershed eco-compensation (WEC) is considered a significant environmental policy instrument for watershed ecological protection and management. However, in the legislation and practice of eco-compensation in China, the development of the WEC mechanism is still in the initial stages. In this paper, the institutional opportunities and challenges of WEC are analyzed from the existing policies, laws, and economical instruments. Theoretically, WEC in China has seen a combination of punitive-based “Watershed Ecological Damage Compensation (WEDC)” and incentive-based “Watershed Ecological Protective Compensation (WEPC)”. Through a comparative analysis of domestic and foreign watershed compensation practices, the results demonstrate that most of China’s WEC projects have an insufficient legal basis, a single compensatory subject, insufficient compensation funds, and an imperfect market-oriented compensation mechanism. To improve watershed eco-compensation in China, it is recommended to strengthen legislation, select diversified eco-compensation approaches, and establish a market-based and systematic eco-compensation mechanism for watersheds.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/5/777watershedwatershed eco-compensation mechanismpolicylegal basisChina |
| spellingShingle | Xinyi Cheng Lan Fang Lan Mu Jun Li Heng Wang Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and Recommendations Water watershed watershed eco-compensation mechanism policy legal basis China |
| title | Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and Recommendations |
| title_full | Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and Recommendations |
| title_fullStr | Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and Recommendations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and Recommendations |
| title_short | Watershed Eco-Compensation Mechanism in China: Policies, Practices and Recommendations |
| title_sort | watershed eco compensation mechanism in china policies practices and recommendations |
| topic | watershed watershed eco-compensation mechanism policy legal basis China |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/5/777 |
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