Advancing Wetland Policies Using Ecosystem Services – China’s Way Out

Abstract

China’s wetlands provide valuable services to society, which are necessary for sustainable development. The Chinese government considers wetland protection a national priority, and is making progress on the ambitious goal of protecting more than 90 % of its natural wetlands by 2030. Despite the rapid growth in conservation actions, wetlands remain threatened because government, industry, and the public are using wetlands unsustainably, and there exists weak enforcement of wetland protection laws. Chinese policymakers in part are trying to use the ecosystem services approach to incentivize conservation to reduce wetland losses across spatial scales (local, regional, and national). However China currently lacks a systematic, scientific process for monitoring wetland ecosystem services, so scientists and managers can establish and refine ecological compensation schemes. In this paper we present a scientific framework on monitoring wetland ecosystem services aimed at improving national wetland policies in China. First we review the current status of China’s wetlands and its wetland policies. In particular we present the growing popularity of ecological compensation in China, which is driving the demand for ways to measure and value ecosystem services in China. Next we outline the major challenges threatening wetland protection and the science policy needs on wetland ecosystem services. Lastly we present a scientific framework on monitoring wetland ecosystem services aimed at helping meet China’s growing policy demands on ecosystem services.