Collaborative Governance in Desertification Control in China: A Case Study of Hobq Desert

Abstract

Increasing desertification has been threatening the sustainable development of human society. Accordingly, the topic of desertification has garnered increasing attention in ecological development and environmental protection. Since the reform and opening-up (1978), China has been actively engaged in desertification control practices and has achieved remarkable results. However, studies have discussed China’s achievements in desertification control mainly from the perspective of natural science and science and technology. Studies conducting an in-depth analysis from the perspective of public management have been inadequate. This study considers collaborative governance in public management as a crucial theoretical tool to analyze collaborative governance in desertification control. Based on desertification control practices in China, an analysis framework was formed for collaborative desertification governance. The analysis framework encompasses the following four dimensions: (1)value, specifying the means to effectively achieve the value goal of collaboration; (2) institutions, identifying the measures to ensure the long-term operation of collaborative governance; (3) structure, identifying the specific relationship and content of collaboration; and (4) mechanisms, defining the practices for collaborative governance. In addition, the case of the Hobq Desert was considered to analyze the framework through the aforementioned four dimensions.