Cost-benefit research and potential solutions of ecological restoration programs in China

Abstract

The value realization pathways of ecological products are major challenges for China’s ecological civilization construction, which plays a critical strategic and practical role. In the process of ecological restoration projects, the selection of value realization pathways provides a feasible basis for the practice of ecological restoration. Cost-benefit analysis can be used to select the best restoration measures or models for the government or businesses, maximizing the environmental and economic benefits of restoration projects. This paper reviewed the value accounting research related to cost-benefit assessment in China. Currently, traditional independent empirical studies on specific ecosystem services are the focus of research and some policies have been established from these. In the assessment, the relevant methods were seen to still have limitations in terms of data sources, reference systems, and database improvement. It is noted that the benefit transfer method is still underdeveloped in China but has good prospects. The paper analyzed the main role of benefit transfer in policy making and the method’s scientific development, as well as elucidating the problems and challenges of the benefit transfer method. This study also presents a review of current policies and research on ecosystem service valuation policies and potential ways for ecological restoration. Due to the great spatial variations in socio-economic conditions and resource endowments in different regions in China, it is necessary to consider regional differences and adjust ecological restoration to local conditions. Furthermore, relevant realization paths and future research perspectives were put forward.