Ecological Compensation Policy Research Articles

Spatial scale effects on the value of ecosystem services in China's terrestrial area

Identifying the response characteristics of ecosystem service value (ESV) to changes in spatial scales, known as spatial scale effects, is crucial in guiding the development of corresponding management strategies. This paper examines ESV in China's terrestrial area during the year 2020, revealing the spatial aggregation characteristics of ESV and the trade-off and synergistic relationships of ecosystem services at different spatial scales, ranging from 1 km × 1 km–10 km × 10 km, with a gradient of 1 km. The results indicate: 1) The distribution pattern of ESV in China's terrestrial area is "high in the southeast and low in the northwest." 2) The spatial characteristics of ESV in China's terrestrial area undergo a distinct transition at the 3 km × 3 km scale. In detail, the spatial clustering features show a trend of first rising and then falling with the increase in spatial scale, while the synergistic relationships between different ecosystem services strengthen and the trade-off relationships weaken with the increase of the spatial scale. These findings can inform the formulation of differentiated ecological protection compensation policies and enable cross-area trading of ecological values in China.

Implementation effectiveness evaluation of watershed ecological compensation policy for sustainability based on the Huai river Basin in China

Implementation effectiveness evaluation of watershed ecological compensation policy for sustainability based on the Huai river Basin in China

GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN NATURAL CAPITAL BOOSTS ECONOMIC GROWTH: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA’S TRANSFER PAYMENT POLICY FOR NATIONAL KEY ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONAL AREAS

This paper studies the impact of the transfer payment policy for national key ecological functional areas (TPPNKEFA) on economic growth. As the most representative and extensive vertical ecological compensation policy in China, the TPPNKEFA plays an important role in protecting and restoring natural capital. Using the county-level TPPNKEFA data disclosed according to the application, we constructed a multi-stage DID model to identify the economic growth effect of TPPNKEFA. The results show that TPPNKEFA effectively improves the level of county economic development, which is more prominent in the counties located in the central and western regions, water conservation functional areas, low economic development level, large fiscal gap, and the counties where TPPNKEFA has been implemented for a long time. A mechanism analysis shows that industrial ecologization and ecological industrialization are important paths. The extension analysis shows that the original intention of TPPNKEFA to promote the restoration of natural capital and the improvement of people’s livelihoods has been well implemented. This study provides important evidence to support efforts to protect and restore natural capital, highlighting the need for governments to invest in natural capital and thus facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

A Study on Residents' Willingness for Tourism Ecological Compensation and Its Influencing Factors: A Case Study of Zhujiawan Village in the Qinba Mountain Region

Ecological compensation plays a crucial role in balancing stakeholder interests, aligning with the principles of ecological civilization and sustainable development. However, research on tourism ecological compensation, especially concerning community residents' perspectives, remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the case of Zhujiawan Village in China's Qinba Mountain region. Through surveys and analysis, the study investigates community residents' perceptions, preferences, and factors influencing their willingness to accept tourism ecological compensation. The findings reveal that while residents acknowledge the positive economic impacts of rural tourism development, they also express concerns about environmental pollution, particularly waste and noise. They largely attribute responsibility for ecological compensation to the government and tourism developers. Cash compensation emerges as the preferred method, with employment opportunities also valued. Additionally, residents expect an annual compensation standard of 1,033 RMB, influenced by their satisfaction with the local ecological environment and awareness of ecological compensation policies. The study highlights the importance of balancing economic development with environmental protection in rural tourism destinations. It underscores the need for diversified compensation mechanisms and emphasizes the significance of community involvement in decision-making processes for sustainable tourism development.

Influencing factors and the establishment of a basin ecological compensation mechanism from the perspective of water conservation: A case study of the upper Yangtze River in China

Under the dual impacts of global environmental degradation and human activities, ecosystem service functions have steadily declined. Ecological compensation has emerged as an important direct and efficient motivator for countries to implement ecosystem protection and restoration. At present, few studies have considered ways in which to establish ecological compensation mechanisms or have analyze the related influencing factors. The ecological compensation threshold is in the conceptual analysis stage; thus, quantitative simulation studies are lacking. In this study, the relationship between water conservation and ecological compensation was analyzed. Scenario simulation and the minimum data method were combined to establish an ecological compensation mechanism for the upper Yangtze River (UYR) basin, and the ecological compensation thresholds were quantitatively assessed. Finally, the factors influencing ecological compensation and the interactions among the factors were analyzed using an optimal parameters-based geographical detector. The results showed that (1) the different land use scenarios for the UYR resulted in notable water conservation differences, with greater differences under the fallow-to-forest scenario than under the fallow-to-grass scenario and existing scenario. (2) Furthermore, 27 subbasins were suitable for the implementation of the fallow-to-forest scenario, with an average ecological compensation threshold of 46.48 yuan/m3 and an average new water conservation amount of 22.02 × 108 m3; and 21 subbasins were suitable for the implementation of the fallow-to-grass scenario, with an average ecological compensation threshold of 107.87 yuan/m3 and an average new water conservation amount of 3.72 × 108 m3. (3) The drivers with the highest and lowest impacts on the ecological compensation thresholds were the grain yield and NDVI, respectively, while their impacts on ecological compensation were significantly enhanced by interactions among the influencing factors. In this study, the differences in ecological compensation standards were compared at the basin scale and administrative scale in different regions worldwide. Moreover, the need to establish a basin-scale ecological compensation mechanism as an effective reference for promoting the implementation and development of ecological compensation policies was explored.

Understanding the impacts of ecological compensation policies on energy poverty: insights from forest communities in Zhejiang, China

Ecological compensation policies (ECPs) designed to promote sustainable resource usage have seen widespread implementation. However, the intricate interplay between such policies, rural livelihoods, and residential energy consumption within the socioecological system (SES) remains underexplored. Based on household data from forest communities in Zhejiang, China, this study investigates the impact of a forest ECP on local household energy poverty through the mediating effect of household livelihood and energy consumption structure. The results reveal a significant reduction in the risk of energy poverty attributable to the policy. This effect is mediated by the improvement in household livelihood outcomes and the modernization of energy consumption patterns, both individually and collectively following the implementation of the policy. Such impacts vary across regions and population groups. We recommend improving support systems and fostering livelihoods and energy transitions to achieve long-term sustainable goals.

Study on the Ecological Compensation Standard in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China under the Perspective of Natural Capital Supply and Demand

The fundamental component of the ecological compensation system, as well as the crucial basis for its efficient functioning, is calculating the ecological compensation amount and establishing the ecological compensation standard. This study integrates the ecological footprint with natural capital monetization and other methods by introducing a natural capital accounting system. From the standpoint of natural capital supply and demand, it also builds an accounting framework for ecological compensation standards that is standardized, dynamic, and regionally differentiated while taking local socioeconomic aspects into account. We determined the amount of ecological compensation by using Xinjiang as the research object and calculating and analyzing the features of regional and temporal changes in the monetary and physical quantities of natural capital in Xinjiang from 2010 to 2020. The findings show that from 2010 to 2020, Xinjiang’s ecological footprint increased by 1.26 times in physical terms and 1.21 times in monetary terms and that its ecological carrying capacity increased by 4.13% in physical terms and 9.42% in monetary terms. The ecological deficit continues to grow in physical and monetary terms, with a per capita ecological deficit in 2020 of 19.92 s-nha/cap and 70,100 CNY/cap in physical and monetary terms, respectively. The amount of ecological compensation required to be paid in Xinjiang increased from CNY 5659 million to CNY 10,259 million, and the per capita ecological compensation payment standard increased from 259.42 CNY/cap/yr to 396.11 CNY/cap/yr. In summary, Xinjiang’s natural capital supply is insufficient to meet the demand for consumption, and the ecological deficit is growing with time, necessitating the payment of ecological compensation. The study’s results lay the foundation for formulating and implementing ecological compensation policies in Xinjiang and provide theoretical support for constructing ecological civilization in Xinjiang. In addition, the ecological compensation accounting framework constructed in this study organically integrates natural capital theory, ecosystem services, and socioeconomic influencing factors, which enriches the methodology of accounting for ecological compensation standards, and, at the same time, can be used as a paradigm of a dynamic and equitable ecological compensation accounting framework to further promote its use at different scales and regions.

The impact of basin horizontal ecological compensation policies on carbon emissions: A case study of the Yangtze river economic Belt

The issue of global climate change has garnered increasing attention, with carbon emissions emerging as a significant challenge confronting the world today. As an important means of environmental management, river basin ecological compensation must break through the traditional thinking of "water-centric" and move towards the coordinated development of "pollution reduction". Therefore, the study chooses the watershed scale ecological compensation experiment carried out in the Yangtze River Economic Belt as a natural experiment. Based on the prefecture-level city panel data from 2008 to 2021, a double difference model is constructed to examine the impact of the basin horizontal ecological compensation policy on carbon emissions and its mechanism. The study shows that the inter-regional horizontal ecological compensation measures have an obvious inhibitory effect on carbon emissions in the region, and through a series of tests, the conclusion is stable. Mechanism testing shows that policy implementation achieves carbon emission reductions through two channels: improving financial development and promoting scientific and technological innovation. The results of heterogeneity analysis verify that the effect of policy implementation is affected by the dual factors of social economy and innovation and entrepreneurship and that key cities and cities with a high innovation and entrepreneurship environment produce higher carbon emission reduction benefits. The research conclusions provide policy suggestions for promoting watershed ecological compensation policies to achieve carbon emission reduction from three aspects: encouraging small and medium-sized watersheds to implement city-specific policies, promoting innovative technologies and establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and strengthening policy support and financial investment.

Construction and Influencing Factors of Voluntary Compensation Subjects for Herders—From the Perspective of Sustainable Utilization of Grassland Resources

The grassland ecological compensation mechanism is a basic guarantee for promoting the sustainable utilization of grassland resources, and the reasonable determination of the compensation subject is the basic premise for the effective operation of the grassland ecological compensation mechanism. At present, grassland ecological compensation is mainly based on government compensation, and the compensation method generally adopted is financial transfer payment with a single source of compensation funds. Therefore, establishing diversified compensation entities is of great significance in expanding the sources of compensation funds. As important users of grassland resources, herders should become the main representatives of grassland ecological compensation according to the principle of “whoever uses, pays”. In this study, based on survey data with respect to pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia, we used a multivariate ordered logistic regression model to empirically analyze the factors influencing the establishment of a voluntary compensation entity for herders. The results of this study showed that (1) the resource endowment factors of the respondents, including livestock inventory, grazing area, and cutting grassland area, have a significant positive impact on the willingness of herdsmen to voluntarily serve as the main representatives of grassland ecological compensation. When each influencing factor increased by one unit, the probability of voluntarily becoming a compensation subject increased by 3.5%, 1.91%, and 1.41%, respectively. (2) The factor of prohibited pasture area in the endowment of herders had a significant negative effect on their willingness to become compensation subjects, which indicates that the larger the prohibited pasture area owned by herders, the lower their grassland utilization rate and the lower their willingness to voluntarily become compensation subjects. (3) Among the cognitive factors of the respondents, “whether they will continue to support the implementation of the grassland compensation policy” had a positive promoting effect on herdsmen voluntarily becoming compensation subjects, showing that the higher the support of herdsmen for the ecological compensation system, the more willing they were to become compensation subjects. This article is based on the perspective of the sustainable utilization of grassland resources and empirically analyzes the influencing factors of herders’ willingness to reduce their number of livestock. Through the voluntary reduction of livestock by herders, a voluntary compensation entity for herders is constructed. Based on the research conclusions, relevant countermeasures and suggestions are proposed, providing a reference for improving grassland ecological compensation policies and promoting the sustainable utilization of grassland resources.

Effect of marine ecological compensation policy on coastal water pollution: Evidence from China based on a multiple period difference-in-differences approach

With the development and utilization of marine resources, coastal water pollution has become increasingly prominent. The marine ecological compensation (MEC) is a key measure to balance the utilization of marine resources and the protection of marine environment. This paper attempts to explore the governance effect of MEC policy on coastal water pollution. Based on panel data of coastal cities in China from 2006 to 2020, a multiple period difference-in-differences (DID) model is used to estimate the impact of MEC policy on coastal water pollution. The research results show that the coastal water pollution has decreased significantly in the polit cities after implementing the MEC policy. The governance effect of MEC policy on coastal water pollution will last for three year and cover areas within a geographical distance of 200 km. The transmission mechanisms of MEC policy on coastal water pollution are the reduction of land-based sewage, marine technological progress and optimization of industrial structure. Further, this paper provides operational suggestions for strengthening the governance effect of MEC policy on coastal water pollution.

Multilevel ecological compensation policy design based on ecosystem service flow: A case study of carbon sequestration services in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Ecological compensation is an effective means to reconcile the imbalance of eco-social development between regions and promote enthusiasm for ecological environmental protection. There is some conformity between the theory of ecosystem service flow and ecological compensation, which provides new technical support for the formulation of ecological compensation policy. This study took the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as the research area, adopted the breaking point model to obtain the spatial characteristics of carbon sequestration flow, and formulated a multilevel ecological compensation policy with Tibet as the design object. The results showed that most of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a carbon sequestration surplus; the central and eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, western Sichuan are successively carbon sequestration supply areas; the Chengdu Plain and Xinjiang were listed as carbon sequestration benefit areas; and the carbon sequestration tended to flow more closely between supply and benefit areas in proximity to each other. Nyingchi, Chamdo, Naqu and Shannan in Tibet need to receive a total ecological compensation of 393.21 million USD, of which 93.71 % is from the national level, 6.02 % is from carbon sequestration benefit areas in other provinces; furthermore, Lhasa and Shigatse in Tibet need to provide the remaining ecological compensation. This study offers innovations for the formulation of ecological compensation policies and provide a new theory for ecological environment management.

Exploring pollution control in transboundary watersheds under the perspective of ecological compensation based on aggregate game.

Pollution control in inter-provincial river basins involves many complex subjects, so it is difficult to effectively implement ecological compensation policies. To clarify the interest relationship among pollution control subjects and stimulate their willingness to cooperate in collaborative governance, this paper builds a multi-agent coordinated pollution control model based on the theory of aggregate game; explores the change of equilibrium action of a single pollution control agent and multi-actors, symmetric, and asymmetric situations under the influence of synergistic benefits; and studies the incentive mechanism design to maintain the cooperation of various agents. The research results show that an increase in the number of upstream firms would lead to a reduction in the incentive effects of downstream government compensation and an increase in the likelihood of "free-riding" and "coordination failure." Synergy benefits vary positively with the degree of cooperation between government and enterprises, and higher synergy benefits can effectively compensate for the high transaction costs caused by multiple entities, alleviate the financial pressure on downstream governments, and increase the willingness of upstream and downstream entities to cooperate. In addition, focusing on wastewater reduction from core enterprises, such as heavy polluters can help improve the efficiency of regional emissions reduction, while having a catalytic effect on small enterprises.

Evolution of China’s ecological compensation and future policy orientation:Analysis based on the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework

Evolution of China’s ecological compensation and future policy orientation:Analysis based on the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework

Can ecological compensation based on the transfer of development rights (TDR) improve ecosystem service value? A multi-scenario simulation

The contradiction between economic development and environmental protection is becoming increasingly serious, and innovative ecological compensation policy is a key measure to solve this problem. The impact of the transfer of development rights (TDR) as an emerging ecological compensation model on the ecological environment is controversial, and there is a lack of empirical studies on this issue. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify whether TDR’s ecological compensation can improve the quality of the regional ecological environment. In this study, four scenarios of natural development, land use control, government compensation, and TDR compensation are constructed and simulated using the CLUMondo model in the coastal area of Beibu Gulf, Guangxi. The impact of ecological compensation policies on ecosystem service value (ESV) is systematically evaluated using the equivalent factor method. The results reveal that land use control and ecological compensation have an overall positive effect on ESV, and the combination of both is more advantageous. Among different ecological compensation models, TDR compensation can increase ESV to the greatest extent by approximately 2.79 × 109 Yuan. This study is beneficial to further enrich the theory and practice related to the study of TDR as an ecological compensation model and provide optimization suggestions for enriching the connotation of ecological compensation policies.

Achieving biodiversity net gain by addressing governance gaps underpinning ecological compensation policies.

Biodiversity compensation policies have emerged around the world to address the ecological harms of infrastructure expansion, but historically compliance is weak. The Westminster government is introducing a requirement that new infrastructure developments in England demonstrate they achieve a biodiversity net gain (BNG). We sought to determine the magnitude of the effects of governance gaps and regulator capacity constraints on the policy's potential biodiversity impacts. We collated BNG information from all new major developments across six early-adopter councils from 2020 to 2022. We quantified the proportion of the biodiversity outcomes promised under BNG at risk of noncompliance, explored the variation in strategies used to meet developers' biodiversity liabilities, and quantified the occurrence of simple errors in the biodiversity metric calculations. For large developments and energy infrastructure, biodiversity liabilities frequently met within the projects' development footprint. For small developments, the purchase of offsets was most common. We estimated that 27% of all biodiversity units fell into governance gaps that exposed them to a high risk of noncompliance because they were associated with better-condition habitats delivered on-site that were unlikely to be monitored or enforced. More robust governance mechanisms (e.g., practical mechanisms for monitoring and enforcement) would help ensure the delivery of this biodiversity on-site. Alternatively,more biodiversity gains could be delivered through off-site biodiversity offsetting. For the latter case, we estimated that the demand for offsets could rise by a factor of 4; this would substantially increase the financial contributions from developers for conservation activities on private land. Twenty-one percent of development applications contained a simple recurring error in their BNG calculations. One-half of these applications were approved by councils, which may indicate under-resourcing in council development assessments. Our findings demonstrate that resourcing and governance shortfalls risk undermining the policy's effectiveness.

Horizontal ecological compensation policy and water pollution governance: Evidence from cross-border cooperation in China

Cross-border cooperation can overcome the administrative boundaries of water pollution governance, and the two-way ecological compensation model emerges as a solution to transforming government-financed payments into locally-driven development initiatives. This study presents a tripartite evolutionary game model for two-way ecological compensation, incorporating city-level data, and employs time-varying difference-in-differences to estimate the incentive impact of China's cross-border horizontal ecological compensation policy on water pollution governance during 2006–2018. Furthermore, this study aligns state-controlled monitoring stations with their respective administrative districts and enhances water pollution indicators obtained from these stations for a more comprehensive policy assessment. The results show that horizontal ecological compensation effectively reduces the prevalence of industrial wastewater discharges and associated water pollution; this effect is more pronounced upstream (20.94%) compared to downstream (16.01%). However, it does not significantly impact urban sewage treatment, agricultural non-point source pollution, or lake water quality and eutropHication. In addition to promoting horizontal coordination between upstream and downstream regions, vertical central governmental inspections are crucial for effectively stimulating and guaranteeing horizontal collaborative governance between upstream and downstream local governments. These results provide strong empirical evidence in favor of expanding horizontal ecological compensation initiatives throughout the entire river basins, as well as in other countries or regions.

The Influence of Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy on Grassland Quality: Evidence from the Perspective of Grassland Ecosystem Vulnerability

The grassland ecological compensation policy (GECP) is currently the largest grassland ecosystem payment program in the world, trying to manage and restore degraded grasslands to achieve a virtuous cycle of grassland ecosystems. However, responses to the policy may vary across different regions. Based on panel data from 395 counties in six provinces in China’s pastoral areas from 2001 to 2021, this paper uses the difference-in-difference (DID) and moderation effect models to test the relationship between GECP and grassland quality from the perspective of grassland ecosystem vulnerability. The study found the following: (1) The spatial differentiation pattern of grassland ecosystem vulnerability in the six provinces of China’s pastoral areas is obvious, and the vulnerability is mainly slight and moderate (2) The GECP generally has a significant positive impact on grassland quality. (3) Grassland ecosystem vulnerability has a negative regulatory effect on the impact of the GECP on grassland quality. The positive impacts of policies become more pronounced as the vulnerability of grassland ecosystems decreases.

Does marine ecological compensation policy have improved marine carbon emission efficiency? Evidence from coastal areas in China.

The marine ecological compensation (MEC) policy is a scheme for protecting and restoring marine ecology. The previous studies have verified that the policy has improved the marine environment, ignoring the comprehensive performance of the economy and environment. Is the MEC policy actually effective for reducing marine carbon emission considering resource input and economy output? To address the question, this paper evaluates the impact of MEC policy on marine carbon emission efficiency by introducing the multi-stage difference-in-difference with propensity score matching. The results show that the MEC policy significantly improves marine carbon emission efficiency, and the positive effects dynamically enhance over time. Low-carbon technology innovation is confirmed to play a mediating role by which the MEC policy improves marine carbon emission efficiency. Therefore, gradually popularizing the MEC policy and accelerating low-carbon technology innovation are crucial measures to improve marine carbon emission efficiency and achieve sustainable marine development.

Analyzing the outcomes of China's ecological compensation scheme for development‐related biodiversity loss

AbstractOver the past three decades, China's government has implemented many projects under its ecological compensation policy, including paying compensation fees for habitat creation to redress natural habitat losses caused by development. However, a critical evaluation of both the policy design and its ecological outcomes, has not previously been carried out. We assemble diverse data sources to provide the first evaluation of China's eco‐compensation policy and practice, identifying several challenges. In policy, the pricing of forest restoration fees is insufficient in several provinces, and there is no requirement for use of biodiversity metrics or for ecological equivalence of compensation and losses. In practice, only 23% of a sample of 31 developments applied quantitative biodiversity metrics, and fewer than 1% of China's local governments have disclosed information regarding compensation implementation. Thus, to improve the validity of its compensation policy and practice to better secure biodiversity, China may need to embrace higher compensation standards, having first prevented ecological losses where possible. Equally important, China may also need to improve compensation governance for data tracking and conservation effectiveness monitoring.

Research on ecological compensation based on the supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Qinling-Daba Mountains

Quantifying the spatial displacement process of ecosystem service flow (ESF) between supply, connection and demand is the key to deeper understanding of the spatial mechanism of ecosystem service (ES) action, and is an important basis for accurate identification of ecological compensation (EC) areas and accounting of compensation standards. At present, there are few studies on the spatial flow process of ecosystem service flows between supply and demand areas, which are at the stage of conceptual analysis and lack of quantitative simulation studies. In view of this, the supply and demand matching of Qinling-Daba Mountains carbon sequestration and water yield services were quantitatively assessed by model simulation methods, and the supply and benefit areas of ecosystem services were identified. Based on the gravity model and breakpoint formula, a comparative ecological radiation force (CERF) model is proposed to simulate the flow path and ecosystem service flow of regional ecosystems, and quantitatively evaluate the total amount of ecological compensation. The results are as follows: (1) there is a mismatch between supply and demand of the two ecosystem services, urban areas are more mismatched than rural areas. (2) The two ecosystem services have surpluses in most areas (such as Diebu County, Lushi County, Xiahe County, Badong County, etc.), which made the ecosystem service flow mainly occur in areas with more ecosystem service surpluses. (3) The total amount of ecological compensation is about 1.5 billion RMB, including 0.12 billion RMB for carbon sequestration services and 1.38 billion RMB for water yield services. This study not only provided theoretical support for sustainable ecological-economic development in mountainous areas, but also laid the foundation for the government to formulate ecological compensation policies.