Can the river be effectively protected with a "gambling" of 100 million yuan?

Can the river be effectively protected with a "gambling" of 100 million yuan?

Can the river be effectively protected with a "gambling" of 100 million yuan? Can the river be effectively protected with a "gambling" of 100 million yuan?

On September 8, Sichuan and Gansu provinces signed a horizontal ecological compensation agreement for the Yellow River Basin, and jointly invested 100 million yuan in a ratio of 1:1 for comprehensive pollution control, ecological environmental protection, and environmental protection capacity building within the Yellow River Basin.
Aspect
.

The agreement pointed out that if the water quality monitoring section of Maqu did not meet the national water quality standard of Class II in the year, and one party can prove that the other party's pollution was caused, the polluter will pay the compensation fund to the proof-providing party
.

This is another "gambling agreement" after Henan and Shandong signed an "Ecological Compensation Agreement" of 100 million yuan for the Yellow River Basin.
The establishment of a horizontal ecological compensation mechanism for the entire Yellow River Basin has officially kicked off
.

Facing the double test of economic development and ecological governance, how to approve ecological compensation funds? Will the lower reaches of the provinces "compensate for the wife and break down"? Can "double betting" achieve a "win-win"?

From "Simplified" to "Traditional"

From "Simplified" to "Traditional"

According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 12, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Ecological Protection and Compensation System" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions").
The ecological protection and compensation system corresponding to the development situation is basically complete
.

River basin ecological compensation is an important policy tool for the ecological environment protection of the river basin and the adjustment of the economic interest relationship between the upstream ecological protectors and the downstream beneficiaries
.

It is of great significance for reconciling the contradictions between economic development and ecological protection .

In April 2020, the Ministry of Finance and other four departments issued the "Implementation Plan to Support and Guide the Establishment of a Horizontal Ecological Compensation Mechanism for the entire Yellow River Basin" to the 9 provinces (autonomous regions) through which the Yellow River Basin flows.
The ecological compensation model ensures the long-term stability of the Yellow River
.

This is not China's first trans-provincial watershed ecological compensation
.

As early as 2011, China's first inter-provincial water environment compensation pilot was launched on the Xin'an River, which flows through the two provinces of Anhui and Zhejiang
.

In the same year, the central government allocated 300 million yuan in compensation, and the two parties also signed a "gambling agreement", stipulating that the annual water quality reached the standard (using the water quality of the section as the assessment point), Zhejiang appropriated 100 million yuan from Anhui; otherwise, Anhui appropriated Zhejiang 1 100 million yuan

Not only that, Huangshan City, which is the birthplace of Xin'an River, is listed as the only four-category city in Anhui Province for assessment, reducing the weight of economic GDP assessment
.

According to statistics, Huangshan City has invested more than 10 billion yuan in ecological protection

Shao Quanqin, a researcher at the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the China Science Daily that after the Xin’an River, China has established ecological compensation mechanisms in 15 inter-provincial river basins.
“The speed of local practice is very fast.
Both townships and townships are promoting the establishment
of an ecological compensation mechanism.

The ecological compensation mechanism promotes the implementation of responsibilities at the local level and coordinated management of upstream and downstream

So far, China has basically focused on the exploration of ecological compensation in river basins or tributaries of large rivers that span two or a few provinces, and the effect of ecological protection has been remarkable
.

"The upstream and downstream relationships between the two or three provinces are relatively clear, and the factors that concern the downstream are the evaluation indicators, and the evaluation indicators are adjusted according to the actual situation
.

At the same time, it is easy to judge the relationship of interests, and the compensation funds and methods are also negotiated by both parties

"Compensation funds are determined after repeated consultations by various stakeholders, and do not necessarily reflect the value of ecological services.
If calculated according to the ecological value of the upper reaches of the basin, the amount of compensation will be very large, and it will be difficult for the upstream and downstream to reach an agreement
.

" Jin Leshan said, " The “bargaining” approach is more operational than ecological valuation

In the past two years, China has begun to explore the establishment of a more complex ecological compensation mechanism covering the entire Yangtze and Yellow River basins and across multiple provinces
.

How to formulate the evaluation indicators for so many provinces and how to calculate the compensation amount? Can "upstream" and "downstream" achieve a relative balance between ecology and economy?

The key is to realize the value of ecological products

The key is to realize the value of ecological products

In the past two years, China has successively issued the "Implementation Plan for Supporting the Establishment of a Horizontal Ecological Protection and Compensation Mechanism for the entire Yangtze River Basin" and "Supporting and Guiding the Pilot Implementation Plan for the Establishment of a Horizontal Ecological Compensation Mechanism for the Whole Yellow River Basin".
Continuously improve the quality and explore the realization of the value of ecological products
.

In Jin Leshan's view, the introduction of these policies aims to encourage horizontal and trans-provincial ecological compensation mechanisms in the mainstream of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers with incentive measures
.

"The situation in the whole river basin is indeed more complicated
.

" He said bluntly that it is now feasible to sign agreements between the two neighboring provinces.

After ten years of exploration, China's watershed ecological compensation practice has made important contributions to ecological protection
.

However, experts admit that, especially in the upstream areas, the contradiction between economic development and environmental protection is still very prominent

In China, the upper reaches of the river basin are often ecologically fragile and economically impoverished
.
"The people in the upper reaches have a strong desire to get rid of poverty and become rich
.
" Shao Quanqin has carried out a lot of research in the ecological compensation research of the river basin.
She admits that because of the protection of water quality, the upstream has sacrificed a lot of development opportunities
.

Take the Jiuzhou River flowing through Guangxi, Guangdong as an example.
In the upper reaches of Luchuan County, many traditional livestock and poultry farming households have concentrated, causing serious water pollution
.
In order to protect the Jiuzhou River, Guangxi shut down or upgraded the breeding industry and built a sewage treatment plant
.

At the same time, for a large county with a population of one million, despite compensation, the income of the villagers who originally lived on breeding will be more or less lost
.
In Shao Quanqin’s view, while eco-compensation funds are used for emergency water pollution control, they should also reflect the main functions of eco-compensation funds, that is, to compensate for the loss of development opportunities, to ecologicalize the industry, to increase the income level of local people, and to adjust the industrial structure and advantages.
Industrial ecologicalization is a fundamental policy for environmental governance in the compensation area
.

In addition, Shao Quanqin also mentioned that compensation should not be limited to “compensation only protection”, and compensation should also be provided for those areas that originally protect water quality very well
.

"Ecological service function is a scarce resource.
All scarce resources can be commoditized and can be embodied in currency, and monetary compensation is a measure that can be taken
.
" Lu Dadao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences It told the China Science News that the upstream areas did not engage in large-scale development of livestock and poultry breeding, mining, etc.
, although sacrifices were made, ensuring the safety of downstream drinking water and industrial water produced great value
.

He also said that the key to the rationality of compensation lies in the use of water.
The more important the industry, the more benefits, and the more compensation should be paid to the upstream
.

Encourage diversified compensation methods

Encourage diversified compensation methods

Eco-compensation practice has been in place for more than ten years, and China's eco-compensation fund investment has continued to increase: According to incomplete statistics from the China Eco-Compensation Policy Research Center, the national eco-compensation fund investment in 2018 was about 180 billion yuan
.

Jin Leshan introduced that at present, most of the ecological compensation in the river basin is dominated by the government, and the funds basically come from the central and local finances, and compensation is negotiated across provinces
.

Shao Quanqin also said that there is still a lack of scientific ecological value calculations
.
In addition, the existing compensation funds are mainly used for comprehensive treatment of environmental pollution and ecological restoration
.
In view of the sustainable development of agricultural and animal husbandry production and the realization of ecological value in the basin, effective ecological compensation has not been carried out, the compensation for industrial transformation and technical guidance is lacking, and the "hematopoiesis" function is seriously insufficient, which not only affects the sustainable development of the local economy and society, but also Easily lead to repeated governance effects
.

"Scientifically set ecological compensation assessment targets, scientifically adjust the industrial structure, upgrade the traditional advantageous industries in the compensation area, and coordinate the promotion of a long-term mechanism for ecological compensation, the realization of ecological value, and the stabilization of poverty alleviation results
.
" Shao Quanqin suggested
.

Jin Leshan said that the types of ecological compensation in China can be simply divided into two types: government compensation and market compensation
.
In the design of ecological compensation in some river basins, punitive compensation and incentive compensation are combined
.
In addition to fund compensation, government compensation also includes counterpart cooperation, remote development, and joint construction of parks
.
For example, in the Tuojiang River Basin, the upstream is Aba Prefecture, and the downstream is Chengdu.
In order to avoid the establishment of factories in Aba Prefecture to pollute water sources, Chengdu has opened up regional construction development zones.
Aba Prefecture has introduced industrial enterprises into Chengdu Industrial Park and attracts investment.
Both parties will invest proportionally and share revenue.

.

"The market-based compensation method is still a gap
.
" Jin Leshan said that in this regard, there are some useful experiences abroad that are worth learning
.

International ecological compensation is usually referred to as "payment for ecological services".
For example, the relevant river basins include: water source compensation of France's Weitaier Mineral Water Company, Australia's water resources protection and compensation-water rights trading, and Japan's water source compensation
.

In recent years, China has gradually promoted the marketization of compensation.
In the implementation plans of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, it is also mentioned to encourage localities to accelerate the establishment of diversified horizontal ecological compensation mechanisms
.
Article 4 of the "Opinions" specifically listed "play the role of the market mechanism and accelerate the advancement of diversified compensation", reasonably define ecological environmental rights, and promote ecological protection through marketization and diversification in accordance with the principle of beneficiary payment.
Benefits are effectively compensated, and the enthusiasm of the whole society to participate in ecological protection is stimulated
.

Jin Leshan said that combining Chinese characteristics can be funded by the government and others, and funds can be allocated and used through market-oriented tools and means
.
For example, the establishment of a "water fund", in addition to government finances, absorbs funds from enterprises and other stakeholders, it can set up public welfare ecological protection projects, but also can be used as profitable projects such as ecological agriculture, and operate the fund in a market-oriented way.
In terms of making better use of existing financial resources, it can also increase the willingness of water users and private enterprises to invest
.

"The beneficiaries of ecological protection are everyone, and we are all stakeholders.
In addition to government policies and systems, the active participation of more stakeholders is a direction that deserves more attention in the future
.
" Jin Leshan said
.

 

Beautiful Countryside in China (Photo by Han Yangmei)