Ziyuan Kexue (Jun 2024)
Evolution of China’s ecological compensation and future policy orientation:Analysis based on the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework
Abstract
[Objective] This study aimed to clarify the evolutionary trends of China’s ecological compensation mechanism and to further promote the construction of ecological civilization and a beautiful China. [Methods] From the perspective of institutional change, the study employed the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to track, examine, and deconstruct policy changes about China’s ecological compensation mechanism from 1978 to 2023. [Results] The study found that: (1) From the perspective of institutional change, the evolution of the ecological compensation mechanism has experienced three stages—an exploratory stage of “polluters pay”, a formative stage of “beneficiaries pay”, and a refinement stage of “beneficiaries pay, protectors compensated”. The government has always been the primary participant in the ecological protection actions, dominating the direction of ecological compensation mechanism changes. (2) In terms of the internal logic of the institutional change, government leadership, clarifying the rights-responsibilities-benefits of the entities, transitioning from separate management to integrated management, and the marketization of ecological compensation are the main features and inherent pattern of China’s ecological compensation mechanism changes. [Conclusion] We should focus on four aspects to improve the ecological compensation system: improving the property rights system of natural resource assets and the management system of national territorial space of natural resources, forming a diversified and market-oriented ecological compensation method led by the government and participated by all parties, establishing a digital driven investigation and monitoring system of ecological resource protection and utilization, and forming a closed-loop mechanism of transforming lucid waters and lush mountains into mountains of gold and silver and then feeding back clear waters and green mountains.
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