Ziyuan Kexue (May 2024)
Stages and characteristics of evolution of ecological environment protection policies in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River: Taking Qinghai Province as an example
Abstract
[Objective] The ecological environment in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (URYR) is highly sensitive to climate change and human activities. Implementing eco-environment protection policies helps to ensure the sustainable supply of ecological services. Qinghai Province is located in the alpine grassland and has abundant natural resources. Therefore, systematically analyzing the changes of policy characteristics of Qinghai Province and revealing their problems can serve as a reference for enhancing policy effectiveness, and can provide directions for the construction of policy system in the URYR. [Methods] We conducted text mining and quantitative analysis of 95 eco-environment protection policies issued from 1998 to 2022 in Qinghai Province based on the ROST Content Mining System V6.0 software. [Results] The overall trend of eco-environment protection policies in Qinghai Province is relatively consistent with the URYR, while the changes of policy measures and subsidies are relatively unique. (1) In the three stages of initial ecological protection (1998-2004), ecological protection and governance (2005-2011), and ecological civilization construction (2012-2022), the eco-environment protection policies in Qinghai Province have developed towards a comprehensive and systematic direction, and the policy system and top-level design are constantly improving. (2) Over the past 25 years, the types and quantities of ecological restoration measures implemented under the policies have been increasing, with managerial measures such as grazing prohibition and grass-livestock balance being the most widely applied. The types, sources, and objects of policy subsidies have gradually diversified, and the subsidy standards have been constantly raised. (3) At present, the main problems in the policies are the unfair distribution of subsidies in different regions and groups, as well as the inadequate publicity, training, and supervision in the implementation of the policies. [Conclusion] Emphasizing green development and narrowing the regional wealth gaps are the directions for improving eco-environment protection policies in the URYR. It is necessary to improve the policy implementation supervision capabilities of the governments and implement public publicity and training, eco-environment monitoring and evaluation, and assessment and rewards/punishments for public officials. It is also important to strengthen horizontal cooperation about eco-environmental protection among provinces in the URYR, which will help to promote the policy experiences of Qinghai Province throughout the URYR.
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