Exploration of water ecological compensation practice and policy suggestions in China under new thinking of water governance

By systematically summarizing the exploratory practices of different types of water ecological compensation in key areas such as river source regions, important water sources, key soil erosion control areas, flood storage and detention areas, and damaged rivers and lakes, as well as in key river basins such as the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, this paper deeply analyzes the current issues in water ecological compensation. Based on this analysis, policy recommendations are proposed to accelerate the improvement of China’s water ecological compensation mechanism, focusing on four aspects: further refining the rights and responsibilities in water ecological compensation, establishing a scientific accounting system for water ecological compensation standards, strengthening the participation and cooperation mechanisms of all stakeholders, and establishing and improving a long-term guarantee mechanism for water ecological compensation.