Addressing the limitations of existing studies, which tend to focus on single realization models and lack systematic institutional analysis, while exhibiting insufficient participation of market actors, this paper develops an integrated analytical framework centered on market orientation. Based on clarifying the concept, typology, and multidimensional value connotations of water ecological products, the paper interprets their composite value structure from the perspectives of direct use value, indirect use value, and non-use value. This paper systematically outlines four fundamental models for realizing the value of water ecological products: water ecological restoration and value enhancement, water ecological rights trading, industrialized operation of water ecological products, and ecological compensation, and comparatively analyzes their operational logic and applicable conditions. Combining institutional supply and market practice, this paper identifies key constraints currently faced in China, including inadequate monitoring systems, non-standardized evaluation and accounting mechanisms, immature operational and development frameworks, imperfect compensation schemes, and insufficient property-right and regulatory guarantees. In response, it proposes a closed-loop institutional optimization pathway structured around "monitoring-accounting-development-compensation-guarantee", emphasizing the central role of market mechanisms, multi-actor collaboration, and coordinated institutional support.

Water budget management represents a significant institutional innovation in the field of integrated water resources management. Given the current lack of clear and unified understanding of the conceptual connotation of water budget management, this paper, from the perspective of financial budget management in accounting, studies the processes, techniques, and tools of financial budget management, identifies the commonalities and differences between financial budget management and water budget management, explores the feasibility and specific pathways for migrating the principles and methods of financial budget management to water budget management, thereby providing a theoretical basis for water budget management. It is recommended to construct a water budget management framework based on the mature structure and methods of financial budget management, incorporating the specificities of water resources management. This framework follows a “top-level coordination and secondary-level implementation” approach, explores the water budget management process, and improves its implementation plans.

The concept and connotation of the strictest water resources protection and utilization system in the Yellow River Basin was systematically explained, the practical basis for its proposal was thoroughly analyzed, and the inherent relationship between the strictest water resources protection and utilization system in the Yellow River Basin and the high-quality development of the basin was analyzed in detail. The research framework for the strictest water resources protection and utilization system in the Yellow River Basin was constructed from the perspectives of development ideas, development principles, development concepts, development goals, and institutional systems, comprehensively presenting and elaborating on its core content. By analyzing the differences between the strictest water resources management system and the strictest water resources protection and utilization system, implementation paths for optimizing water resources management in the Yellow River Basin in the future are proposed from the aspects of refining the implementation of the"basing four aspects on water resources", strengthening legal guarantees, deepening water conservancy reform, promoting technological innovation, and improving water conservancy infrastructure.

A comprehensive analysis of the concept and connotation of new quality productivity of water conservancy was conducted, and the differences and connections between new quality productivity of water conservancy and traditional water conservancy productivity were discussed in detail. The important role and key manifestations new quality productivity of water conservancy were also discussed, and the components, core elements, and structural relationships of new quality productivity of water conservancy were systematically summarized. Policy recommendations have been put forward to cultivate and develop the new quality productivity of water conservancy, focusing on strengthening the application of technological innovation in the field of water resources, optimizing the water resources management system and policy design, implementing the strictest water resources management system, improving water conservancy infrastructure construction, vigorously developing the modern water conservancy industry system, and establishing a multi-party collaborative participation mechanism.

A comprehensive analysis was conducted on the concept of new quality productive forces of water conservancy and patient capital, and a systematic analysis was conducted on the current situation and existing problems of water resources management in China. Further, the logical mechanism of patient capital promoting the new quality productive forces of water conservancy were put forward, which mainly includes eight core dimensions of water conservancy infrastructure improvement, water resources technology innovation and application, industrial structure optimization and energy level upgrading, quality improvement and form change of generating factors, water resources management innovation and system construction, market coordination and risk management, international cooperation and technology transfer, and sustainable development of water ecological environment. Cooperative path of patient capital promoting the development of new quality productive forces of water conservancy were pointed out, including improving the laws, regulations, and system design of water resources, improving the “new capacity” of water conservancy industry, improving the long-term investment and financing mechanism of water conservancy infrastructure, expanding diversified investment and financing channels, and strengthening the monitoring and environmental assessment mechanism of water conservancy projects.

To avoid the excessively low trading prices of water rights and guide the healthy development of the water rights market in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the benchmark prices of water rights for three types of water sources, Yellow River water, groundwater, and surface water in mountainous areas, were calculated based on fuzzy mathematics, entropy weight method, and water price affordability. The research results indicate that the ranking of comprehensive evaluation indices of the benchmark price of water rights is groundwater, surface water in mountainous areas, and the Yellow River water, with values of 4500, 4.406, and 3.791, respectively. From the aspects of benchmark price of water rights for different purposes, the benchmark price for industrial water rights is the highest, followed by that for economic crops and food crops. The type and purpose of water sources affect the benchmark price of water rights through evaluation factors and water fee affordability.

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.