The Mechanism Research For Including Of Ecological Compensation In Environment Impact Assessment

Eco-environment is the basic condition for existence and development of human beings, and its stable development is the guarantee and basis for sustainable development of socieconomy. It is a historic mission for contemporary human beings to solve the contradictions and problems between economic growth and environmental protection, and to seek the sustainable development of economy, society and ecology. However, the unfair distribution of eco-environmental benefits and economic benefits between protectors and beneficiaries and that between destroyers and beneficiaries has been an important barrier to constrain the enthusiasms of eco-environment protectors. In order to advance the enthusiasms of eco-environment protectors and increase the costs of eco-environment destroyers, the establishment of ecological compensation mechanism has been a social focus recently.A systematic analysis of studies and practices of ecological compensation both at home and abroad were provided and the main experience and shortcomings summarized. International experience is that the established legal system, strong governmental financial payment ability, multi-channel financing approaches, wide public participation and multiple compensation forms are basis for successful implementation of ecological compensation. In China, the study on ecological compensation lacks behind the ecological compensation practices, and the study on ecological compensation mainly focuses on the policy implementation from macro aspects. The ecological compensation practices are all implemented for specific engineering works in specific areas in the form of policies, while for economic and social activities, especially development and construction activities, there has been no ecological compensation established.The system of environmental impact assessment (EIA) plays imports roles in national economy and social development. It has the characteristic of legal compulsion, been integrated in the capital construction procedure and planning approval procedure, implements management by classifications and approval by grades, and conducts public participation, qualification examination and total process management, etc. It has established a basically perfect system of technical guidelines and normalizations, especially quantitative and monetary cost-benefit analysis techniques, which can provide technical basis, regulation justification and effective approaches for ecological compensation. The paper discusses the feasibility of combination of ecological compensation and EIA in terms of EIA procedure, contents and targets. The ecological loss estimation and ecological compensation study were carried out with a case study in Nuozhadu Hydroelectric Station. Based on this, a system has been framed in order to integrate the ecological compensation into EIA. Moreover, some key relevant technical issues have been discussed.It was concluded that the aim of ecological compensation is to adjust the distribution relationship of economic and eco-environment benefits among relevant beneficiaries, while that of EIA is to adjust the impact relationship of human development activities on eco-environment. The related EIA laws and regulations can provide legal guarantee for ecological compensation, its system characteristics can provide effective ways for implementation of ecological compensation, its ever-improved public participation mechanism can provide basis for propaganda and implementation of ecological compensation, its work procedure can provide support for ecological compensation, and the economic loss-benefit analysis in EIA reports can provide basic data for determination of ecological compensation amounts. The inclusion of ecological compensation in EIA is feasible and practical, and the EIA is an effective approach to implement ecological compensation. By including ecological compensation in EIA, the adjustment of development activities and adjustment of eco-environmental and economic relevant beneficiaries can be integrated, not only are the implications of EIA expanded, but also an effective mechanism of ecological compensation can be implemented. Also, the inclusion of ecological compensation can improve the integrity and effectiveness of EIA itself, and help form a normalized management of ecological compensation.In order to enhance the implementation effectiveness of ecological compensation, some suggestions are offered, including strengthening establishment of complementary laws and regulations, consolidating lass-benefit analysis and related basic researches on ecological compensation, carrying out pilot demonstration for ecological compensation in EIA, performing study on ecological protection benefit audit and establishing environmental public interest lawsuit system.