Study On Eco-compensation Mechanisms And Supporting Policies Of Ecological Environmental Construction Of Grasslands In Western China

Due to human unsustainable uses of rangeland resources, especially the impact of climate change exacerbates the degradation of rangeland ecosystems. These challenges are particularly acute for those in the highly vulnerable western regions of the China, valuable services provided by rangeland ecosystems have been dwindling in recent decades, posing a threat on people's well being. Construction and conservation of ecological environment of grasslands in Western China can play a key role in producing environmental benefits, however, the economic characteristics of the ecosystem services being provided, such as non-rivalry and non-excludability, along with the spatial scale at which benefits accrue, all of which result in the inability of conventional markets to internalize ES economic value. The livelihoods of pastoralists in the western regions of the country depend greatly on plants, water, animals and other natural resources found in the rangelands. Pastoralists in these regions are affected by the severity and susceptibility of degradation of ecosystem services, on the one hand, and respond with different level of efforts to conserve their lands, on the other. These challenge their livelihoods and influence their conservation efforts in ecological construction and conservation programs. Realizing the severity of this situation, many scholars and practitioners have carried on extensive discussions on it from several aspects, such as improvement of grassland contract system, rational use of grassland resources and establishment of protected areas, etc. This thesis concentrates on the study of eco-compensation mechanisms and supporting policies of ecological environmental construction of grasslands in western China, and starting from the viewpoint that the eco-compensations of ecological environmental construction of grasslands is the key to the success of the ecological environmental construction of grasslands, the thesis hopes to achieve three main goals: First, to probe into design characteristics and functioning of PES case-study programs, reveal the causes and formats of establishment of PES in the specific social and economic context. Second, to appraise the performance of the eco-compensation mechanism and find new mechanisms to improve the effectiveness of PES programs in achieving environmental objectives. Third, to reveal the necessity of the PES system working together with other policies to achieve the design of successful programs.Main research results are followings:⒈Construction and conservation of ecological environment of grasslands in Western China can produce great environmental benefits, however, the economic characteristics of the ecosystem services being provided result in the failures of the free market system. Additionally, due to the absence of property rights or other legal means to require payment for services provided, it results in under-investment in the protection and management of grasslands and the under-provision of ecosystem services. Market and policy failures constrain the optimal reallocation of ecological resources. It makes the establishment and improvement of eco-compensation mechanisms of ecological environmental construction of grasslands in western China inevitable.⒉As a recent innovative environmental management policy that is attracting much attention in both developed and developing countries, payment for ecosystem services has been widely used in providing an economic incentive to land managers to adopt land use or management practices favorable to the protection of ecosystem services. And the same is true for the establishment and improvement of the eco-compensation mechanisms and supporting policies of ecological environmental construction of grasslands in western China.⒊As"temporary supporting policies", they are based on the implementation of ecological construction projects which are targeted to the participation of large spatial scales and a wide range of providers of grassland ecosystem services. PES programs are designed and financed by central government, and PES implementation is delegated to lower levels of governments. All of these make the PES programs in the protection and provision of grassland ecosystem services unsustainable and more changeable.⒋The low level of compensation is not sufficient to compensate providers for the opportunity cost of foregoing higher-return alternative land users, and the adoption of uniform rate of subsidies to be fair and easy to manage in the PES programs of grassland ecological construction in western China. Empirical studies have shown that same level of compensation does not mean fair, and payments are usually either higher or lower than the cost of ecosystem services provision. The former results in a waste of money and rent-seeking of surplus funds, the latter would not achieve incentives.⒌Land users do not participate to design and manage PES programs in existence, although they can enter contracts voluntarily, and projects planning take a top-down planning approach. Service providers are excluded from the benefit-sharing, decision-making and trading processes, even becoming victims of interests. The whole processes are more representative of the willingness of governments.⒍The results of our factors analysis indicate that education level, animal husbandry income, net income, grassland areas, climate risk perception and protection believe variables are strongly positive associated with devotion resources to restoration efforts (p<0.01); Age, capabilities to deal with risks, belief of grassland healthy conditions are positive associated with protection efforts (p<0.05); and the cognition of the causes of grassland degradation and land tenure is strongly (p<0.01) and negative associated with their protection efforts(p<0.05) respectively.⒎Based on combined effects of ecological construction projects in western grasslands, according to the range of different beneficiaries, the framework of eco-compensation mechanisms of ecological environmental construction of grasslands in western China are constructed by horizontal and vertical mechanisms, and determine⒏The effective functioning of eco-compensation mechanisms are supported with financial, taxation and other policies in order to support effective grassland ecosystems conservation and ecosystem services provision. First, it should structure the rational ecological compensation system concerning ecological construction. Second, it should improve inter-governmental fiscal transfer payment system. Third, it should explore market system and the establishment of user-financed PES programs. Fourth, it should plan systematically and monitor overall the functioning of PES schemes. Fifth, it should deepen the reform of land tenure. Sixth, it should give local communities greater voice in the process of programs design and implementation. Finally, capacity is extremely important to design consistent schemes and projects and to determine the provision of ES in the long run.Main innovation points are followings:⒈Having constructed an analyzing framework of the mechanismsWith the institutional analysis framework, this thesis applies the framework in the context of ecological construction programs in western grasslands for understanding the development and effectiveness of PES schemes. The results reveal that the effectiveness of government-financed PES programs needs to be supported by relevant policies and there exists"government failure"in the public payment schemes to some extent, so the central government should continue to be play a leading role in the supply of public goods, along with the introduction of market for ecosystem services, cooperative management, adaptive management, etc.⒉Having changed the visual angel of studyA large body of literature has analyzed pastoralists'protection decision-making, in terms of risk perceptions and beliefs of human activities and natural events, the paper emphasizes that PES schemes need to complement existing direct incentives with other policies to achieve the desired goals.