A Study On Mechanism Of Ecological Compensation For Soil And Water Conservation

The soil and water loss is one of the serious environmental problems as well as an important economic and social issue that China is facing. It will help to obtain sustainable developments of our society in the long run that the processes of controlling soil erosion should be accelerated, the ecological environment should be improved to protect and utilize soil and water resources in effect. Wushan county is located in the central region of Three Gorges of Changjiang River where it has significance to conserve soil and water. The engineering of soil and water conservation is lasting, complicated and systematic, which needs a large sum of investment to establish stimulus restrictions of ecological compensation.’The Twelfth Five-Year Plan’of our country stresses to strengthen the protection and management of key ecological functional districts, to enhance their capability of conserving water sources, preventing soil erosion and fixing sands and to establish mechanisms of ecological compensation as soon as possible based on the principle that the causers who do the development should be responsible for protect it and the people who benefit should compensate it.In this thesis, based on a review of many researches on mechanism of ecological compensation for soil and water conservation across the globe, two concepts, namely, compensation of ecology and ecological compensation for soil and water conversation, have been defined. The theoretical foundation of mechanism of ecological compensation for soil and water conservation has been illustrated based on the following aspects:ecological theory, value theory of ecological resources, external theory, theory of public goods, game theory and man-land theory of sustainable development. On a basis of introducing experience of international and national practices, a framework of mechanism of ecological compensation for soil and water conservation has been established, which includes:necessities, principles, subjects, objects, standards, methods and approaches of building an compensatory mechanism to provide theoretical guidance and approaches for study on mechanism of ecological compensation for soil and water conservation in Wushan county of Chong city. Its necessities contain five aspects:at first, it is necessary for controlling of soil and water loss and utilizing restricted soil and water resources; secondly, it is internal requirements for promoting fair investment and safeguarding regional ecological safety; thirdly, it is an important approach to get rid of poverty and to sustain development; fourth, it is a good tool to change traditional views and arouse people’s awareness of ecology; fifth, it is a useful act to realize ecological civilization. Also, the system includes principles of fairness, equal responsibility, consideration of local conditions, combination of government and market, combination of compensation and getting rid of poverty and step by step. Then, three types of ecological compensation for soil and water were classified. The subjects and objects are related to government, companies and individuals, benefactors and victims of soil and water loss. Three standards are method of cost, method of ecological value and method based on willing. At last, the realization of compensation is linked to governments and markets. At present, the approach connected to the government is the most important and realizable one. However, with the development of regular markets and increasing social and ecological awareness, compensation mechanisms based on markets and society will be more prevailed. The multiple approaches for ecological compensation can be based on policies, funds, substances and intelligence.Besides, this thesis analyzes and concludes physical geographical backgrounds, social and economic conditions and protection of soil and water statues in Wushan county. Based on these materials, a detailed compensation value was calculated as following:Firstly, the data collected from nine villages with an area of 1018.17km2 from 2009-2011and the value of compensation was 1.831 billion Yuan based method of cost. The other amount of compensation was 2.059 billion Yuan based on the method of ecological value.Secondly, the amount of direct economic benefits from soil and water conservation was larger than the loss of opportunity cost. Also, it is uncertain to calculate social and ecological benefits.Thirdly, it is helpful to establish powerful networks of soil and water conservation and to promote progress of soil and water conservation based on multiple compensation subjects, perfect compensation methods and reasonable monitoring mechanisms.