Theory And Practice Of Wetland Eco-compensation

Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve is "desert-wetland ecosystem" nature reserve, it’s a microcosm of biodiversity and landscape diversity in Northwest Semi-arid and Arid area (Loess Plateau-Sand area) of China and also a bird migration pathway and an important breeding ground. In order to strengthen the protection and construction of the protected areas, in 2014, the project which name is "the central government subsidies for wetland funding:Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve Wetland Ecological Benefit Compensation Pilot Project (hereinafter referred to as pilot project)." has started. This research takes the "pilot project" as an example, based on the theoretical and practical aspects of the wetland ecological compensation. Several important issues in the wetland ecological compensation mechanism were analyzed through literature review and data collection. Field investigation, questionnaire survey workshop and symposium were used to formulate a theoretical basis for future similar wetland ecological compensation project implementation. Results show that:(1)Ecological compensation in wetlands should be assessed according to benefit provided to wildlife in protected areas and the loss of income suffered from the ban on cropping. The level of compensation paid should be based on which of the three areas (core zone, buffer zone and experimental zone) the land user claims compensation for. There would be a sliding scale with more compensation paid to land users who sacrificed land that was now designated as "core" than those in the periphery (beyond the buffer zone).(2) A long list of stakeholders were identified and their inputs and viewpoints were analyzed, the central and local governments, the wetland resources development and utilization of enterprises and individuals, wetland resources administration departments and social groups, and individuals were determined as the subject of wetland ecological compensation; the residents of communities around the wetland nature reserve, wetland resources management administrative departments, wetland resources development and utilization of enterprise and individual and wetlands where the government were determined as the object of compensation.(3)Using the opportunity cost method, market value method and contingent valuation method respectively to calculate the opportunity cost lost value is RMB 69.9 yuan/(mu·years), the value of the direct economic loss is RMB 31.8 yuan/(mu·years), and the willingness of farmers is RMB 140.7 yuan/(mu·years).When the ecological compensation standard is determined, the direct economic loss value is regarded as the lower limit, and the farmers’ willingness value is the upper limit, and the opportunity cost loss value is adopted as the compensation standard.(4) When all aspects are considered the most reasonable way of wetland ecological compensation is to regard the stakeholder group and the various claimants as belonging to a condominium community defined as’divided co-property’. Its meaning is therefore "shared property".(5) Summary of the "pilot project" experience includes the recognition that the current wetland ecological compensation mechanism needs further improvement There is need to devise an ecological compensation process that takes full account of the needs of the masses of farmers, as well as the outcomes of research work on protected areas that point the way to a fairer, simpler and more satisfactory compensation assessment approach.