The Regulations on Compensation for Ecological Conservation will come into force on June 1

The Regulations on Compensation for Ecological Conservation will come into force on June 1

Improve the compensation mechanism and improve the overall efficiency

The Regulations on Ecological Protection Compensation (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") will come into force on June 1 this year. This is the first law and regulation in the field of ecological protection compensation in mainland China. On May 17, at the regular briefing on the policies of the State Council held by the Information Office of the State Council, the relevant responsible persons of relevant departments introduced the relevant situation and answered questions from reporters.

Establish the basic system rules for ecological protection compensation

Hu Qingmei, head of the Second Legislative Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, said that the "Regulations" thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, focus on the current outstanding problems, improve institutional measures, and consolidate and expand the provisions and requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on ecological protection compensation and effective experience and practices in the form of comprehensive and basic administrative regulations, focusing on establishing the basic system rules for ecological protection compensation, and maintaining the continuity and stability of existing policies and systems. At the same time, it will leave the necessary institutional space for all regions and departments to continue to explore and innovate in the future in light of actual conditions.

Guo Lanfeng, a member of the party group of the National Development and Reform Commission, introduced that the "Regulations" have a total of 6 chapters and 33 sections, including financial vertical compensation, inter-regional horizontal compensation, and market mechanism compensation.

In terms of vertical financial compensation, on the one hand, the "Regulations" stabilize ecological protection investment in the form of laws and regulations, and on the other hand, strengthen the main functions of the region, and include some key ecological function areas and nature reserves in the scope of central financial compensation, so as to promote the formation of a regional pattern of complementary advantages, division of labor and cooperation, and coordinated development.

In terms of horizontal compensation between regions, the focus is on strengthening the linkage of regional governance and weaving a dense network of protection cooperation. In recent years, relevant localities have actively practiced and explored an all-round and multi-level horizontal compensation mechanism across key river basins and across provinces, cities, counties and villages. "While clarifying these good experiences with laws and regulations and upgrading them into systems, the Regulations adhere to the problem-oriented approach and focus on core issues and key links such as the signing of compensation agreements, the performance of agreements, and dispute resolution." Guo Lanfeng said.

In terms of compensation by market mechanisms, effective market functions should be brought into play. The "Regulations" clearly put forward the compensation path of government platform, social participation and market operation, and mobilize and gather forces from all walks of life to realize the precise docking of demand and supply of ecological products and improve the value of ecological products by promoting the transaction of resources and environmental rights and interests, promoting the development of ecological industries, and establishing market-oriented ecological protection compensation funds.

In addition, the "Regulations" also improve supporting policies in establishing a statistical system for ecological protection compensation, improving the green financial system, establishing and improving a unified green product standard, certification, and labeling system, so as to escort the implementation of the compensation mechanism.

It is conducive to increasing investment in ecological protection

Guo Lanfeng believes that the promulgation of the "Regulations" is a breakthrough development, marking that some good experience and practices in the past have risen to the level of laws and regulations, and the ecological protection compensation mechanism has entered a new stage of rule of law. The "Regulations" are conducive to promoting the protection and improvement of the ecological environment and promoting inter-regional cooperation. The "Regulations" explore and form a new pattern of river basin governance of "cost sharing, benefit sharing, and cooperation and co-governance".

Wang Xintong, head of the Regional Revitalization Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, analyzed that the "Regulations" are also conducive to all parties to increase investment in ecological protection.

For example, in terms of stabilizing the central government's financial investment, the "Regulations" clarify that the state will increase the investment of compensation funds, gradually expand the scope of compensation implementation, and reasonably increase the compensation standard on the basis of the existing categorical compensation method, which will help ensure the continuous investment of ecological protection compensation funds.

In terms of encouraging local governments to increase investment, the "Regulations" on the one hand make it clear that the relevant local people's governments can establish a classified compensation mechanism based on the actual situation of their own regions and increase investment in ecological protection, and on the other hand, they also provide a legal basis for horizontal ecological protection compensation between different regions.

In terms of mobilizing the enthusiasm of social entities to participate, the "Regulations" put forward a variety of ways for social entities to participate in ecological protection compensation, including the establishment and improvement of carbon emission rights, emission rights and other trading mechanisms, as well as the development of ecological industries, as well as the establishment of ecological protection compensation funds.

Co-ordinate the efforts of all parties to promote the implementation of the Regulations

Ecological protection compensation involves a wide range of fields and fields, how to coordinate all aspects of the force to promote the implementation of relevant work?

Guo Lanfeng said that in 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance established an inter-ministerial joint conference system for ecological protection and compensation. After the promulgation of the "Regulations," it is necessary to give full play to its role so that the problems reported by various departments and localities can be resolved in a coordinated manner.

Hu Hanzhou, director of the Department of Energy Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that the National Bureau of Statistics, together with the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance, issued the "Ecological Protection Statistical Index System". ”

Di Donghui, head of the Department of Natural Resources and Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Finance, said that the central government's compensation for ecological protection has continued to increase, and from 2013 to 2023, the transfer payment funds for key ecological function areas have increased from 42.3 billion yuan to 109.1 billion yuan, with a cumulative investment of 790 billion yuan. Funds for water pollution prevention and control increased from 13 billion yuan in 2015 to 25.7 billion yuan in 2023.

"We are constantly improving our compensation policy. According to the actual situation, improve the transfer payment method for key ecological function areas, strengthen support for key ecological counties and areas with important ecological functions, and give preference to areas including the water source of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and also include the provinces along the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. We have also continued to improve the incentive and restraint mechanism for ecological protection compensation, so that the distribution results of relevant transfer payment funds are closely linked to the results of ecological protection, so as to guide local governments to abandon the development model that destroys the environment and mobilize local enthusiasm for protecting the ecological environment. Di Donghui said that in the next step, the central government will promote the construction of a stable investment mechanism for ecological protection compensation funds, improve the level of basic public services in key areas of ecological protection, and continuously improve the overall benefits of ecological protection.

According to reports, since 2012, the central government has invested more than 20 billion yuan in the guidance of the horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanism, and under the guidance and incentive of policies and funds, the construction of the horizontal compensation mechanism has made great progress and achieved remarkable results. "In the next step, we will implement the requirements of the Regulations and further deepen the reform of the horizontal ecological compensation mechanism. On the one hand, we should improve the top-level design, encourage local governments to actively explore, and promote the expansion of horizontal mechanisms to a wider range, deeper connotation, and richer forms. On the other hand, we should strengthen operational guidance, urge local governments to further refine responsibilities and obligations, innovate diversified and market-oriented compensation methods, and promote high-level ecological protection and high-quality development of river basins. Di Donghui said. (Reporter Qiu Chaoyi)

Source: People's Daily