Eco-Compensation System
The decision to establish an eco-compensation system was made by the 18th CPC Central Committee at its third plenary session. The system aims to prevent damage to the environment, and enhance and promote ecological conservation and protection. It targets those involved in business and other activities, including production, exploitation, and use of natural resources, which has or might have negative environmental impacts. It represents a new approach to environmental stewardship that relies on market-based mechanisms and a legal framework to promote the management of ecosystem protection and restoration.
The eco-compensation approach can be understood in both a broad and a narrow sense. Broadly speaking, it involves compensation for environmental pollution or for damage to ecosystem functions. In a narrow sense, it refers specifically to compensation for damage to ecosystem functions and their value.
The Chinese government will implement the “polluter pays” principle to make those responsible for producing pollution and benefiting therefrom responsible for paying for the damage done to the environment. Efforts will be stepped up to improve the compensation mechanism for key ecosystem function conservation areas and to establish cross-regional eco-compensation programs.
生态补偿制度
中共十八届三中全会《决定》提出实行生态补偿制度。生态补偿制度，是以防止生态环境破坏、增强和促进生态系统良性发展为目的，以从事对生态环境产生或可能产生影响的生产、经营、开发、利用者为对象，以生态环境整治及恢复为主要内容，以经济调节为手段，以法律为保障的新型环境管理制度。它可分为广义和狭义两种。广义包括对污染环境的补偿和对生态功能的补偿，狭义则专指对生态功能或生态价值的补偿。中国政府将坚持谁污染环境、谁破坏生态谁付费，以及谁受益谁补偿原则，完善重点生态功能区的生态补偿机制，推动地区间建立横向生态补偿制度。