A Study On Compensation Mechanism For Water Resources Restoration

Water resource restoration is fundamental for sustainable use of water resources. A clear understanding on the compensation mechanism for water resource restoration is helpful in maintaining the natural cycle and basic functions of water, promoting water protection and sustainable water resource use. This study has both theoretical and practical importance and has been drawn great attention of related government institutions. Setting up a perfect administrative system to make compensation between different and competitive water users is a huge systems engineering and needs close cooperation among economist, sociologist, environmentalist, water resource engineer etc. The present study is just at its initial step in the world. There has not been theory and method available. A wide range and profound research is urgently needed. This thesis attempts to find theoretical explanations to compensation mechanism for water resource restoration and applicable methods to realize such a compensation. The research goes towards and through different aspects, i.e. hydrology, resource economics, microeconomics and environmental science. As results, a theoretical framework is drafted and some operational methods are proposed correspondingly. Major contents of this thesis are briefed as follows:(1) This thesis reviews and synthesizes present studies on water resource restoration and compensation abroad and in China. In respect of ecological restoration, it is for the first time to clearly conceptualize water resource restoration and its compensation mechanism.(2) Basing upon hydrologic principles, the thesis gives a full description on water resources restoration, discusses relationship between artificial restoration and natural water quantity and quality. It is suggested to promote water resource restoration by means of restoring natural water cycle and water basic functions.(3 ) water resource compensation was deeply discussed under the context of engineering and non-engineering measures for water resources restoration, and the relationship between water resource restoration and compensation is clarified. The basic principles and standards to implement water resource compensation are proposed therein.(4) From the viewpoint of economics, it is pointed out that the economic property of water resources is fundamental for water resource compensation. Water has property of public goods and the external cost of water resource development can be internalized. These are theoretical basis for economically compensating the activities of water resource restoration. A theoretical framework for water resources restoration is sketched out.(5 )A detailed study was also given to the value structure of water resources and a method is proposed to evaluate direct value of water resources. The value-transferring of water resource was studied and a mathematical model to calculate the direct value of water resources was built up and used in some real cases for test.(6) The relationship between the compensation and the restoration of water resources wasstudied, which demonstrates the necessity of water resources value compensation. It is pointed out that water resources fee/tax collection is the key measure of water resources value compensation. For the reason, the characteristics of water resource fee/tax is made clear and some standards for rating water resources fee/tax are provided.(7) By analyzing externality of competitive water use and the relevant effects on water resource restoration, it is proofed the necessity to compensate the loss due to the competition. A model evaluating water use loss was therefore constructed and the standards quantifying compensation is proposed.(8) From microeconomics, the external environmental costs linking with water resource exploitation and utilization was analyzed. The compensation mechanism for water pollution is focused on and the principles to formulate the standards for water pollution compensation are proposed. In noticing the particularity of water pollution, it is suggested to use market system to promo...