Comparative Study On Forest Ecological Compensation Policies Between China And Japan

As a major part of the continental ecological structure,forests play a fundamental strategic role in maintaining water and soil,improving air quality and maintaining national ecological security.In terms of beneficial effects,forests have economic,social and ecological attributes at the outset,however,ecological contributions are difficult to enter the market as a common commodity,making it difficult for providers of ecological benefits to obtain reciprocal economic compensation.Over the past two decades,China in an attempt to reinstate the effectiveness of forest areas,has carried out a series of environmental compensation policies,such as the Natural Forest Protection Project,the Returning Farmland to Forests Project and the Forest Ecological Benefit Compensation Policy,in order to restore the role of forest ecosystems,and has initially achieved good results.Japan,the pioneer of ecological restoration in Asian region,has created considerable ecological benefits in its long-term forestry management.Thus on the basis of the comparison and reference of Japan’s green eco-compensation system,it is of great value and practical significance for the optimization of the relevant policies in China..Based on this,this paper takes the forest ecological compensation policies of China and Japan as the research object,and clarifies the core concepts and basic theories on the basis of combing through the relevant literature on ecological compensation and forest ecological compensation.By summarising the relevant policy practices of China and Japan in forest ecological compensation,a comparative analysis framework of forest ecological compensation policies is constructed,and the policies adopted by China and Japan are compared from the perspectives of "policy tools" and "policy processes".Based on this study,we propose a method to optimize the forest ecological compensation policy in China.The study finds that,under the comparative analysis framework of "policy tools",the differences in policy objectives,policy tool environment and policy tool attributes jointly influence the choice of policy tools and the effects of policy implementation in China and Japan.In the comparative analysis framework of "policy process",there are certain differences between the two countries in terms of the degree of synergy and interaction of policy subsystems,the characteristics of the path of citizens’ policy participation and the legal completeness of the policy,which constitute the explanation for the influence of policy process elements on policy choice and policy outcomes.Specific measures include improving the legal environment,changing the government’s mindset,constructing a multi-dimensional compensation mechanism,and enriching and enhancing the types and effectiveness of policy tool options.