694
J. Pan
with the term “nine dragons controlling water” and the like, to refer to the involvement, not always well coordinated, of multiple government units in the management
of natural resources. Management was fragmented and distributed across government departments, with considerable overlap, in terms of central or local financial
support or departmental interests; however, when it comes to supervision or administrative accountability, there was often a regulatory vacuum where “everyone was
in charge yet no one was responsible.”
To solve this problem, we must advance ecological civilization based on the
system engineering thinking. In the report of the 19th National Congress, Comrade
Xi Jinping extended the scientific thesis that “mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands,
lakes, and grasslands form a community with a shared future” to “adopting a holistic
approach to conserving our mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands.” Biological communities form an organic whole with the environment in
which they live through the exchange of energy and matter, and they are interconnected, interacting, and inseparable. A complete ecosystem includes elements
such as mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands. Only when these
elements reach a dynamic and systematic balance can the sustainable development
of human society be guaranteed. In view of this, to advance building an ecological
civilization with systematic engineering and to coordinate the management of mountains, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands, we must start with top-level design,
break stereotypical thinking, and establish a strict ecological environment protection
and supervision system. Moreover, we must strengthen the natural resource property
rights and the mechanism of offering rights for all natural ecosystems such as grasslands, forests, wetlands, oceans, and rivers. We must integrate all protected areas like
natural reserves, forest parks, and geological parks to form overall and comprehensive management that offers nature with time and space for recuperation. Finally,
we must protect forests, lakes, and wetlands to expand green ecological space, and
define the ceiling for using natural resources, the bottom line for exploiting the environment, and the red line for utilizing the ecological system in an all-round and
system-wide manner.
3. Completing building an ecological civilization institutional system
Building an ecological civilization is a revolutionary transformation and fundamental
change, which must rely on a systematic and complete system. In terms of China’s
environment protection, imperfect systems and mechanisms, along with incomplete
rule of law, have caused serious problems that haven’t been solved for a long time.
Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out, “Only by implementing the strictest possible system
for environmental protection and rule of law can we provide a reliable guarantee for
building an ecological civilization.”
Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade
Xi Jinping at its core have successively proposed a series of target systems, assessment methods, rewards and punishment mechanisms that meet the requirements of
ecological civilization. What’s more, mechanisms like the natural resource property
rights, use control, the ecological red line, pay for use, ecological compensation,
J. Pan
with the term “nine dragons controlling water” and the like, to refer to the involvement, not always well coordinated, of multiple government units in the management
of natural resources. Management was fragmented and distributed across government departments, with considerable overlap, in terms of central or local financial
support or departmental interests; however, when it comes to supervision or administrative accountability, there was often a regulatory vacuum where “everyone was
in charge yet no one was responsible.”
To solve this problem, we must advance ecological civilization based on the
system engineering thinking. In the report of the 19th National Congress, Comrade
Xi Jinping extended the scientific thesis that “mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands,
lakes, and grasslands form a community with a shared future” to “adopting a holistic
approach to conserving our mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands.” Biological communities form an organic whole with the environment in
which they live through the exchange of energy and matter, and they are interconnected, interacting, and inseparable. A complete ecosystem includes elements
such as mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands. Only when these
elements reach a dynamic and systematic balance can the sustainable development
of human society be guaranteed. In view of this, to advance building an ecological
civilization with systematic engineering and to coordinate the management of mountains, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands, we must start with top-level design,
break stereotypical thinking, and establish a strict ecological environment protection
and supervision system. Moreover, we must strengthen the natural resource property
rights and the mechanism of offering rights for all natural ecosystems such as grasslands, forests, wetlands, oceans, and rivers. We must integrate all protected areas like
natural reserves, forest parks, and geological parks to form overall and comprehensive management that offers nature with time and space for recuperation. Finally,
we must protect forests, lakes, and wetlands to expand green ecological space, and
define the ceiling for using natural resources, the bottom line for exploiting the environment, and the red line for utilizing the ecological system in an all-round and
system-wide manner.
3. Completing building an ecological civilization institutional system
Building an ecological civilization is a revolutionary transformation and fundamental
change, which must rely on a systematic and complete system. In terms of China’s
environment protection, imperfect systems and mechanisms, along with incomplete
rule of law, have caused serious problems that haven’t been solved for a long time.
Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out, “Only by implementing the strictest possible system
for environmental protection and rule of law can we provide a reliable guarantee for
building an ecological civilization.”
Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade
Xi Jinping at its core have successively proposed a series of target systems, assessment methods, rewards and punishment mechanisms that meet the requirements of
ecological civilization. What’s more, mechanisms like the natural resource property
rights, use control, the ecological red line, pay for use, ecological compensation,