What they say: March 18, 2022

Following central government guidelines, Gansu has rolled out pilot programs within its jurisdiction for a mechanism that protects river basins by compensating upstream areas for their environmental conservation efforts. The province has also been making efforts to sign agreements with other regions in the Yellow River Basin to introduce the mechanism. Gansu is, however, facing some difficulties implementing the mechanism. With no unified compensation standard, it is hard for different areas to reach a consensus on compensation. In the absence of relevant laws and regulations, downstream areas are not legally required to pay compensation. Therefore, there was a low willingness to compensate. This makes it necessary to improve the top-level design of the mechanism. Laws and regulations should be drafted to specify the obligations and responsibilities of the areas benefiting downstream to pay compensation.