Improve the Basic Systems for Ecological Civilization and Perfect the Ecological Environment Governance System

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC[1]1 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, held in July 2024, is a key meeting that focused on further deepening reform and promoting Chinese modernization, including ecological civilization. pointed out that "Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature" and called for "accelerating the improvement of the institutional mechanisms for implementing the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." This fully reflects the high importance attached to the construction of ecological civilization as a support for the national development strategy.

党的二十届三中全会指出“中国式现代化是人与自然和谐共生的现代化”，要求“加快完善落实绿水青山就是金山银山理念的体制机制”。这充分体现了对生态文明建设作为国家发展战略支撑的高度重视。

Guide all localities across the country to establish the "three lines and one list."[2]2 The "three lines and one list" refers to the ecological protection red line, the bottom line for environmental quality, the upper limit for resource utilization, and the negative list for environmental access.

指导全国各地建立“三线一单”

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC[3]3 The 18th National Congress of the CPC, held in 2012, marked the beginning of a new era for the Party, with a strong emphasis on ecological civilization as a national strategy., our Party's understanding of ecological civilization construction has continuously deepened, and various decisions and deployments for ecological civilization construction have been successively implemented and promoted in an orderly manner. However, overall, the root, structural, trend, overlapping, and compound pressures on ecological environmental protection have not yet been fundamentally alleviated.

党的十八大以来，我们党对生态文明建设的认识不断深化，生态文明建设各项决策部署相继落地、有序推进。但整体上看，生态环境保护的根源性、结构性、趋势性、重叠性、复合性压力尚未根本缓解。

Under the new circumstances, accelerating the improvement of the institutional mechanisms for implementing the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets is not limited to increasing the area of "blossoming flowers and green grass." It also requires focusing on improving the basic systems for ecological civilization, perfecting the ecological environment governance system, and widely guiding the establishment of the concepts that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," "the ecological environment is both a resource and a capital," and "destroying the ecological environment means destroying productive forces, protecting the ecological environment means protecting productive forces, and improving the ecological environment means developing productive forces."

新形势下，加快完善落实绿水青山就是金山银山理念的体制机制，不仅限于增加“繁花绿草”面积，而且要注重完善生态文明基础体制、健全生态环境治理体系，并广泛引导树立“绿水青山就是金山银山”“生态环境既是资源也是资本”以及“破坏生态环境就是破坏生产力、保护生态环境就是保护生产力、改善生态环境就是发展生产力”的理念。

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC proposed implementing a sub-regional, differentiated, and precise ecological environment management system and improving the ecological environment monitoring and evaluation system. One of the foundational projects among these is to guide all localities across the country to accelerate the establishment of the "ecological protection red line, environmental quality bottom line, resource utilization upper limit, and negative list for environmental access" (abbreviated as the "three lines and one list"). This is an important lever for accelerating the improvement of the institutional mechanisms for implementing the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and an important support for promoting the systematization, scientific governance, rule of law, refinement, and informatization of ecological civilization construction.

党的二十届三中全会提出，实施分区域、差异化、精准管控的生态环境管理制度，健全生态环境监测和评价制度。其中的一个基础性工程，就是指导全国各地加快建立“生态保护红线、环境质量底线、资源利用上线、环境准入负面清单”（简称“三线一单”）。这是加快完善落实绿水青山就是金山银山理念的体制机制的重要抓手，是推动生态文明建设系统化、科学化、法治化、精细化、信息化的重要支撑。

First, strengthen overall planning and connection: link up ecological protection, environmental quality management, environmental carrying capacity monitoring and early warning, spatial planning, strategic and planning environmental impact assessment, and other work, and coordinate the implementation of zonal environmental management and control.

一要加强统筹衔接，衔接生态保护、环境质量管理、环境承载能力监测预警、空间规划、战略和规划环评等工作，统筹实施分区环境管控。

Second, strengthen spatial management and control: integrate the environmental management and control requirements of the ecological protection red line, ecological space, environmental quality bottom line, and resource utilization upper limit to form a spatial management and control system based on environmental control units.

二要强化空间管控，集成生态保护红线、生态空间、环境质量底线、资源利用上线的环境管控要求，形成以环境管控单元为基础的空间管控体系。

Third, highlight differentiated access: formulate differentiated environmental access requirements in terms of spatial layout, pollutant emission, resource development and utilization, etc., to promote refined management.

三要突出差别准入，从空间布局、污染物排放、资源开发利用等方面制定差异化的环境准入要求，促进精细化管理。

On this basis, further implement the management system for the ecological protection red line, improve the integrated protection and systematic governance mechanism for mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts[4]4 This phrase refers to an integrated approach to protecting and restoring seven natural elements—mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts—as part of China's systematic governance of ecosystems., and build a diversified investment mechanism for ecological protection and restoration; improve the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products, deepen the reform of the paid use system for natural resources, promote comprehensive ecological compensation, improve the horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanism, and coordinate the promotion of compensation for ecological and environmental damage.

在此基础上，进一步落实生态保护红线管理制度，健全山水林田湖草沙一体化保护和系统治理机制，建设多元化生态保护修复投入机制；健全生态产品价值实现机制，深化自然资源有偿使用制度改革，推进生态综合补偿，健全横向生态保护补偿机制，统筹推进生态环境损害赔偿。

Promote the joint construction, co-governance, and shared benefits of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River Delta.

推动长三角生态环境共建共治共享

The Yangtze River Delta is an important engine for new-type urbanization and high-quality economic development. It is the urban agglomeration with the highest population density and total population in China, and has the complexity and fragility of economic, social, and environmental development. Under the new circumstances, it is necessary to focus on promoting the joint construction, co-governance, and shared benefits of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River Delta region, and coordinately promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth[5]5 This is a policy slogan encapsulating four key objectives: reducing carbon emissions, cutting pollution, expanding greening, and promoting economic growth., continuously improving regional connectivity, economic agglomeration, and policy coordination.

长三角是新型城镇化和经济高质量发展的重要引擎，是中国人口密度与总量最高的城市群，具有经济、社会与环境发展的复合性、脆弱性。新形势下，有必要以推动长三角区域生态环境共建共治共享为发力重点，协同推进降碳、减污、扩绿、增长，不断提高区域连接度、经济聚集度、政策协同度。

In terms of joint construction, it is necessary to strengthen in-depth cooperation among cities in the Yangtze River Delta, explore the joint construction of regional natural ecosystem protection areas, anchor cross-border ecological spaces, and ensure the integrity and health of the ecosystem.

就共建而言，需加强长三角城市之间的深度合作，探索共同建设区域性自然生态系统保护区，锚固跨边界生态空间，保障生态系统的完整性和健康性。

In terms of co-governance, it should be guided by building a community of life for mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, unify planning, unify standards, coordinate regional ecological elements, innovate governance methods for matching the supply and demand of ecological services, and ensure the smooth circulation of cross-regional ecosystem service products.

就共治而言，应以打造山水林田湖草沙生命共同体为指引，统一规划、统一标准、统筹区域生态要素，创新生态服务供需匹配的治理方式，保障跨区域生态系统服务产品顺畅流通。

In terms of shared benefits, it is necessary to further improve the cross-regional and whole-basin ecological compensation mechanism, so that residents of the Yangtze River Delta can share green ecological spaces and ecological services, and write a new chapter in the construction of an ecological green community in the Yangtze River Delta.

就共享而言，要进一步完善跨区域、全流域生态补偿机制，让长三角居民共享绿色生态空间与生态服务，谱写长三角生态绿色共同体建设新篇章。

In practice, based on learning from the successful experience of the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone[6]6 A specific cross-provincial demonstration zone established in 2019 covering parts of Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, aimed at pioneering integrated green development and ecological coordination., new spaces for north-south collaborative cooperation can be actively expanded. For the north direction, focus on building a collaborative cooperation demonstration zone around the Yangtze River Estuary, with the goal of becoming a world-class resilient large river estuary and a pioneering zone for China's coastal response to climate change. It is suggested to first focus on Chongming and Qidong, and then expand to Pudong, Baoshan, Jiading, Taicang, Haimen and other places. For the south direction, focus on building a collaborative cooperation demonstration zone around the Hangzhou Bay Greater Bay Area, with the goal of becoming a high-diversity (biology, industry, natural landscape) greater bay area and a best practice zone for natural space protection in high-density metropolitan areas. First focus on Pudong, Fengxian, Jinshan on the north bank of Hangzhou Bay, as well as Pinghu, Haiyan and other places. Later, as collaboration gradually matures and improves, it should span the north and south banks of Hangzhou Bay to jointly build a complete green development collaborative cooperation demonstration zone for the greater bay area.

实践中，在借鉴长三角生态绿色一体化发展示范区成功经验的基础上，可积极拓展南向、北向协同合作新空间。北向，重点围绕长江口建设协同合作示范区，目标定位为世界级韧性大河河口、中国滨海应对气候变化先行区。建议先以崇明、启东为重点，继而扩大至浦东、宝山、嘉定、太仓、海门等地。南向，重点围绕杭州湾大湾区建设协同合作示范区，目标定位为（生物、产业、自然景观）高多样性的大湾区以及高密度大都市地区自然空间最佳保护实践区。先聚焦杭州湾北岸的浦东、奉贤、金山和平湖、海盐等地，之后，随着协同合作逐渐成熟和完善，应跨越杭州湾南北两岸，共建完整的大湾区绿色发展协同合作示范区。

The Yangtze River Estuary possesses the most high-quality ecological resource background in Shanghai, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Yangtze River basin. It is the "source" and "sink" for the comprehensive green transformation of regional economic and social development, and an important practical site for promoting land-sea coordination and enhancing the carrying capacity of territorial space. Under the new circumstances, it is necessary to promptly organize unified surveys of the ecological resource background of the estuary and bay area, jointly prepare ecological protection plans for the estuary and bay area, jointly formulate environmental protection standards, and consider the resource background characteristics and specific issues of the new spaces in the estuary and bay area to correspondingly create a distinctive collaborative institutional system.

长江口拥有上海、长三角及长江流域最为优质的生态资源本底，是区域经济社会发展全面绿色转型的“源”和“汇”，以及推进陆海统筹、提升国土空间承载能力的重要实践场所。新形势下，应抓紧统一组织河口、湾区生态资源本底调查，共同编制河口、湾区生态保护规划，共同制定环境保护标准，并考虑河口、湾区新空间自身的资源本底特点、特定问题，相应打造特色化的协同制度体系。

Relevant research reveals that the high values of carbon sinks at the prefecture-level city scale in the Yangtze River Delta mainly appear in the western part, especially in the southern Anhui region, which has low energy consumption and low carbon emissions. Moreover, judging from the age structure of vegetation, there is still considerable room for improvement in carbon sink capacity. It is suggested to refer to the models of grain base joint construction, industrial park joint construction, and cross-regional coordination of land quotas, and establish a cross-regional cooperation system for the supply areas of ecological products and high-quality environmental products (carbon emission quotas and trading, ecosystem service product supply). It could consider establishing a "Shanghai–Xuancheng–Huangshan Carbon Trading Cooperation Demonstration Zone," which would not only alleviate Shanghai's carbon dioxide emission pressure but also provide ecological compensation to Anhui, improve the ecological environment and the living standards of local residents, and achieve regional coordinated compensation for areas with high supply of natural value.

相关研究揭示，长三角地级市尺度的碳汇高值主要出现在西部，尤其是高值地区中的皖南地区，能源消耗低，碳排放较少，且从植被年龄结构看，碳汇能力还有较大的提升空间。建议参照粮食基地共建、产业园共建、土地指标跨区域协调的模式，建立生态产品和优质环境产品供给区的跨区域合作（碳排放额度与交易，生态系统服务产品供给）制度。可考虑建立“上海—宣城—黄山碳交易合作示范区”，既缓解上海的二氧化碳排放压力，又为安徽方面提供生态补偿，改善生态环境和当地居民生活水平，实现自然价值高供应地区的区域协调补偿。

Shanghai is located at the tail end of the Yangtze River basin, and its domestic water mainly comes from the main stream of the Yangtze River and the Taihu Lake basin. Combined with the evaluation of the water conservation capacity of the regional ecosystem, the water quality and quantity standards of the Taipu River Clear Water Green Corridor and lakes such as Taiping Lake can be focused on and controlled. It is suggested to establish a "Shanghai–Suzhou–Southern Anhui–Northern Zhejiang Mountainous City Freshwater Supply Service Compensation Demonstration Zone," and accelerate the construction and improvement of the Taipu River Clear Water Green Corridor. Based on a collaborative cooperation system that makes natural values explicit and controls watershed cross-sections, identify the degree of contribution made by upstream and downstream to provide ecological products and realize ecological values, and then formulate corresponding economic incentives and two-way control measures to achieve the protection of natural resources and the improvement of ecological well-being of watershed residents.

上海位于长江流域的尾端，生活用水主要来自长江干流和太湖流域。结合区域生态系统水源涵养能力评价，可重点控制太浦河清水绿廊、太平湖等湖泊的水质和水量标准。建议建立“上海—苏州—皖南—浙北山地城市淡水供应服务补偿示范区”，并加快建设与完善太浦河清水绿廊，基于自然价值显性化与流域断面管控的协同合作制度，识别上下游为提供生态产品、实现生态价值所作的贡献程度，进而制定相应的经济激励与双向管控措施，实现自然资源保护与流域居民生态福祉的提升。

In addition, according to the principles of regional cooperation and inter-city sharing, more large national parks, country parks, natural ecological parks and other ecological spaces can be built within the metropolitan areas of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Hefei, etc., and through measures such as inter-city equal access system and improving traffic accessibility, inter-city sharing can be realized to meet the needs of Yangtze River Delta residents for green ecological space. In the long run, it is also possible to intensively plan coastal construction land, reduce its vulnerability, and enhance the scale and function of coastal wetlands; coordinate the increase of hydrodynamic power in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River with watershed pollution control to promote clean water quality at the Yangtze River estuary; improve the water storage and flood regulation capacity of urban rivers and lakes, and advocate the combination of sponge city[7]7 "Sponge city" is a Chinese urban planning concept that uses natural and engineered systems to absorb, store, and reuse rainwater, reducing flood risks and improving water management. and resilient city construction.

此外，还可按照区域协作、城际共享原则，在上海、杭州、南京、合肥等都市区范围内建设更多的大型国家公园、郊野公园、自然生态公园等生态空间，并通过城际平等准入制、提高交通可达性等措施实现城际共享，满足长三角居民对绿色生态空间的使用需求。长远来看，还可集约规划沿海建设用地，减小其脆弱性，提升海岸湿地规模与功能；协调长江上游水动力增长与流域污染控制，促进长江入海口水质清洁；提升城市河湖蓄水调洪能力，提倡海绵城市与韧性城市建设相结合。

(The author is a Distinguished Professor at Fudan University and a Counselor of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government.)

（作者为复旦大学特聘教授、上海市人民政府参事）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧