Latest comments posted about Paying for nature on ChinaDialogue en-gb http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/1721-Paying-for-nature http://staging.chinadialogue.net/images/cdlogo.gif http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/1721-Paying-for-nature I think that this reasoning is already one of the justifications for the huge sums of money being spent on "ecological migration" to subsidize Tibetan herders who give up their herds and move to towns. I know certain INGOs support this policy. One question that occurs to me, though, is why farmers in Hebei and many other parts of China are paid to adopt less destructive practices and protect forests, while herders in Tibetan areas are simply moved off their land. Could they also not become effective "stewards of the land?" In my experience, this may be entirely possible, at considerably less cost, and without creating unemployed households dependent on government poverty alleviation. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:06:09 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7081 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7081 Water resources are seriously declining in Beijing, according to a survey on the local wetlands. A veteran expert, who has been conducting studies in areas surrounding Beijing for more than a decade, said that sizes of local reservoirs and rivers are shrinking every day. The Wild Duck Lake is a good example as it is now half of its original size. Increasing growth of clover poses a threat to the ecosystem of the lake and also affects the variety and number of birds and their migratory habits. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:42:51 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7071 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7071 "people living in big cities like Beijing should pay more for the water they use" Maybe this would work in cities where everyone enjoys the same high standard of living, but in Beijing this would mean poor people unable to afford a basic resource necessary for survival. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:21:59 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7073 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7073 This article provides a lot of good information, and is thought-provoking. I believe people need to pay for the ecosystem services they receive, instead of taking them for granted, or letting them deteriorate. For example, people living in big cities like Beijing should pay more for the water they use, which will make them more aware of the water crisis, and learn to conserve the resource. And the extra revenue could be used to pay farmers in neighboring area to encourage their act of "growing water." Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:58:49 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7068 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7068 A useful article, thank you for posting. I wonder how China's annual GDP actually looks like factoring in (or out) those "huge amount[s] of money" (Wang Xiaoping) being spent on one of the very basic ingredients of human existence: water. As an aside, in 2005/12 a somewhat polemical book was published in Chinese on how Tibetan waters will save China (Xizang zhi shui qiu Zhongguo, ISBN 7-80175-358-5), describing in great detail the western water trunk line between the Tibetan highlands, Sichuan province and beyond. A suggestive map on this book's page 34 calls for the construction of vast reservoirs (and more huge dams). The book was made required reading in 2006 for high-level cadres in policy and decision making positions. Tibet's future main commodity appears to be not tin or timber or salt or whatever else is mined there now, but, most importantly, water. Thomas H. Hahn/Cornell Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:43:36 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7065 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1721#comment-7065