Study on the Ecological Compensation Standard in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China under the Perspective of Natural Capital Supply and Demand

Jinli Shi, Tuodi Wang, Liping Xu (), Zhiyu Gao, Cui Cao, Yutian Luo, Yunyun Xi and Yu Zhang
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Jinli Shi: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Tuodi Wang: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Liping Xu: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Zhiyu Gao: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Cui Cao: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Yutian Luo: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Yunyun Xi: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Yu Zhang: College of Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-22

Abstract: The fundamental component of the ecological compensation system, as well as the crucial basis for its efficient functioning, is calculating the ecological compensation amount and establishing the ecological compensation standard. This study integrates the ecological footprint with natural capital monetization and other methods by introducing a natural capital accounting system. From the standpoint of natural capital supply and demand, it also builds an accounting framework for ecological compensation standards that is standardized, dynamic, and regionally differentiated while taking local socioeconomic aspects into account. We determined the amount of ecological compensation by using Xinjiang as the research object and calculating and analyzing the features of regional and temporal changes in the monetary and physical quantities of natural capital in Xinjiang from 2010 to 2020. The findings show that from 2010 to 2020, Xinjiang’s ecological footprint increased by 1.26 times in physical terms and 1.21 times in monetary terms and that its ecological carrying capacity increased by 4.13% in physical terms and 9.42% in monetary terms. The ecological deficit continues to grow in physical and monetary terms, with a per capita ecological deficit in 2020 of 19.92 s-nha/cap and 70,100 CNY/cap in physical and monetary terms, respectively. The amount of ecological compensation required to be paid in Xinjiang increased from CNY 5659 million to CNY 10,259 million, and the per capita ecological compensation payment standard increased from 259.42 CNY/cap/yr to 396.11 CNY/cap/yr. In summary, Xinjiang’s natural capital supply is insufficient to meet the demand for consumption, and the ecological deficit is growing with time, necessitating the payment of ecological compensation. The study’s results lay the foundation for formulating and implementing ecological compensation policies in Xinjiang and provide theoretical support for constructing ecological civilization in Xinjiang. In addition, the ecological compensation accounting framework constructed in this study organically integrates natural capital theory, ecosystem services, and socioeconomic influencing factors, which enriches the methodology of accounting for ecological compensation standards, and, at the same time, can be used as a paradigm of a dynamic and equitable ecological compensation accounting framework to further promote its use at different scales and regions.

Keywords: natural capital accounting; ecological footprint; ecosystem service equivalence factor; ecological compensation standard; Xinjiang (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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