River Basin Scoping Study Experts Meeting

In September 2020, the Executive Members of CCICED approved the CCICED Work Plan 2020-2021 (, which includes this Special Policy Study (“SPS”) on Ecological Compensation and Green Development Institutional Reform in the Integrated River Basin Management.

According to the Work Plan, this SPS needs to “draw lessons from the green development of Yangtze River Economic Belt to study how to achieve high-quality green development in the Yellow River Basin … [and] draw on international experience to improve the governance system for facilitating large-scale spatial planning and major functional zoning.”  

The scoping study to be undertaken would tie in with four developments:  

• The unavoidable necessity to adapt to climate change; 
• China’s ongoing interest in good international practices, while, in addition, the scale and dynamism of the Chinese experiences in many regions has drawn increasing interest from abroad;  
• The longstanding and growing interest, including interest by the Chinese leadership in water issues, in particular river basin management, as a useful set of challenges and opportunities to further collaboration between government organizations and deliver on responsibilities; 
• China’s growing role as the international “convener,” with the effect of, for example, CCICED evolving towards a platform that is of mutual interest to all who participate.  

This meeting will bring together CCICED members, experts, and observers to discuss the study’s scope on the river basins and present a work plan for carrying out the research.