School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Center for Yellow River Ecosystem Products, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
Center for Yellow River Ecosystem Products, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Qingdao Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
J Environ Manage. 2022 Nov 15;322:115995. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115995. Epub 2022 Aug 27.
As a measure of ecosystems' contribution to human well-being, the concept of Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) is an integrated monetary index for the evaluation of final ecosystem services, which has attracted widespread attention around the world. In China, both national and local governments have launched a series of GEP accounting pilot projects, with the aim to incorporate this new concept into real world decision-making. However, a critical review of these practices remains lacking, especially regarding their current status and problems. In this study, by performing a systematic review and data integration of current literature and government documents, we comprehensively described the GEP accounting practices in China, including pilot project's coverage, accounting methods, and policy application. Then, we identified five major problems in current GEP accounting practices in China, which prevent GEP from being accurately measured in the short term. We proposed that GEP accounting should be a constantly evolving process with both long-term and short-term improvement goals. More in detail, the accuracy issues in GEP accounting require longer periods of time to resolve; while its repeatability, comparability, and applicability should be improved in the short term, so that it can be incorporated into decision-making. In response to these challenges, we suggested the adaptation of GEP accounting index screening principles as a possible future direction, which can help to apply GEP results in the current stages of decision making. By improving GEP concept and accounting, it will be possible to establish a unified comparable GEP accounting system and reduce the gap between the GEP and decision-making.
作为衡量生态系统对人类福祉贡献的一种手段，生态系统生产总值（GEP）的概念是对最终生态系统服务进行评估的综合货币指标，这一概念在全球范围内引起了广泛关注。在中国，国家和地方政府都启动了一系列 GEP 核算试点项目，旨在将这一新概念纳入实际决策中。然而，对这些实践的批判性审查仍然缺乏，特别是对其现状和问题的审查。在本研究中，我们通过对现有文献和政府文件进行系统回顾和数据整合，全面描述了中国的 GEP 核算实践，包括试点项目的覆盖范围、核算方法和政策应用。然后，我们确定了中国当前 GEP 核算实践中存在的五个主要问题，这些问题在短期内阻碍了 GEP 的准确衡量。我们提出，GEP 核算应该是一个不断发展的过程，既有长期目标，也有短期目标。更具体地说，GEP 核算的准确性问题需要更长的时间来解决；而其重复性、可比性和适用性应在短期内得到改善，以便将其纳入决策。针对这些挑战，我们建议采用 GEP 核算指标筛选原则作为未来的一个可能方向，这有助于在当前的决策阶段应用 GEP 结果。通过改进 GEP 概念和核算，可以建立一个统一的可比 GEP 核算体系，缩小 GEP 与决策之间的差距。
