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The Legal Practice of Ecosystem Services Protection in China
DING Jie1,ZHAO Wenjing2,3,LI Peilin1
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DOI:10.17265/1548-6605/2026.01.005
1.Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China 2.Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China 3.Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
Environmental law has gradually expanded its regulatory focus from traditional environmental elements to ecosystem services. Comparative legal studies indicate that the environmental legal frameworks of several countries have integrated ecosystem services into their protection scope. Influenced by U.S. Citizen Suits and the EU Green Paper on environmental responsibility, China’s environmental laws have also started to address ecosystem services, establishing a liability mechanism for loss of ecosystem services within the framework of civil liability and public interest litigation. This approach underscores China’s commitment to the benefits derived from ecosystem services. However, by treating such losses as abstract and non-individualized, it neglects the individual losses involved, potentially leading to duplicate claims and increased burdens on defendants. Additionally, under the current remedial framework, compensation funds have not been effectively allocated for the restoration of ecosystem services, undermining their practical impact. While the legal practice of protecting ecosystem services in China is significant, adjustments are needed to the existing liability mechanism for loss of ecosystem services, including more reasonable allocation of compensation funds and the expansion of remedial methods, in order to ensure the comprehensive protection of ecosystem services.
ecosystem services, loss of ecosystem services, liability, public interest litigation
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