The Ministry of Finance defines the ecological protection of the Yangtze River Economic Belt： protecting the environment from losses.

　　BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) According to the website of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Finance recently issued the Guiding Opinions on Establishing and Improving the Long-term Mechanism of Ecological Compensation and Protection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The guiding opinions are clear, so that places that protect the environment will not suffer, benefit and gain more, fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of city and county governments to strengthen ecological construction, and protect the ecological environment with the system.

　　The guiding opinions are clear. The central government will strengthen the design of ecological compensation and protection system in the Yangtze River basin, improve the transfer payment method, increase support, and establish and improve the incentive and guidance mechanism. Local governments should take effective measures to actively promote the establishment of a long-term mechanism for ecological compensation and protection in neighboring provinces and the Yangtze River Basin within the province.

　　The guidance is clear, focusing on the improvement of ecological environment quality, implementing accurate assessment according to the types and importance of ecological functions, and strengthening the linkage mechanism between fund allocation and ecological protection effectiveness. Let the places that protect the environment not suffer, benefit and gain more, fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of city and county governments to strengthen ecological construction, and protect the ecological environment with the system.

　　The guiding opinions put forward that by coordinating general transfer payments and related special transfer payments, an incentive and guidance mechanism should be established, and the financial investment in ecological compensation and protection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt should be significantly increased.

　　By 2020, the diversified investment mechanism for the protection and governance of the Yangtze River Basin will be more perfect, the working pattern of coordinated governance will be more perfect, and the central government’s ecological compensation benefits between local and upstream and downstream basins will be more prominent, providing important financial support and institutional guarantee for the ecological civilization construction and regional coordinated development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

　　The guidance proposes to increase special support for the Yangtze River Economic Belt. In terms of supporting the development of forest resources, natural forest cutting and management, wetland protection, ecological migration, energy conservation and environmental protection, the central government will focus on the Yangtze River Economic Belt through forestry reform and development funds, forestry ecological protection and restoration funds, and energy conservation and emission reduction subsidies.

　　Taking the implementation of major ecological restoration projects as a priority option to promote the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the central government will increase its support for the construction of shelter forest system, soil erosion and rocky desertification control in karst areas.

　　The guidance requires local finance to do a good job in implementation. Provincial financial departments should improve the management methods of general transfer payment funds such as provincial balance and key ecological function areas, and continuously increase support for the Yangtze River, runoff areas and key water source areas.

　　Financial departments at all levels below the provincial level should strengthen the management of special transfer payment funds related to ecological and environmental protection, guide all responsible departments to coordinate policy objectives, clarify tasks and responsibilities, coordinate management methods, standardize performance appraisal, and form a joint force to significantly increase investment in ecological protection of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

　　The guidance requires that local finance explore the establishment of a special transfer payment fund integration mechanism for ecological protection and governance in the Yangtze River Basin. For the carry-over funds of relevant central special transfer payments, local governments can formulate stricter measures for fund pooling and effectively improve the efficiency in the use of financial funds.