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Land-Development Offset Policies in the Quest for Sustainability: What Can China Learn from Germany?

Author

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  • Rong Tan

    (Department of Land Management, Zhejiang University, Yuhangtang Road, 866, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Rongyu Wang

    (Department of Land Management, Zhejiang University, Yuhangtang Road, 866, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Thomas Sedlin

    (Law and Economics Faculty & Institute for Botany and Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, D-17487 Greifswald, Germany)

Abstract

Land-development offset policies consist of measures that require compensation to be made for the negative impact of land development on agricultural production, ecological and environmental conservation, and the sustainability of economic and social development. However, when such policies are inappropriately designed, unexpected problems can result. This paper describes certain land-development offset policies that have recently been implemented in China, with a particular emphasis on three such policies: the Balancing Policy, the Linkage Policy, and the Integrated Policy. These well-intentioned environmental policies have led to unexpected ecological, social, and cultural problems. This paper also describes the core of German land-development policy, which features a distinctive compensation system that has been employed since the 1970s, and compares Chinese and German land-development policies to highlight differences in three main areas: policy purposes, governance structures, and fundamental institutions. The comparisons might help explain the unexpected outcomes in China, and they also lead to land-development offset policy recommendations for China in the near future.

Suggested Citation

  • Rong Tan & Rongyu Wang & Thomas Sedlin, 2014. "Land-Development Offset Policies in the Quest for Sustainability: What Can China Learn from Germany?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-31, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:6:p:3400-3430:d:36554
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    4. Fu Chen & Man Yu & Fengwu Zhu & Chunzhu Shen & Shaoliang Zhang & Yongjun Yang, 2018. "Rethinking Rural Transformation Caused by Comprehensive Land Consolidation: Insight from Program of Whole Village Restructuring in Jiangsu Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Fei Wang & Degang Yang & Changjian Wang & Xinhuan Zhang, 2015. "The Effect of Payments for Ecosystem Services Programs on the Relationship of Livelihood Capital and Livelihood Strategy among Rural Communities in Northwestern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-21, July.
    6. Yan Sun & Xiaojun Song & Jing Ma & Haochen Yu & Xiaoping Ge & Gang-Jun Liu & Fu Chen, 2021. "Assessing the Effectiveness for Achieving Policy Objectives of Land Consolidation in China: Evidence from Project Practices in Jiangsu Province from 2001 to 2017," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    7. Jinlong Gao & Yehua Dennis Wei & Wen Chen & Komali Yenneti, 2015. "Urban Land Expansion and Structural Change in the Yangtze River Delta, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(8), pages 1-27, July.
    8. Wang, Rongyu & Tan, Rong, 2020. "Efficiency and distribution of rural construction land marketization in contemporary China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    9. Huan Li & Yehua Dennis Wei & Yuemin Ning, 2016. "Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Urban Systems in China during Rapid Urbanization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-17, July.
    10. Catharina Druckenbrod & Volker Beckmann, 2018. "Production-Integrated Compensation in Environmental Offsets—A Review of a German Offset Practice," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, November.
    11. Hua Li & Dan Su & Yu Cao & Jiayi Wang & Yu Cao, 2022. "Optimizing the Compensation Standard of Cultivated Land Protection Based on Ecosystem Services in the Hangzhou Bay Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
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