Comprehensive Monitoring and Assessment of Terrestrial Ecosystems in China
China (2nd phase)
Geographical coverage
| Geographical scale of the assessment | National |
|---|---|
| Country or countries covered | China |
| Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name |
Geographical scale of the assessment
National
Country or countries covered
China
Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name
Conceptual framework, methodology and scope
Assessment objectives
The project’s primary goals are to develop an integrated ecosystem simulation and analysis platform on the basis of field observation network and earth observing system, to analyze the evolution trends of environment problems for vulnerable ecosystem regions, and to assess the changing trends of macroscopic ecosystem structures and service functions of terrestrial China. Furthermore, the project aims to construct an integrated ecosystem monitoring, assessment and decision support system, which could be operated according to a certain time period by multi-departments, and to supply national ecosystem assessment reports and relative scientific basis for policy makers and planners of environment protection in five-year plan in China.
Mandate for the assessment
The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
Conceptual framework and/or methodology used for the assessment
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)
URL or copy of conceptual framework developed or adapted
System(s) assessed
- Forest and woodland
- Cultivated/Agricultural land
- Grassland
Species groups assessed
Ecosystem services/functions assessed
Provisioning
- Food
- Water
Regulating
- Climate regulation
- Regulation of water flows
- Erosion prevention
Supporting Services/Functions
- Nutrient cycling
- Soil formation and fertility
- Primary production
Cultural Services
Scope of assessment includes
Drivers of change in systems and services
Yes
Impacts of change in services on human well-being
Yes
Options for responding/interventions to the trends observed
Yes
Explicit consideration of the role of biodiversity in the systems and services covered by the assessment
Yes
Timing of the assessment
Year assessment started
2006
Year assessment finished
Ongoing
If ongoing, year assessment is anticipated to finish
2016
Periodicity of assessment
One off
Assessment outputs
Website(s)
Report(s)
Communication materials (e.g. brochure, presentations, posters, audio-visual media)
Journal publications
Spatial patterns and driving forces of land use change in China during the early 21st century
Spatial_patterns_and_driving_forces_of_land_use_change_in_China_during_the_early_21st_century.pdf
The integrated assessment indicator system of grassland ecosystem in the Three-River Headwaters region
The_integrated_assessment_indicator_system_of_grassland_ecosystem_in_the_Three-River_Headwaters_region.pdf
Training materials
Other documents/outputs
Tools and processes
Tools and approaches used in the assessment
- Modelling
- Trade-off analysis
- Geospatial analysis
- Indicators
- Scenarios
- Stakeholder consultations
Process used for stakeholder engagement in the assessment process and which component
Key stakeholder groups engaged
The number of people directly involved in the assessment process
100-1000
Incorporation of scientific and other types of knowledge
- Scientific information only
- Resource experts (e.g. foresters etc)
- Traditional/local knowledge
- Citizen science
Supporting documentation for specific approaches, methodology or criteria developed and/or used to integrate knowledge systems into the assessment
Assessment reports peer reviewed
No
Data
Accessibility of data used in assessment
Policy impact
Impacts the assessment has had on policy and/or decision making, as evidenced through policy references and actions
The assessment provided a lot of important recommendations for China’s western development program and was enrolled into Twelfth Five-year plan.
Independent or other review on policy impact of the assessment
Yes
Lessons learnt for future assessments from these reviews
Capacity building
Capacity building needs identified during the assessment
Actions taken by the assessment to build capacity
Network and sharing experiences, Access to funding, Sharing of data/repatriation of data, Workshops, Developing/promoting and providing access to support tools, Formal training
