Comparisons and improvements of eco-compensation standards for water resource protection in the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project

Reasonable eco-compensation standards are conducive to increasing the enthusiasm of residents in the water source area of the water diversion project for ecological environmental protection and maintenance and for improving the water quality security of the water receiving area. In this paper, a comparative analysis of calculation mechanisms, formulas, and results of 7 types of eco-compensation standard methods for the Middle Route Project of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China is conducted. The research shows that the calculated results for the 7 types of methods differ greatly and considers that the cost and ecological service value methods are appropriate. Using this as the basic method to consider introducing market value of water resources, internal income of water source area, and government financial support for method improvement, the results show that the improved methods can reduce the gap between the per capita income of the water source area and the reference area, increase the satisfaction of both the water receiving area and the water source area, and provide support for overall socioeconomic development.