Realizing ecological civilization

Whilst the concept of ecological civilization in China has existed for several decades (or even centuries as it reflects the evolution of the Taoist concepts of uniting humans and the universe), its integration into policy started in 2012 and its inclusion in the Chinese constitution in 2018. Ecological civilization (also known as eco-civilization) is an ideological framework for China’s policies, laws, and education to enable society to “live in Harmony with Nature”. This is an important conceptual framework which aims to adapt society to meet twenty-first century challenges, and to halt national biodiversity losses. The translation of the concept into society has encompassed cross-societal actions including pollution reduction, circular economy, low-carbon economy, ecological conservation redlines, and green development. The concept of eco-civilization also emphasizes safeguarding ecological services and protecting natural resources. In recent years, discussions have extended to how eco-civilization could contribute to meeting the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and be integrated into international projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative. In this special section, we aim to discuss new developments in the theory and the implementation of eco-civilization, how it complements international dialogues on sustainability and what would be needed to facilitate implementation both in China and internationally.

This special section will include reviews of progress in theoretical perspectives as well as the development of frameworks and empirical studies on eco-civilization. In addition, we will discuss the gaps and provide suggestions of how the concept could be made more holistic based on the lessons from other regions and initiatives. The special section first reviews the evolution and development of the eco-civilization concept from a political perspective, and the shifting prioritization of economy versus environment. Other papers also discuss indicators which can chart the implementation of eco-civilization (Xue et al. 2023). Indicators are always key to success, for example, to try to assure progress is being made within the Kunming-Montreal Global biodiversity framework (GBF), and monitoring framework of indicators should be and has been synchronously developed (Hughes 2023). These indicators aim to chart progress towards targets within the GBF, as one prime challenge in fulfilling the Aichi targets was the inability to track progress and respond appropriately. The monitoring framework provides a standardized means to track progress towards GBF targets; however, indicators have rarely been discussed in the context of eco-civilization, in part due to the holistic approach of ecology and society it needs to incorporate. Within the context of eco-civilization, a wide set of indicators are necessary to reflect the different dimensions reflecting the various intersections between environment and society, with initial standards being finalized in 2019 (Xue et al. 2023). These final concepts underscore the aims of eco-civilization, with “institutional construction” and “ecological security” forming the overarching vision and motivation of reaching such a society. These concepts highlight that a healthy environment is crucial to reduce the risks of ecosystem disservices, which can have manifold impacts on human health and welfare, as well as economic systems. For example, increased effort in the realm of One Health showcases the need to manage environmental systems to maintain ecosystem health to reduce the risk of spillovers, and discussions about the relevance of One Health to eco-civilization are now in progress (Yang 2021; Wu et al. 2023).

Furthermore, methods of translation can determine success, in terms of how tasks are delegated, and how different stakeholders are engaged, for example, the cases of River and Lake Chiefs to provide local and regional oversight of progress and indicators within broader metrics of success (Tang et al. 2020). Under such a system responsibility for progress towards sustainable watercourse management is delegated to the local level, creating a manageable system to enable recovery of wetland systems. Standard systems of reporting, disclosures, and transparency are also key elements of how eco-civilization is being implemented in China, reflecting necessary changes in broader environmental agreements (which often fail to implement sufficient bridging mechanisms to enable necessary actions to realize targets such as the Aichi targets). These new indicators reflect the necessary diversity of elements of society to assess what and where is working, and thus, to enable coordinated actions. Similarly, Zhang and Fu (2023) explored the development of an “ecological civilization index”, highlighting the advances China has already made, though success is heterogeneous across the country, and lessons could be learnt from better performing regions. The index can recognize the different facets of success and provide a means to facilitate the implementation of eco-civilization more widely. This new ecological civilization index provides a standardized way to assess progress towards the vision of eco-civilization, and based on this index, a wide suite of indicators encompassing economic, social and ecological progress has been made (Xiao et al. 2023). Furthermore, this index reflects economic, ecological and social components, highlighting the overarching nature eco-civilization aims to achieve. Both Xiao et al. (2023) and Zhang and Fu (2023) highlight the heterogeneous progress that has been made across the country, with Xiao et al. (2023) also defining different forms of equilibrium between the social-economic-ecological components, as different elements have progressed variedly in different regions of China.

Comparing China’s path of eco-civilization to a broader concept of sustainable development can also provide cross-fertilization and help advance more sustainable modes of development (Zhao and Zhou 2023). In China, the development of the concept of “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” has become a major topic of research, but elements like One Health have not yet been integrated within research in China.

In considering eco-civilization, actions are required not only to both prevent future losses of biodiversity and produce and consume more sustainably, but also to restore landscapes from past unsustainable use. Here again China has implemented a suite of policies with varying degrees of success in achieving both, and in a UN decade of restoration, learning how systems could be more effectively restored is also the key. Thus, this special section also covers how to restore the degraded ecosystems (Liu et al. 2023), where success has been achieved, what challenges need to be tackled and what barriers may remain. Within China’s “integrated systems” (such as ecological conservation redlines) different levels of protection have been applied to different elements of the landscape, and different regions, using key tools such as ecological conservation redlines. These tools increasingly rely on new technologies to increase precision in application and maximize benefits from their use (Bai et al. 2021). Similarly, Nature-Based Solutions have an important role to play both within eco-civilization, and understanding how to apply such approaches successfully are also crucial (Liu et al. 2023). Functional land-use zoning has also been used to help target strategies to reflect that different approaches must be adopted and adapted for different regions. These strategies have evolved to increase their effectiveness, develop frameworks to enhance their application, engage more with local stakeholders and agencies, and provide oversight and monitoring for effective implementation. However, work is still needed to incentivize sustainability, and to ensure that biodiversity is not regarded simply as an optional extra within any mode of development and governance.

Taking these further may require the further growth of existing databases and approaches, such as China’s own earth observation and data-sharing platform: CASEarth,1 and national data repositories, which may be able to learn from international programs as they develop, thereby ensuring that sufficient metadata and standardization exist for monitoring ecosystems and charting Ecological Conservation Redlines.

Another key component of eco-civilization is the financial dimension. This includes green finance (such as China’s vast green bond market) but also other mechanisms to measure ecosystem productivity and value, such as Gross-ecosystem product (Zheng et al. 2023). The use of concepts such as Gross-ecosystem product builds on integrated environmental-economic accounts, which have been developed by the United Nations to provide a quantitative means to calculate benefits from ecosystems. Approaches such as the accounting for environmental goods, and the mechanisms of stocks and flows, make it broadly comparable to other systems of accounting, and make it easier to streamline these modes of accounting with economic accounting systems. These systems also classify ecosystem services in terms of both material and non-material services. Not only do such frameworks directly complement international bodies such as the International Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) but they make use of the new technologies, such as the growing remote sensing capabilities to monitor, measure, and manage systems, and dispense eco-compensation as appropriate. These technologies and their applications are likely to continue to evolve and enable the further instrumentation of eco-civilization.

In this special section, we detail these various aspects of eco-civilization. Whilst the concept is currently Chinese, it is of global relevance as it proposes a new mode of development when we rebalance our impacts on the planet to secure our own intertwined futures. Indeed, the recognition of the global relevance of the concept is echoed by the theme of the 15th meeting of the Convention of Biodiversity—living in Harmony with Nature, under which the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity framework was launched.

Eco-civilization poses a new and more sustainable means to move society forward, and by learning from China’s successes and challenges, we hope to inspire other nations to consider what their own modes of sustainable development might look like. Conservation and sustainability can only succeed when they are mainstreamed across sectors and society, and eco-civilization provides a template that carries lessons for global civilization, and our collective futures.