Ecological interest theory of “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” and its application in the Yellow River Basin

Authors

• Guangqian WANG, State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaFollow
• Deyu ZHONG, State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Keywords

two mountains concept, ecological interest, green certificate, Yellow River Basin, ecological value transformation

Abstract

To address the core challenges of quantifying ecological value and converting it into economic gains, this study proposes a theoretical framework of ecological interest (EI) based on the principle that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. Three fundamental origins of ecological interest are explained, including the temporal value discount, the spatial ecological compensation, and the civilizational occupation-compensation balance. These three dimensions establish the logical connection between ecological and economic values. Setting a 5% annual simple interest rate as the benchmark and adopting “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains” green certificates as the standardized ecological assets for property rights delineation and trading, this study demonstrates how ecological value can be quantified and traded. Accounting results from the Yellow River Basin show that the annual average ecological products in the nine provincial regions correspond to 2.755 billion green certificates, generating an annual realizable ecological interest of 13.775 billion CNY. These results also reveal a spatially uneven distribution of ecological value in the basin, characterized by abundance in the upper reaches and scarcity in the lower reaches. This theory provides a quantitative basis and practical approach for solving cross-regional ecological compensation problems and promoting the long-term conversion of ecological value. It offers solid economic support for building an ecological civilization.

First page

986

Last Page

995

Language

Chinese

Publisher

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

References

1. 王光谦. “绿水青山就是金山银山”理念指引下黄河流域生态GDP实现途径及远景展望. 中国科学院院刊, 2025, 40(7): 1143-1156. Wang G Q. “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”: Pathways and prospects for ecological GDP in the Yellow River Basin. Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2025, 40(7): 1143-1156. (in Chinese)

2. 王光谦, 钟德钰. “绿水青山”之绿证与黄河示范. 中国科学院院刊, 2025, 40(11): 1949-1962. Wang G Q, Zhong D Y. Green Certificate of “Lucid waters and lush mountains” and the Yellow River demonstration. Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2025, 40(11): 1949-1962. (in Chinese)

3. 王光谦. 黄河财富的源泉. 群言, 2026, (2): 17-20. Wang G Q. The source of the wealth of the Yellow River. Qunyan, 2026, (2): 17-20. (in Chinese)

Recommended Citation

WANG, Guangqian and ZHONG, Deyu (2026) "Ecological interest theory of “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” and its application in the Yellow River Basin," Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version): Vol. 41 : Iss. 5 , Article 14.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3724/j.issn.1000-3045.20260423002
Available at: https://bulletinofcas.researchcommons.org/journal/vol41/iss5/14