Ensuring water resource security in China; the need for advances in evidence-based policy to support sustainable management

• Published in: Environmental science & policy Vol. 75; pp. 65 - 69
• Main Authors: Gu, Shuzhong, Jenkins, Alan, Gao, Shi-Ji, Lu, Yonglong, Li, Hong, Li, Yuanyuan, Ferrier, Robert C., Bailey, Mark, Wang, Yiwen, Zhang, Yuan, Qi, Xuebin, Yu, Lili, Ding, Liuqian, Daniell, Tim, Williams, Richard, Hannaford, Jamie, Acreman, Mike, Kirk, Stuart, Liu, Hongxian, Liu, Zhengtao, Luo, Liangguo, Yan, Denghua, Liu, Xuejun, Yu, Fang, Wang, Dong, Zhang, Bing, Ding, Aizhong, Xie, Xiangrong, Liu, Jing, Ma, Chao, Jobson, Anita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2017
• Subjects: China; Policy; Research requirements; Sustainable management; Water resources; Water security; Policy; Sustainable management; Water security; Research requirements; China; Water resources
• ISSN: 1462-9011; 1873-6416
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2017.05.008

•This paper assesses the looming water crisis in China.•Current legislation is complicated as a result of many government departments being involved.•Suggestions are made as to how existing policy can be improved and made more effective.•New science-based policy opportunities are proposed to help ensure sustainable management of available water resources.•New scientific requirements are identified.
China currently faces a water resource sustainability problem which is likely to worsen into the future. The Chinese government is attempting to address this problem through legislative action, but faces severe challenges in delivering its high ambitions. The key challenges revolve around the need to balance water availability with the need to feed a growing population under a changing climate and its ambitions for increased economic development. This is further complicated by the complex and multi-layered government departments, often with overlapping jurisdictions, which are not always aligned in their policy implementation and delivery mechanisms. There remain opportunities for China to make further progress and this paper reports on the outcomes of a science-to-policy roundtable meeting involving scientists and policy-makers in China. It identifies, in an holistic manner, new opportunities for additional considerations for policy implementation, continued and new research requirements to ensure evidence-based policies are designed and implemented and identifies the needs and opportunities to effectively monitor their effectiveness. Other countries around the world can benefit from assessing this case study in China.