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Evaluating the ecosystem services management style of a national-level river policy by content analysis: Using China’s “River Chief” Policy as a case study
  • Xinghua Xue,
  • Yarui Liu,
  • David Gilvear
Xinghua Xue
Hubei Minzu University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Yarui Liu
Hubei Minzu University
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David Gilvear
University of Plymouth
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Abstract

The majority of river restoration initiatives are driven by new environmental policies. However, evaluation of management styles for ecosystem services (ESs) within river policies and their implications for restoration has been rarely investigated. This paper aims to evaluate the way in which environmental policy manages river ESs and river restoration initiatives. A content analysis-based approach applied to policy documents was undertaken on China’s River Chief (CRC) policy. ESs attributes were summarized according to categories, values, relationships, and stakeholders. Subsequently, a hierarchical evaluation indicator system, along with its graded keywords, was developed. The occurrence frequencies of these keywords in policy documents were then used to measure the policy regulatory degrees of ESs indicators. The reference values extracted from literature statistics of peer-reviewed papers served as a template to clarify the ESs management style. We found that the CRC policy primarily relied on the management of ESs categories and stakeholders, followed by ESs relationships, with extremely limited consideration of river ESs values. Moreover, the bundle of those ESs incorporated into the policy significantly differ from the typical structure of the ESs provided by rivers. For stakeholders, the CRC policy relies heavily on the authorities and the farm/business operators to manage the rivers. This case study showed a partial and pattern-mismatch management style of river ESs, which will hamper the holistic restoration of rivers. We concluded that the proposed policy document-based evaluation approach can help to identify the policy deficiency in relation to river ESs management, and river restoration possibilities.
Submitted to River Research and Applications
25 Jan 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
13 Feb 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
17 Jun 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
25 Sep 20241st Revision Received
26 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
26 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
26 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Oct 2024Editorial Decision: Accept