Appendix S1 Summary of China’s national ecosystem assessment published in the Bulletin of
Chinese Academy of Sciences.
National Ecosystem Survey and Assessment of China (2000-2010)
Ouyang Zhiyun1, Wang Qiao2, Zheng Hua1, Zhang Feng2, Hou Peng2
(1. State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental
Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, 2. Environmental Satellite Center,
Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing 100094)
Ecosystem services are essential for human survival and sustainable development. An ecosystem
assessment is critical in linking the findings of the ecological and natural sciences on the nation’s
environment to economic development and political decision-making. Since 2000 China has
been experiencing rapid economic growth, accelerating urbanization, and greater resource
exploitation, which have significantly altered China’s ecosystems. At the same time China has
made substantial progress in ecosystem conservation and restoration in the past decade. To
effectively assess the impact of China’s environmental policies and growing human drivers, the
State Council of the People’s Republic of China approved the Ministry of Environmental
Protection and Chinese Academy of Sciences to jointly launch the “National Ecosystem Survey
and Assessment of China (2000-2010)” in 2011. The aim of the project is to determine the
current status of the nation’s ecosystems, condition of ecological problems, and changes in their
trends in China. The project has made notable progress in clearly describing patterns of
ecosystem change and their subsequent impacts on ecosystem services, and the main problems
driving ecological trends across China. The findings from the assessment will provide essential
information to policy makers in developing innovative conservation policies and ecosystem
management to improve ecosystems and their services in China.