title: The development of ecological impact assessment in China.
abstract: The balance between economic development and ecological conservation in China has become a critical issue in recent decades. Ecological impact assessment (EcoIA) was established beginning in the 1980s as a component of environmental impact assessment (EIA) that focuses specifically on human-related changes in ecosystem structure and function. EcoIA has since been widely applied throughout the country with continuous refinements in theory and practice. As compared to EIA, EcoIA is often performed at a larger scale in the long-term, and thus requires more advanced tools and techniques to quantify and assess. This paper reviews the development of EcoIA over the past 30years in China, with specific consideration given to refinements in legislation and methodology. Three stages in the development of EcoIA in China are identified, along with their achievements and limitations. Supplementing this qualitative analysis, the paper also provides a quantitative bibliometrics review of academic publications concerning EcoIA in China over the three identified stages. Lastly, general trends in the development of EcoIA are summarized with the aim of conveying potential future trajectories. This review is intended to introduce the EcoIA system to scholars interested in the growing field of environmental management in China.
authors: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, China; School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: xuehua-hjx@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors: Xuehua
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, China; School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: zhouyuan.li2009@gmail.com.
authors: Zhouyuan
authors: Z
authors: Li
authors: School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors: Chenghao
authors: C
authors: Liao
authors: School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: wangq221@tsinghua.org.cn.
authors: Qing
authors: Q
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA. Electronic address: annah@berkeley.edu.
authors: Annah
authors: A
authors: Zhu
authors: School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors: Dong
authors: D
authors: Li
authors: School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors: Yajun
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors: Zhuo
authors: Z
authors: Tang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D004463:Ecology; D057217:Economic Development; D017753:Ecosystem; D058735:Environmental Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Biodiversity; China; Ecological impact assessment (EcoIA); Ecosystem; Environmental impact assessment (EIA)