title: China's Degraded Environment Enters A New Normal.
abstract: China is undergoing unprecedented social and ecological shifts, a harbinger of similar changes that will unfold in developing nations over coming decades. Many of China's degraded environments represent a new normal. Acknowledging this reality will allow societies to make informed decisions that recognize the undervalued costs of environment degradation.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. Electronic address: ke.zhang1@jcu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Palaeoecological Laboratory, Geography and Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dearing
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia.
authors.forename: Shilu L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
authors.forename: Terry P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003710:Demography; D003906:Developing Countries; D004777:Environment
keywords: ecosystem services; regime shift; resilience; sustainability