POLICY AND PRACTICE REVIEWS article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Conservation and Sustainability
The value assessment framework and institutional innovation for implementing the requisition-compensation balance policy of natural coastline in China
Yue Yu 1
Yanyan Fu 2
Wei Liu 1
Degang Jiang 2
Jingwei Zhang 3
Xingmin Liu 4
Xueping Wei 1
Jing Lin 1
1. Ningde Marine Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ningde, China
2. Ministry of Natural Resources Island Research Center, Fuzhou, China
3. Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, Fuzhou, China
4. Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan, China
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Abstract
Natural coastlines are vital for ecological security and sustainable development. To mitigate their decline, China has implemented requisition-compensation balance policy (RCBP) for coastlines, adapted from the management of cultivated land. This study systematically reviews the policy's institutional evolution and highlights fundamental distinctions between coastlines and cultivated land in functional services, spatial heterogeneity, and evaluation standards. While the policy has achieved preliminary success in maintaining quantitative and qualitative balance, several challenges persist. These include the absence of functional equivalence assessment, weak long-term safeguards, underdeveloped cross-regional and market-based coordination mechanisms. These gaps risk leading to "higher-grade requisition, lower-grade compensation" and ecological degradation at compensation sites, and increased administrative burdens. To address these issues, this study develops a comprehensive value-equivalence compensation framework structured around a "three-dimensional and four-layer" indicator system that integrates functional, spatial, and temporal dimensions. It advocates for a strategic transition from quantity-oriented to value-oriented governance. Corresponding policy recommendations are proposed: establishing unified technical guidelines for value assessment, creating a nationwide quota-trading platform to activate market forces, and strengthening post-restoration monitoring for long-term stewardship. This research provides theoretical and practical insights to enhance the protection, restoration and sustainable management of coastlines in China.
Summary
Keywords
ecological restoration, Long-term stewardship, Natural coastline, Requisition-Compensation Balance Policy (RCBP), Value-Equivalence Compensation
Received
15 October 2025
Accepted
05 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Yu, Fu, Liu, Jiang, Zhang, Liu, Wei and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Yanyan Fu
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