Since the beginning of the new era, China's construction of ecological civilization has achieved remarkable results and undergone historic changes. The protection and governance of rivers and lakes have also achieved tremendous results, radiating new youth. The spring water flowing eastward is becoming a reality. The fundamental reason lies in that we have found the method and path for the protection and governance of rivers and lakes with Chinese characteristics, namely the 224 river and lake protection model, which means the Two Mountains Theory, Two Strategies, Two Systems, and Four Rivers and Lakes.
The new era model is constantly enriching, developing, and improving, however, there are still some issues that need to be addressed. The river and lake chief system needs to solve the governance dilemma of cross-regional and upstream-downstream collaboration, increase public participation, strengthen the cross-regional joint prevention and control mechanism, and refine assessment indicators. The ecological compensation system needs to establish unified and operable norms, as well as a comprehensive, systematic, and sustainable system. It requires more objective, clear and universal standards, further strengthen the systematic design of the ecological environment compensation system, raise compensation funds through multiple channels, continuously increase compensation standards, and further expand considerations for water quality. It is necessary to change the model of local governments and financial funds playing the leading role in river and lake governance, further leverage the role of market mechanism, establish river and lake ecological compensation funds or banks, and continuously attract more market entities to participate in ecological compensation, making the government more efficient and the market more effective.
