[Environmental damages assessment: establishment of system framework in China]

Health injury, properties compensation and ecological and environmental destruction caused by environmental pollutions have become the focuses of the government, the public and the society at present in China. The experiences of developed countries have revealed that the environmental damage assessment system must be established through development of environmental damage assessment legislations, technologies and funding guarantee system suitable for the nation's conditions based on the specific environmental situation and main issues. China has some experience in marine ecological environment, fishery resources damage assessment, forest resources damage assessment and remediation management of contaminated sites; however, the managing function of environmental damage assessment is assigned to different governmental departments. There are also shortcomings such as few cases of environmental public compensation, insufficient environmental privacy determination and compensation, etc. Based on the methods of materials and information collections, questionnaires, visiting environmental court and government sectors, interviews to assessment organizations and professionals, launching practical assessments to related cases and participating in environmental public lawsuits, the situation of environmental pollution damages in China was analyzed, the related legislation and management mechanism were reviewed, the corresponding assessment organizations regarding environmental damages were sort out, and the funding sources of environmental damage assessment were explored. Aiming at the main issues in Chinese environmental damage management, a standard and unified system for environmental damage assessment based on current managing and technological systems is important to improve the practical work in determination, assessment and compensation of environmental pollution damage in China, and to further explore the feasible environmental damage quantitative management.