Chinese water resource managers face a challenge that is both immense and unique. They must balance limited water supplies against the needs of the world’s largest population; demands for rapid economic growth with calls for improved environmental management; and the desire for a market-based approach to the allocation of water with a history of State ownership and strict government control of all resources.

In China, changes are occurring in water resources management that are representative of many of the fundamental changes occurring within Chinese society, on issues such as property rights, community participation, improved environmental management, and the shift towards market-based decision making.

This book describes the development of a water rights system in the People’s Republic of China. It covers different aspects of water resources management in China – including water planning, the provision of environmental flows, urban water management, and irrigation district management – and examines how these are being addressed through a rights-based approach. The book includes several detailed examples of the Chinese application of water rights as they address the diverse challenges of different basins across China.

This book previously appeared as a special issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.