Comprehensive Ecological Watershed Protection and Green Development Project
Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China, 2021-2022
Client: Asian Development Bank
Role: Technical Assistance Team
Project Background and Objectives
The Anhui Chao Lake Comprehensive Ecological Watershed Protection and Green Development Project aims to enhance ecosystem-based management and climate-resilient development across the Chao Lake Basin. The project addresses long-standing challenges related to water pollution, ecological degradation, and climate risks through an integrated basin-scale approach.
The project is structured around four key outputs:
(i) strengthening institutional capacity and knowledge for integrated lake water management;
(ii) establishment of a digital decision support system (DSS) for environmental and climate risk monitoring;
(iii) piloting innovative green financing and eco-compensation mechanisms; and
(iv) demonstration of integrated low-carbon and climate-resilient solutions for ecological restoration.
SIET’s Role and Services
SIET was engaged to provide comprehensive transactional support to prepare the project for ADB financing and implementation. The scope of services included:
- Technical, economic, and financial feasibility assessment of proposed project components
- Review of environmental and social safeguard requirements and preparation of safeguard documents
- Social surveys, stakeholder consultations, and social and gender analyses, including preparation of mitigation measures addressing poverty, social inclusion, and gender impacts
- Review of domestic feasibility studies and provision of technical recommendations to align project design with ADB requirements and national policies
- Design of an innovative financial intermediary loan (FIL) targeting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to support green development, including environmental protection, ecological restoration, and green agriculture
- Design of a water fund and eco-compensation mechanisms to support agricultural non-point source pollution control and transition toward sustainable and green agricultural practices
- Capacity development for executing and implementing agencies on project management and implementation
- Preparation of all linked documents and supplementary documents required for the ADB Report and Recommendation of the President (RRP)
Outcomes and Value Added
The transactional technical assistance established an integrated financing and institutional framework that links ecological protection, climate resilience, and green economic development at the watershed scale. SIET’s work ensured that the project was technically sound, financially viable, safeguard-compliant, and aligned with ADB’s climate, environment, and green finance objectives.