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.