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On the opening day of the 18th Katoomba meeting in Beijing, the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Water Resources Specialist, Zhang Qingfeng, offers an update on new trends in Chinese eco-compensation – including early steps towards encouraging private-sector investments in China’s natural infrastructure.

China’s eco-compensation programs are among the most comprehensive payments for ecosystem services on the planet, but delegates to the 18th Katoomba Meeting in Beijing say they must reach more people in more segments if they are to deliver lasting environmental benefits.

The 18th Katoomba meeting opens tomorrow in Beijing and with it a big opportunity for developing nations to share their experiences and gain valuable information from each other. Here, we look at the varying investments in watershed services programs in China, Peru and Ghana and how sharing ideas could benefit them all.

A global series of workshops were launched in Bonn, Germany, at the end of 2011 to deliver workable, scalable solutions to the global water challenge by the end of 2014. Though not officially one of those workshops, Katoomba 18 will certainly draw on the lessons learned to date and contribute to the final outcome.

Pollution from farm fertilizers and industrial facilities that flow into the Mississippi River has led to a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Nutrient trading is one solution that can improve water quality in a cost-effective way for both industrial firms and farmers.

Rapid expansion of agriculture has led to the destruction of forested hills critical for regulating water flows. China’s expansion has been bigger and faster than most, and so are its problems. But the notoriously top-down government has responded with a centrally funded yet incredibly decentralized, flexible, and locally-administered solution.

Katoomba XVIII: Forests, Water and People will take place next month in Beijing and Ecosystem Marketplace will be blogging and tweeting live from the event. Before that EM will make an appearance at the National Mitigation and Ecosystem Banking Conference to take place in early May. In between preparing for these events, the water portal, Watershed Connect, was recently translated into Spanish.