China’s ecological civilization program–Implementing ecological redline policy

China is one of the first countries to explicitly attempt to institute coordinated, ecosystem-based management across local, regional, and national scales. Chinese scientists have been urging policymakers to manage landscapes using the ecosystem services (ESs) approach. However, substantive progress remains elusive due to lack of coordination, weak monitoring, and poor enforcement. China’s new ecological redline policy (ERP) requires policymakers and scientists to address urgent challenges in China that have global implications. This work can advance international understanding of the institutional reforms and scientific capacities needed to move from theory to practice on sustainable development. We begin this paper by providing an overview of the concepts, major reforms, timeline, and guidelines on drawing ecological conservation redlines (ECRs) and ERP processes in China. We then summarize and comment on the scientific challenges in ESs assessments for spatial land planning and discuss the need for a framework grounded in a policy context that relates ecosystem area to ESs, stressors, and biodiversity indicators. Based on this, we draw insights into creating such a framework to offer strategic support for scientists and policymakers in improving the measurement and valuation of ESs for effective implementation of ERP for sustainable development. We also identify a need for more studies on ecological production functions to provide relevant information for managers and economists in evaluating ERP efforts and tracking ESs trends.