The Bohai Sea of China is a large, shallow embayment of the Yellow Sea that in turn connects to the Pacific Ocean. The interconnectivity among these water bodies is important because of their shared physical and biological characteristics. The Bohai Sea is also one of the world’s most ecologically stressed water bodies. The major causes of degradation of the Bohai Sea are twofold: decreasing fresh water inflows; and increasing pollution loads from its surrounding river basins (Liao River Basin, Hai River Basin, and Yellow River Basin).

To address the degradation of environmental quality of the Bohai Sea, in 2015, with the support of the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Ministry of Water Resources jointly developed and implemented GEF Mainstreaming Integrated Water and Environment Management Project. The cities of Shijiazhuang and Chengde in Hebei Province (located in the Hutuo River Sub-Basin and Luan River sub-Basin of the Hai River Basin respectively) were also selected to carry out the demonstration activities. The project uses innovative remote sensing/ evapotransporation (RS/ET) and environmental capacity (EC) based approach, complemented by policy and environmental capacity (EC) evaluation tools, to conduct innovative Integrated Water and Environment Management (IWEM) pilot demonstration studies, the results of which will be extended to the Hai River Basin, Liao River Basin and Yellow River basins connected to the Bohai Sea, and can also provide valuable experience for similar issues in other countries or international boundary rivers around the world.