A year after the Yellow River Protection Law took effect, the quality of the ecological environment in the Yellow River basin has improved.

The law enhances the legal enforcement capability regarding ecological conservation and restoration, as well as environmental pollution control, in areas along the Yellow River in China.

Since its implementation, the Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources has strengthened the ecological protection and management of rivers, lakes and reservoirs in the Yellow River basin.

It is the first time that the river's tributary reservoirs discharged clear water during the concentrated periods of water transfer and sand transfer, which lessens the impact on aquatic organisms and habitats, and realizes the multiple goals of sand discharge, sediment reduction and ecological protection.

Also, the areas and intensity of soil and water losses in the basin decreased in 2023, with another 12,500 square kilometers brought under control.

The Yellow River is China's second longest river after the Yangtze and the most sand-laden river in the world. Its protection law is the second legislation on a specific river basin after the Yangtze River Protection Law, which was put into effect on March 1, 2021.