Decade of progress in Yangtze River ecology and resilience

China held a press conference on Monday to report on the progress and achievements of 10 years' work on the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Over the past decade, the share of Grade I-III water quality in the Yangtze River Economic Belt rose from 67 percent in 2015 to 96.5 percent, an increase of nearly 30 percentage points. The main stream has maintained Grade II water quality for six consecutive years, while flagship species such as the Yangtze finless porpoise have shown clear population recovery, according to Jiang Huohua, head of the Department of Water Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Substantial progress has been made in pollution control and ecological management. Targeted actions have largely eliminated inferior Grade V water bodies, resolved more than 2,400 infrastructure deficiencies in industrial parks, and removed over 90 percent of black and odorous water bodies in county-level cities.

Total phosphorus concentrations across the basin have dropped by more than 40 percent compared with a decade ago.

Meanwhile, ecological issues in more than 1,300 national nature reserves have been rectified, 17 integrated ecosystem restoration projects implemented, and over 17,000 environmental management units designated, forming a zoned environmental governance framework.

Risk prevention and emergency capacity have also been strengthened.

Standardized protection of urban and township drinking water sources has been largely completed, lake-specific algal bloom monitoring is in place, pollution treatment has been carried out at more than 1,800 tailings ponds, and environmental emergency response plans now cover over 1,280 key rivers.

Going forward, efforts will focus on targeted, science-based and law-abiding pollution control, addressing remaining weaknesses in tributaries and small water bodies, and supporting high-quality development through improved water ecology.

Yao Wenguang, head of the Department of Flood and Drought Disaster Prevention of the Ministry of Water Resources, said the Yangtze River basin has significantly enhanced its resilience to extreme hydrological events.

During the basin-wide floods in 2020, reservoir groups led by the Three Gorges Project intercepted 49 billion cubic meters of floodwater, protecting 137 cities, 17.52 million people and 1.1 million hectares of farmland.

In 2022, authorities effectively managed the most severe prolonged drought since 1961 and saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze estuary, ensuring water supply for downstream cities and irrigation for 183 million mu (12.2 million hectares) of autumn crops.

In 2025, the Hanjiang River basin faced both record-low flows and highly concentrated autumn floods, with intensified monitoring and precise scheduling safeguarding water supply, flood control and the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

Jiang Huohua also noted that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), river outfalls have been treated as a key focus of water pollution control. More than 160,000 kilometers of river and lake shorelines along the Yangtze have been surveyed, with over 200,000 outfalls accurately identified.

Remediation rates at major rivers and lakes exceeded 90 percent, supported by strengthened regulations, classified remediation, strict control of new outfalls and enhanced monitoring.

Five years after the launch of the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, aquatic biodiversity has shown clear signs of recovery, according to Jiang Kaiyong, head of the Yangtze River Basin Fisheries Supervision and Administration Office under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Annual releases of Chinese sturgeon exceeded one million for two consecutive years, the Yangtze finless porpoise population has continued to grow, and 36 more native fish species have been recorded compared with the pre-ban period.

Meanwhile, 231,000 former fishers have been resettled with near-full employment, and enforcement of the fishing ban has remained generally stable, Jiang Kaiyong said.

(Cover: The Yangtze River in Wushan County, Chongqing Municipality, April 10, 2025. /VCG)