China’s Yangtze River biodiversity improves, but endangered species still under threat
Report finds the number of native fish and protected wildlife species have gone up over the last year, but there is room for improvement
What policy helped ecological conditions in the Yangtze River improve?
What policy helped ecological conditions in the Yangtze River improve?
Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
The Yangtze is China’s longest river, and it is a critical habitat for aquatic life. A government report says the river’s ecology shows signs of improvement. However, the report warns that there is still a long way to go to protect biodiversity.
Authorities said a series of policy measures to protect the Yangtze River had resulted in improved habitats and environmental indicators.
The measures were centred around a 10-year fishing ban imposed in 2020. Aquatic biodiversity has steadily improved since the implementation of the ban. Last year, 227 species of native fish were monitored in the Yangtze River basin, an increase of 34 species from the previous year.
The overall water quality of the Yangtze and its tributaries was rated as “excellent”.
However, the situation remains alarming, according to the communique. The diversity of protected aquatic wildlife species is still low, and the preservation of endangered species is a tough task.
Answer: a fishing ban