Biodiversity has substantially improved in the main stream and tributaries of the Yangtze River where a 10-year fishing moratorium is almost half-way through since it was introduced in 2021. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of native fish species in the catchment increased by 36 to 344. Conservation efforts have seen a rebound in the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise since 2003 to around 1,200 individuals. The only top-level predator is seen as a barometer of the waterways’ ecological condition. Under tightened supervision, riverside factories and fishers were given subsidies to relocate. For five years in a row, water quality in the Yangtze mainstreams has greatly improved. Although biodiversity recovery remains ecologically and financially challenging, and rebuilding the ecological system during the next five years will be even tougher, experts believe there are still ways to achieve harmonious coexistence between people and river species.
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