Protecting biodiversity of the Yangtze River by focusing on ecosystem quality

　　[Everyone talks about green development]

　　Author: Gu Yaqing (researcher at the Research Base of Anhui Provincial Party School [Anhui Administration College], Socialism with Chinese characteristics Theoretical System Research Center, Anhui Province)

　　The Yangtze River is the river with the richest biodiversity in China, with more than 4,300 species of aquatic organisms. Its unique ecosystem plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance and ensuring national ecological security. At the same time, the Yangtze River is also a treasure house of aquatic germplasm resources in China, which has always been regarded as the original seed base and natural gene bank of economic fish.

　　However, for a long time, over-utilization of resources, engineering construction, environmental pollution, population growth and other factors have seriously threatened the survival of species resources in the Yangtze River, and the biodiversity of the Yangtze River has continued to decline. On March 1, 2021, the Law of People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the Protection of the Yangtze River came into effect, regulating the restoration of the ecological environment, and stipulating that the state should implement systematic management of the ecosystem of the Yangtze River basin, which is mainly based on natural restoration and combines natural restoration with artificial restoration; In the same year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the Implementation Plan for Biodiversity Protection in the Yangtze River (2021— 2025) … … A series of laws, regulations, policies and measures have been promulgated, and local governments have actively implemented them. The biodiversity protection of the Yangtze River has entered a new historical period.

　　The process of mainstreaming biodiversity protection in the Yangtze River has been accelerated.

　　In recent years, the mainstream trend of biodiversity protection in China has been continuously strengthened. In December 2022, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which drew a new blueprint for global biodiversity governance. In this context, biodiversity protection in the Yangtze River is also in the trend of mainstream promotion. In the great protection of the Yangtze River, from the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, fields, lakes, grass and sand to the promotion of green production and lifestyle, we need to make overall consideration and systematic promotion, aiming at gradually improving and restoring the ecosystem, enhancing the service function of the ecosystem and promoting the restoration of biodiversity. Therefore, the provinces and cities along the Yangtze River have taken active actions to strengthen the remediation of sewage outlets entering the Yangtze River, strengthen the protection and restoration of the ecological environment in the basin, improve the mechanism of capital investment and compensation, and work together to promote the protection of biodiversity in the Yangtze River. Especially in the protection of aquatic biodiversity in the Yangtze River, they have successively implemented actions such as "ten-year fishing ban", strengthening the protection of aquatic wildlife, organizing the monitoring of aquatic biological resources in key waters, and strengthening the protection of important habitats of aquatic organisms. The overall ecological environment in the Yangtze River Basin has been effectively improved, and the passive situation of biodiversity decline has been curbed.

　　Positive Effects of Diversity Protection from "Smiling Angels"

　　Since 1980, the population of Yangtze finless porpoise has rapidly declined. Relevant surveys show that the number of Yangtze finless porpoises was more than 2,700 in 1991, and only 1,012 were left in 2017. In 2021, the Yangtze finless porpoise was upgraded from a second-class protected wild animal to a first-class protected wild animal. In 2022, the scientific investigation of the Yangtze finless porpoise population organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed that the number of Yangtze finless porpoises was 1,249. Compared with the scientific investigation in 2017, the number of finless porpoises increased by 23.42% in five years, and the population stopped falling and rebounded, showing a recovery growth.

　　In order to protect the Yangtze finless porpoise, a rare and endangered species, government departments and protection workers at all levels actively carry out three major protection measures: in-situ protection, ex situ protection and artificial breeding. China has established five ex-situ conservation groups of finless porpoises in Swan Island National Nature Reserve in Hubei, the new Yangtze River Silla National Nature Reserve, Hewangmiao Hunan Integrated Ridge Provincial Nature Reserve, Tongling Freshwater Dolphin National Nature Reserve in Anhui, and Anqing Xijiang Yangtze finless porpoise ex-situ conservation base. On July 5, 2023, the world’s first Yangtze finless porpoise, Taotao, celebrated its 18th birthday. After artificial breeding, "Taotao" has successively bred two Changjiang Dai finless porpoises "Hanbao" and "Xiaojiujiu" in Wuhan Baiju Dolphin Museum. Relevant data show that 13 nature reserves related to the Yangtze finless porpoise protection have been established in the Yangtze River basin, covering 40% of the Yangtze finless porpoise distribution waters and protecting nearly 80% of the population. In addition, with the establishment of "Yangtze finless porpoise protection network" and the strengthening of scientific and educational publicity activities, the public’s awareness of protecting the ecological environment of the Yangtze River has also been greatly improved. In recent years, people often see the "smiling angel" finless porpoise jumping by waves and splashing water in the waters of the main tributaries of the Yangtze River, which is also a strong proof of the phased achievements in the protection of the finless porpoise of the Yangtze River.

　　Plan and advance with a higher position, wider vision and greater strength.

　　Biodiversity reflects the essence and characteristics of ecosystem and is one of the fundamental indexes to evaluate the quality of ecological environment. As an important gene bank of species and living bank of natural aquatic resources in China, the biodiversity protection of the Yangtze River needs to be planned and promoted with a higher position, wider vision and greater efforts.

　　Optimize the spatial pattern of biodiversity protection and properly handle the relationship between protection and development.Coordinate the delineation and control of the three control lines of ecological protection red line, permanent basic farmland and urban development boundary, work out and implement the special plan for ecological protection and restoration of land space on the basis of the overall planning of land space, optimize and adjust the scope and functional zoning of nature reserves, and improve the construction of nature reserves system with national parks as the main body. At present, the vague understanding of "ecological protection restricts economic development" still exists, the overall planning of a few nature reserves conflicts with the overall planning of cities, the establishment of nature reserves has unreasonable functional zoning and overlapping phenomena, and some nature reserves have frequent human activities. Therefore, it is necessary to correctly treat the stage difficulties and long-term goals, correctly handle the relationship between protection and development, strengthen the comprehensive management of grass and sand in landscapes, forests, fields and lakes, rationally utilize ecological resources, promote the value transformation of biodiversity resources, actively explore the path of marketization to realize the value of high-quality ecological products, and form a good mechanism for sustainable utilization of biodiversity.

　　Pay attention to and accelerate the background investigation of biodiversity.At present, the overall trend of the decline of biodiversity in the Yangtze River has not been effectively curbed, and when biodiversity protection is carried out in various places, due to the unclear background, there is a lack of clear understanding of the target object and scope of biodiversity protection in the Yangtze River. Up to now, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences has set up Chongqing Experimental Station of National Agricultural Science and Wuhan Experimental Station of National Fishery Resources and Environment, and Jiangsu, Hubei, Shanghai, Anhui and other provinces and cities have also carried out background surveys on biodiversity, striving to find out the background of biodiversity in the Yangtze River, grasp the dynamics and identify problems, and provide scientific basis for formulating policies related to biodiversity protection and enhancing the diversity, stability and sustainability of ecosystems.

　　Strengthen the effective connection of biodiversity protection in the whole basin and the functional coordination between departments.As the largest river in China, the Yangtze River has its main stream flowing through 11 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and its tributaries extending to 8 provinces and autonomous regions. The biodiversity conservation area of the Yangtze River spans multiple administrative regions, and involves many departments, such as ecological environment, natural resources, forestry, agriculture, geology and minerals, water conservancy, ocean, public security, market, etc. In practice, it often happens that nature reserves span more than two administrative regions without a unified management organization, or although they have their own territorial management organizations, cross-regional management cannot be implemented due to administrative authority, resulting in timely and effective coordination and settlement of resource management and related affairs. Ecosystem diversity not only includes the diversity of ecosystem components, but also emphasizes the complexity of ecological processes and their dynamic changes. In the high-level protection of biodiversity in the Yangtze River, the whole basin needs to adhere to comprehensive management, systematic management and source management, break the shackles of administrative divisions, strengthen the coordination of tasks among functional departments, and clarify the relationship between powers and responsibilities, so as to keep the mother river alive forever.

　　Guangming Daily (October 14, 2023, 07 edition)