Overview

• By December 2024, 300 of 357 dams and 342 of 373 small hydropower stations along the Chishui River had been dismantled or decommissioned under China’s restoration plan.
• Mid-April surveys confirmed that hatchery-released Yangtze sturgeon displayed natural spawning behavior and successfully hatched fry for the first time since 2000.
• Ongoing monitoring has recorded measurable gains in fish species diversity alongside official assessments rating water quality in restored river sections as excellent.
• Authorities introduced a ten-year fishing ban in 2020 alongside stricter sand mining regulations to bolster habitat recovery in the river system.
• The Chishui River intervention exemplifies China’s shift toward ecosystem-based river management under its Yangtze River Economic Belt strategy.