Threats and protection policies of the aquatic biodiversity in the Yangtze River

The Yangtze River supports rich biodiversity and provides important ecosystem services for human survival and development. Indices of the ecosystem health of the river are deteriorating and an increasing proportion of the 4,300 species is at highly depleted levels or at risk of extinction, including many rare and endemic species. The purpose of this article is to (i) introduce the current status of the Yangtze River aquatic biodiversity, (ii) summarize the pressures on aquatic biodiversity in the Yangtze River Basin, and (iii) review the Yangtze River fishery protection policies that have been introduced since 1978. Governance policies have been promulgated across a range of issues and threats, ranging from fishery resource management and endangered species restoration to protection of habitat and ecology. However, despite these policy interventions, trends in fishing catch, dolphin population status and fish-based indices of biological integrity, show that the recovery effect of the Yangtze River's fishery resources has been inadequate to date. Progress toward improvement in the ecosystem health requires greater efforts in coordinating governance that responds to information from comprehensive monitoring of the Yangtze River Basin.