Strategies for Water Security and Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Abstract

Working together on protection instead of excessive development is the key strategy for promoting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It is necessary to tackle principal contradictions with targeted measures in the process of Yangtze River protection. In this paper, we analyze the major issues regarding water security and aquatic ecosystem protection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, including the severe flood control safety situation, the serious shrinkage of suitable habitats for aquatic animals and biodiversity reduction, and the dysfunctional relationship between the Yangtze River and its connected lakes. Additional, we propose several targeted measures and strategies. The measures for improving the flood control capability are to accelerate the construction of safety projects in critical flood storage and detention areas and revise the Yangtze River Basin Flood Control Planning. The strategies for restoring the damaged aquatic ecosystem are to construct substitute habitats in the tributaries in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, restore the connection between the Yangtze River and some former connected lakes in the middle and lower reaches, and expand the ecological operation of reservoirs. The strategies for regulating the river–lake relationship are to improve the four water systems in the north of the Dongting Lake and build floodgates at the outlet of the Poyang Lake.

Keywords

• Yangtze River Economic Belt, water security, aquatic ecosystem restoration, flood control safety, habitat reconstruction, river–lake relationship