TNC's 20 Years of Freshwater Conservation in China

Our Work

With TNC working primarily in the Heishui and Chishui Rivers of the upper Yangtze River, its main strategy is to develop an end-to-end model for the river restoration that can later be replicated in other Yangtze tributaries and potentially other areas of China.

Working in partnership, TNC aims to demonstrate management practices in key tributaries of the upper Yangtze River, develop a freshwater toolkit and establish mechanisms to scale up impact through partnership and policy. By utilizing TNC’s freshwater management and conservation planning toolkits, this initiative aims to improve management and strengthen protection of two critical tributaries: the Heishui River (a Yangtze tributary and important sanctuary for endemic fish species) and the Chishui River (the last free-flowing tributary of the upper Yangtze River). The areas were selected for their high concentrations of endemic and endangered species, as well as their potential to demonstrate scalable solutions for the Yangtze River and other major rivers across China.

Over the next few years, we will focus on:

• Continuously strengthening habitat restoration for rare and endangered fish populations, including the development of artificial conservation systems;
• Enhancing coordinated watershed management mechanisms, building multi-stakeholder participation platforms and improving governance effectiveness;
• Innovating ecological conservation funding mechanisms to promote multi-party participation in river protection and management;
• Conducting more scientific and comprehensive assessments of ecological conservation outcomes.

Case Study: Safeguarding the Last Free-Flowing River

The Chishui River is the only large first-order tributary in the upper Yangtze River basin that has preserved its natural flow due to the absence of dams across the watershed. The river has a total length of 437 kilometers, covering a watershed area of 21,000 square kilometers. It is home to over 150 native fish species, including 11 species under national protection and 45 species endemic to the Yangtze River. With significant ecological value, the Chishui River is recognized as the last refuge for rare and endemic fish species in the upper Yangtze. It is often referred to as the “Ecological River,” the “River of Fine Liquor,” the “River of Scenic Beauty,” and the “River of Heroes.” The river is also of pivotal importance for the socioeconomic development of the region and for the preservation of cultural heritage sites. However, watershed activities such as dam building, overfishing, and sand and stone quarrying have significantly impacted the hydrological rhythm of this river, causing significant damage to its biodiversity.

In 2010, TNC implemented the recommendations of "Identifying Freshwater Ecosystem Protection Priority Areas of the Yangtze River Basin" into action and formally launched the Chishui River Project. In the past 15 years, TNC has worked in partnership with key stakeholders to guide the scientific and systematic design and implementation of conservation efforts with the goal of restoring the integrity of the Chishui River’s freshwater ecosystems.

Through a comprehensive suite of measures such as a total fishing ban, the removal of small dams, and habitat restoration, significant conservation efforts have been achieved in the Chishui River Watershed by 2025.

In July 2025, TNC, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), presented a report summary at the Eco Forum Global in Guiyang and released Durable Freshwater Protection in Chishui River (2026–2030). The report introduces the Durable Freshwater Protection mechanism, which shifts the focus of freshwater conservation from a project-based approach to a more systematic and institutionalized model.