China Yangtze Three Gorges Project (TGP), as one of the biggest hydropower-complex project in the world, ranks as the key project for improvement and development of Yangtze River. The dam is located in the areas of Xilingxia gorge, one of the three gorges of the river, which will control a drainage area of 1 million square km. As the unparalleled immense reservoir will inevitably propose a big threat to the vicinal zoology, people would concern that whether the valuable and rare species are properly protected, and if so, how is that done? Here are some details of the related reports.

Protection of Rare Species

There are forty seven kinds of precious botanic species that are near extinction and among the national-level protecting list in area of Three Gorges reservoir, but most of them grow in the area higher than 300-1200m, the area at the height of which will not be influenced by the project. Also, there is little virgin vegetation to be submerged.

Twenty six rare wild animals which are among the first and second classes of national list of protecting animals, but most of them lives in high mountain areas, hence will not influenced by the submerge. Now the state has established a lot of natural zones to protect the wild animals and botanic species of this area.

Three Gorges dam will bring some influence on the traveling route and living locations of Acipenser Sinensis (Zhonghuaxun, a kind of large and rare fish). As early as Gezhouba dam was built, its traveling route in Yangtze River was cut by the dam. From then on, artificial breeding of the fish has been tested and successes, so some 100 thousand of baby fishes were poured into the river every year. And also some new spawning areas were found in downstream to Gezhouba. All these mean that the protection of Acipenser Sinensis goes well.

Protection of Water Quality

The reservoir has a mixed influence on the water quality of Yangtze River. Due to its adjustment, the flow in drought period will increase, which will improve the water quality and relieve the invasion of saline tide in the river’s mouth to East China Sea. On the other side, the sewage discharged into the River is more than 1.35 billion tons per year nowadays, which forms a heavy pollution of the water. With the rise of water level, the flow will slow down, which is unfavorable to the pollution. Therefore, the state has increased investment to control the pollution in this area.

According to the Gazette of Ecological and Environmental Monitoring published by the State Environmental Protection Administration of China in 2002, the water quality of the Yangtze in TGP area still kept mostly better than or at class III, though industrial wastes directly emitted to the River Yangtze increased by 23.8% than 2001. Environmental monitoring in following years indicates that overall management of water quality in TGP area has obtained made initial achievement, with a decrease ratio at class IV and increase at class II and III compared to the period before impoundment.