Conservation efforts paying off for Yellow River basin ecology

China has achieved significant ecological improvements across the Yellow River basin through comprehensive conservation efforts, marked by restored wetlands, rebounding biodiversity, and enhanced soil preservation over decades-long initiatives.

Li Qun, deputy head of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, made the remarks while addressing the High-Level International Seminar on SDG 6 Progress of ACD Member Countries, which was held in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, on Tuesday.

The event was organized by the International Economic and Technical Cooperation and Exchange Center, an affiliate of the ministry.

With availability of water resources an important factor to be taken into consideration for urban development, land use, population growth and industrial development, the withdrawal of water from the Yellow River was subjected to stringent permit management, he noted.

A market-driven water rights trading system now governs usage quotas in the basin, he added.

He also highlighted real-time flow adjustments in the basin, which happen thanks to a centralized flow scheduling network. This has helped maintain uninterrupted flows through the entire mainstream of the Yellow River for 26 straight years, he disclosed.

Following 18 years of consistent efforts to replenish water to the Yellow River Delta wetland in Dongying, Shandong province, he said the area has experienced remarkable ecological improvement.

"The area of reed marshes in the estuary wetland has been increasing year by year. The number of bird species in the wetland has increased from 187 in the 1990s to 380 now," he said.

Major sandy areas in the Yellow River basin now boast 60 percent vegetation compared to about 30 percent in the 1980s. "The dominant color of the Loess Plateau has changed from yellow to green," he said.