China's Green Revolution – 300 Dams Demolished to Save Red River and Its Rare Fish
In a remarkable display of environmental commitment, China has reportedly embarked on an ambitious project to restore the ecological health of the Red River (also known as Chishui He), a vital tributary of the Yangtze River. This sweeping initiative has seen the demolition of 300 dams and the closure of 342 small hydropower stations in a concerted effort to protect rare native fish species and revitalize the river's ecosystem.
The Red River, a 400-kilometer waterway that meanders through Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces, is considered by ecologists to be one of the last remaining safe havens for rare native fish in the upper Yangtze basin. For years, the proliferation of dams and hydropower stations had severely impacted the river's health, obstructing fish migration routes and altering water flow, thereby damaging crucial breeding grounds.
This restoration project, which commenced in 2020, has already yielded promising results. By the end of December 2024, 300 out of 357 dams in the targeted region had been removed, and a significant 342 of 373 small hydropower stations had ceased operations. The focus is not merely on the physical removal of these structures but on transforming water control methods to prioritize ecological needs.
Experts involved in the project, such as Zhou, cited in reports, emphasize that the key is adapting water management to support the river's natural processes. This strategic shift has already led to a noticeable improvement in conditions, with species like the Yangtze sturgeon reportedly making a return. The Yangtze sturgeon, once declared extinct in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2022, has been the subject of reintroduction efforts by Chinese researchers, with individuals released into the Red River in 2023 and 2024.
This major environmental undertaking on the Red River complements China's broader efforts to protect the Yangtze River ecosystem, which notably includes a 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze introduced in 2020. The scale of the Red River project is significant; for instance, by the end of 2021, Sichuan province alone had addressed 5,131 small hydropower stations, shutting down over 1,200 of them as part of wider ecological initiatives.
While large-scale dam construction has been a hallmark of China's development in recent decades, this initiative on the Red River signals a growing awareness and proactive approach towards mitigating the environmental impact of such infrastructure. The move demonstrates a commitment to balancing energy needs with the critical importance of biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration, particularly for vital freshwater ecosystems and their unique inhabitants.
