Why Does Yangtze River Have its Own Protection Law?

By Genevieve Donnellon-May and Mark WangAUSTRALIA, Jan 3 2022 (IPS) The new Yangtze River Protection Law (YRPL), which came into effect on March 1, 2021, is China’s first legislation on a specific river basin. The Yangtze River is China’s longest and largest river system, stretching over 6,300 kilometres and has over 700 tributaries. With a drainage basin covering more than 1.8 million square kilometres, approximately one-fifth of China’s total land area, the river basin is home to over 40% of the country’s population. Genevieve Donnellon-MayThe new law suggests that the Chinese Central government is shifting its priorities when it comes to rivers and ecological conservation. The YRPL demonstrates a major milestone in the CCP’s legislation on ecological protection and restoration: it seeks to strengthen oversight as well as the prevention and control of water pollution in the river basin by addressing the inability of current institutions to carry out the river’s protection through 96 provisions across nine chapters. The overall aim of the YRPL is to protect China’s longest river by strengthening its ecological protection and restoration as well as promoting the efficient use of its water resources. Why is the YRPL necessary? The YRPL is necessary for four main reasons: 1) To protect China’s mother river: Both Yellow and Yangtze rivers are often referred to in Chinese as the “mother rivers”. As “cradles of Chinese civilisation” of Chinese civilizat...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Development & Aid Economy & Trade Energy Environment Food and Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition Green Economy Headlines Health TerraViva United Nations Water & Sanitation IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news