Return of lichen proves a healthy sign

IN Yaoguan Township, in eastern Jiangsu Province along the Yangtze River, lichens have begun to reemerge after being absent for over three decades.

“Lichen is a symbiont of fungi and green algae. They are known as ‘environmental monitors’ as they are very sensitive to pollutants such as automobile and industrial exhausts and acid rain,” said Feng Hui, a local official.

What happened in Yaoguan, Changzhou City, is a reflection of the progress made by China in recent years in restoring the biodiversity of the Yangtze River, China’s longest.

The Yangtze, which stretches over 6,300 kilometers, boasts rich and complex terrains and climate along its basin and has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Towering mountains, dense forests, fertile wetlands and bustling waterways have made the Yangtze River basin a vital habitat for charismatic species such as the snow leopard, giant panda, Chinese sturgeon and Yangtze finless porpoise.

Data showed that there are more than 4,300 kinds of aquatic life living in the Yangtze River basin, including more than 400 types of fish.

The finless porpoise, an endemic species in China, is also an important indicator of the ecology of the Yangtze.

Jiang Yi, a full-time volunteer, still vividly remembers her first encounter with the finless porpoise.

“It was on January 1, 2014, when I saw over 40 finless porpoises jumping above the surface of Poyang Lake,” she recalled. Poyang Lake is China’s largest freshwater lake in the eastern province of Jiangxi.

“The scene was very spectacular. This is the first time I’ve seen a real finless porpoise,” said Jiang. Since then, she has been determined to protect the rare species.

Since 2016, protecting the environment of the Yangtze, rather than large-scale development, has become the focus of the country’s river development plans. The rallying call was heard as authorities across China carried out a series of measures, including preventing water pollution, restricting ship movement and patrolling the nature reserves.

Research by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2017 showed there were 1,012 wild finless porpoises in China, of which 445 were in the main stream of the Yangtze River and 457 in Poyang Lake.

In addition to its importance for environmental protection, the Yangtze River also flows through many economically developed areas.

(Xinhua)