You may have heard the saying “The Yangtze River is China’s mother river.” The main route of the Yangtze is almost 6,400 km long. As the world’s third-longest river, its valley (流域) covers one-fifth of China’s land area. The Yangtze River Economic Zone (长江经济带) covers 11 provinces and cities, making up about 40 percent of China’s total population and GDP.

The “mother river” is in great need of protection because something is wrong with it. For example, because of overfishing and water pollution, the river’s Chinese paddlefish (白鲟) has died out after surviving for 150 million years. There’re also desertified (荒漠化的) land and soil pollution near the upstream part of the river in Qinghai province, Xinhua reported.

The Yangtze River Protection Law which took effect last year includes bans (禁止) on activity that could damage the river. It also includes heavier punishments for those who don’t follow the law.

According to the law, fishing will be banned in all of the Yangtze’s natural waterways, including its major tributaries (支流) and lakes. Those who are caught fishing will be fined 50,000 to 500,000 yuan.

Sand mining (采沙) will be strictly limited in the river valley. Many companies are mining sand along the river, as sand is a rare resource. However, this has led to lower water levels on the river, which has caused the river’s water quality to decline.

Companies operating along the river will need to focus on green development. Companies that produce pollution will be moved to other places, the law says.

On a cold snowy day, the 15-year old Yeshe Dolkar, living in Nangqen County of Qinghai, was heading down a mountaintop with her family. Suddenly, they saw two snow leopards (雪豹) near the Lancang River. “It was my first time to see them. They look so cool!” Yeshe Dolkar said.

Since the mid-20th century, the area of snow, grasslands and lakes in Sanjiangyuan has become smaller because of climate (气候) change and human activities. Many wild animals in the area have died out. Snow leopards are endangered.

On Jan 24, 2003, China set up Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve (保护区) to better protect the area and the wildlife there. In these years, the population of wild animals has been rising. More than 70,000 Tibetan antelopes (藏羚羊) now live there. And more than 1,000 snow leopards can be found in the area, higher than the average around the world.

The local people have improved their understanding about environmental protection and have tried hard to look after the environment in Sanjiangyuan over the years. In Nangqen County, the local people still live on selling caterpillar fungus (冬虫夏草) they’ve found in grasslands. They used to carry food with them in plastic bags and leave the bags behind. But now things have changed. The local people offer to pick up waste on the grasslands. People also take their plastic bags and food waste down the mountain after eating. The local environment has taken on a new look.

As young people, we should guard our home, like Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, and continue to live together with nature in harmony (和谐).

The following is a quiz from a magazine.