Wetland Protection Basing on Basin Ecological Management in the Middle-Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are characterized by the existence of many large lakes hydrologically associated with the Yangtze River.Existence of such lakes indicates that floodwater coming from the lake basins can be temporarily stored in the lake before entering the Yangtze.The lakes,therefore,contribute to retarding the flood peak water in flood hydrographs.The lakes are considered also to contribute to retarding the rate of sediment transport from lake basins into the Yangtze River.Meanwhile in the lakes area,the wetlands around the lakes provide habitats for many important and endangered species.The soil and water resources in the wetlands around the lake were used for human activities,such as agriculture and urbanization.Owing to population pressures and needs of foods and land,the wetlands around the lakes were converted into it other land uses,including agriculture,urbanization,particularly during the period of 1950 s to 1980 s.The ecological and hydrological functions of wetlands were not taken into consideration in the process of lake drainage;this has leaded to unsustainable and unbalanced social-economic development.Wetland is a unique ecosystem that has multi-function in the world.It is one of the most important living environments of human being.Wetland protection of middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River should be programmed and protected from the point of basin management,which is to transform from single wetland protection in the past to wetland protection of the whole basin area.It is important to protect and utilize wetland resources of the mid-lower reaches of Yangtze River reasonably;meanwhile we should strengthen the research of wetland science.In this paper,firstly,a brief introduction of the wetlands in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was given,and analyze the actualities of wetland evolvements affected by integrated physical and anthropic factors,including atrophy of wetland area,decline of wetland functions,immoderate and excessive exploitation and utilization of wetland resources,the decrease of bio-diversity,increasingly serious pollution of the wetland environment and damage of the wetland whole value were analyzed.And then the evolvement of several driving relationships in the evolving process of the wetland,including relationships between the Yangtze River and related lakes,flood storage and discharge,related mountains and lakes(rivers),lakes and polders were discused.Finally,it was suggested the prospect of wetland conservation by proposing some countermeasures on the basis of integrated river basin management(IRBM),including unify the river basin integrative management,better program wetland conforming to the principles of IRBM and organizing all relationships in or/and out wetland systems,strengthen ecological management pattern research,strengthen comprehensive treatment of the soil and water loss in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River,strengthen the construction and management of wetland nature reserve,and protect the wetland bio-diversity.