Sustaining China’s large rivers: River development policy, impacts, institutional issues and strategies for future improvement

Abstract

The sustainable management of China’s rivers is very important to the well-being of both the environment and its people. Yet the country’s rivers are now facing imminent threats from river overexploitation. The deteriorating condition serves as a stark reminder that relevant policies must be revised to ensure their wiser stewardship. In this short critical review, we first briefly stated river development history and various impacts arising from river overexploitation. We then elaborated the issues in river management, which connived numerous behaviors neglecting river degradation happened at all institutional levels. Based on the weakness, we proposed some policy recommendations to sustain China’s rivers and balance river development and conservation. The article concludes by proposing the development of a national river protection law to reinforce integrated river management, improve the implementation of environment impact assessments, and fulfill long-term goals for river conservation and sustainable development.