经济学人：曾经濒临消亡，如今上演惊人逆袭

作者：经济学人      来源：一天一篇外刊

THE MIGHTY Yangtze, running 6,300km from the Tibetan plateau to Shanghai, is sometimes known as China’s “mother river”. Yet it was not always treated with much respect. Sewage and industrial waste were poured into its waters. Millions of tonnes of fish were dragged out. Mega-dams clogged up its channels. It was all too much for some of the Yangtze’s most wondrous inhabitants. The baiji, a white-bellied, nearly sightless dolphin, is probably extinct; so is the gigantic, sword-nosed paddlefish. But not all the damage is permanent. Asia’s longest river is now making a remarkable comeback.

长江，奔腾浩荡6300公里，从青藏高原奔涌至上海，素有“母亲河” 之称。 在发展早期，由于缺乏足够有效的保护。污水与工业废水持续汇入，加上过度捕捞、水利工程建设叠加，给长江生态系统带来重压。不少珍稀生灵遭遇生存危机：腹色浅白、视力近乎退化的白鱀豚大概率已经消亡；长着剑状长吻的巨型白鲟，也宣告灭绝。好在生态创伤并非不可逆转。随着长江保护的持续推进、十年禁渔落地，这条亚洲第一长河，如今正迎来令人瞩目的复苏。

Sweeping protection measures in place since 2021 seem to be aiding a recovery. Fish biomass (the estimated total weight of all the fish in the river) has risen by over 200% since then, after seven decades of decline, according to a study released in February by researchers in China, Canada, America and France. In April other scientists witnessed a rare type of sturgeon breeding in the wild for the first time in two decades. Another study published in July found that a significantly greater proportion of fish in the river were reaching sexual maturity, good news for the prospects of the next generation. The latest government figures, meanwhile, say over 1,400 finless porpoises—a chubby, snub-nosed relative of the baiji that locals call a “river pig”—now live in the river’s basin, up from a low of 1,000 in 2017.

自2021年落地实施的一系列大规模保护举措，正在助推长江生态逐步修复。今年2月，中、加、美、法等多国科研人员发布的一项研究显示：鱼类生物量（即江中所有鱼类预估总重量）在历经七十年持续衰退后，较2021年增幅已超 200%。今年 4 月，科研人员时隔二十载，首次观测到一种珍稀鲟鱼实现野外自然繁殖。7月刊发的另一项研究表明，长江内能够顺利达到性成熟的鱼类占比明显提升，这为鱼类种群繁衍带来利好。与此同时，官方最新数据显示，长江流域现存江豚数量超过1400头。这种体态圆胖、吻部短钝的生物是白鱀豚的近亲，当地民众俗称“江猪”。而在2017年，它的种群数量一度跌至 1000头。

At the same time the Yangtze’s waters have become cleaner. Officials closed or relocated thousands of chemical factories near its banks. They planted forests on its upper reaches to bind the soil together, so less slipped into the water. And they “spongified” many cities in the river’s basin by adding artificial wetlands, permeable surfaces and greenery to absorb more rainfall. That reduced flooding and helped clean stormwater before it entered the river. All this has made the waterway more hospitable to wildlife.

与此同时，长江水质持续向好。有关部门关停或搬迁了沿江数千家化工厂；在长江上游造林固土，减少水土流失。流域内众多城市推进海绵城市建设，打造人工湿地、铺设透水路面、增加绿化植被，提升雨水吸纳能力。这类举措既能减轻洪涝风险，也可在雨水汇入长江之前完成净化。一系列治理举措，让这条水道重新成为适宜野生动植物栖息的家园。

The Yangtze’s initial recovery is testimony to China’s “immense” ability to concentrate state resources on environmental problems, says Wang Limin, a veteran Chinese conservationist. He is encouraged most by the rise in the finless porpoise population because, as an “indicator species” and top predator, the porpoise is a sensitive barometer of the health of the overall ecosystem. It is also cute enough to attract lots of public attention. Mr Wang hopes the tale of the Yangtze’s decline and rebound will make the Chinese people more environmentally aware.

资深环保人士王利民表示，长江生态迎来初步复苏，印证了中国拥有强大能力，能够统筹调配各类公共资源治理环境问题。 最令他感到振奋的是长江江豚种群数量回升。江豚作为指示物种，同时处于食物链顶端，其生存状况是衡量整个生态系统健康水平的灵敏晴雨表。除此之外，江豚外形憨态可掬，更容易获得大众关注。王利民期待，长江生态由衰转盛的历程，能够持续提升民众的环保意识。

作者：经济学人      来源：一天一篇外刊