This Law is enacted for the purposes of strengthening the ecological and environmental protection and remediation in the Yangtze River Basin, promoting the reasonable and efficient use of resources, guaranteeing ecological safety, and achieving the harmonious coexistence of human and nature and the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. The Law consists of 11 Chapters: General Provisions (I); Plans and Control (II); Resource Protection (III); Prevention and Control of Water Pollution (IV); Ecological and Environmental Remediation (V); Green Development (VI); Guarantee and Supervision (VII); Legal Liability (VIII); Supplemental Provisions (IX).
The state shall establish a Yangtze River Basin Coordination Mechanism, uniformly guide and coordinate the protection of the Yangtze River, deliberate on major policies and plans for the protection of the Yangtze River, coordinate cross-regional and inter-departmental major matters, and supervise and inspect the implementation of important work on the protection of the Yangtze River. The National Yangtze River Basin Coordination Mechanism shall establish an expert advisory committee and arrange for professional institutions and persons to give scientific, technological, and other professional advice on major development strategies, policies, and plans, among others, for the Yangtze River Basin. For the economic and social development of the Yangtze River Basin, ecological priority and green development shall be adhered to, general protection shall be jointly provided, and no large-scale development shall be undergone; and for the protection of the Yangtze River, coordination, scientific planning, innovation drive, and systematic governance shall be adhered to. The state shall establish and improve a standards system for the water environment quality and pollutant discharge, ecological and environmental remediation, conservation and intensive use of water resources, ecological flow, biodiversity protection, aquaculture, and disaster prevention and reduction, among others, in the Yangtze River Basin.
Surveys of the condition of land, minerals, water flows, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and other natural resources in the Yangtze River Basin shall be regularly carried out. The protection and use of water resources in the Yangtze River Basin shall, in accordance with the comprehensive plan for the basin, give priority to satisfying urban and rural residents' need for domestic water, ensure basic ecological water use, and take into account agricultural and industrial water use, shipping, and other needs. The state shall strictly protect the headwaters of the main stream and important tributaries of the Yangtze River and establish national parks and other protected natural areas to protect national ecological security shields.
The Law further makes provisions for: preparation of development plan and the spatial plan for the Yangtze River Basin, the implementation of a management system for control over total water abstraction and use, the system for the total discharge control indicators for key pollutants in each provincial administrative area, ecological and environmental zoning and control plans at provincial level, biodiversity surveys on the spawning grounds, feeding grounds, overwintering grounds, migration routes, the monitoring, forecasting, early warning, defense, response, and restoration and reconstruction system for disasters, etc.