In a dramatic environmental move China has torn down 300 dams and decommissioned 342 hydropower stations along the Chishui He, or Red River, a major tributary of the upper Yangtze River. The sweeping action, first launched in 2020, is part of a national effort to reverse the damage wrought by decades of unchecked hydropower development and restore aquatic ecosystems in one of China most ecologically vital river systems.
The Red River, stretching over 400 kilometers through Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces, was once considered a sanctuary for endemic and endangered fish species. But as China raced to power its economic rise, dam construction surgedfragmenting habitats, choking migration routes, and leaving stretches of the river parched. The destruction of these natural lifelines eventually pushed iconic species like the Yangtze sturgeon to the brink of extinction.
Now, Beijing is pressing rewind.
A Shift from Power to Preservation
The dismantling of hydropower facilities is being framed not as an abandonment of clean energy but as a pivot toward ecological restoration in strategically sensitive regions. According to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, the operation reflects a fundamental policy shift: from infrastructure-first development to ecosystem-first planning.
Hydraulic engineering expert Zhou Jianjun of Tsinghua University explained that decommissioning doesn’t always mean physically removing dam structures. Instead, the focus is on halting power generation and altering water flow patterns to restore natural ecological functions.
Sturgeon Return Sparks Hope
The urgency behind the campaign can be seen in the fate of the Yangtze sturgeon, a species labeled “extinct in the wild” by the IUCN in 2022. Since the 1970s, dams have blocked the sturgeon’s migratory paths, while overfishing and pollution eroded its population. No naturally bred juvenile sturgeon had been recorded since 2000 until now.
In 2023 and 2024 scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences released two batches of sturgeon into the Red River. The fish not only adapted to the wild but, in April 2025, exhibited natural spawning behavior.
A Broader Ecological Rethink
China’s dam-removal initiative is not isolated. It fits within a wider ecological strategy across the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which includes a 10-year fishing ban (in effect since 2020), targeted sand mining prohibitions, and the shutdown or rectification of thousands of small hydropower stations, especially in Sichuan.
Government data from August 2024 indicated measurable gains in water quality and aquatic biodiversity across the basin. Monitoring from the Institute of Hydrobiology recorded surges in native fish populations and the return of other sensitive aquatic species.
Hydropower at a Crossroads
While China remains the world’s largest hydropower producer, the mass removal of small-scale plants along the Red River signals a more nuanced energy policy. For years, such facilities were lauded for their role in rural electrification. However, many were built with minimal environmental oversight, creating long-term ecological damage for short-term power gains.
Now, with renewable technologies diversifying and public environmental awareness growing Beijing appears more willing to reassess its approach.
Experts say the Red River restoration sends a powerful message: even large-scale infrastructure decisions can be reversed if ecological costs outweigh the benefits. For the Yangtze and for China threatened freshwater species this course correction may have come just in time.