Abstract: The Chinese government has established a Rare and Unique Fish National Nature Reserve in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to coordinate between hydropower development and fish ecological protection in the lower reaches of Jinsha River. In this paper, we expound systematically the management of nature reserve carried out jointly by government departments, scientific research and engineering design institutes, and China Three Gorges Group since 2005 in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River. The joint work include the construction of departments and infrustructure of the protection area, the arrangements for fishing population, the enhancement and releasing of fishes, water ecology monitoring, as well as scientific researches related to ecological protection. All parties set up an adaptive management mechanism of Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), and created a protection pattern involving enterprises, government, locality, and institutes. Such innovation in nature reserve management effectively coordinates between hydropower development and fish ecological protection by adhering to the principle of “ecology as priority” and implementing “natural recovery”. The practice provides a new idea for better multi-party cooperation and efficient adjustment in the management of nature reserves.

Key words: upper reaches of the Yangtze River, rare and endemic fishes, nature reserve, adaptive management, PDCA