Ecological requirements in operationof the Three Gorges Project
Jianbo CHANG Ph D

Professor of Fish Ecology and Conservation Biology
Institute of Hydroecology, MWR & CAS
578# Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China+ 86 27 8718 9023
+ 86 27 87189622
jbchang@mail.ihe.ac.cn

Content
1 Main hydrological alterations caused by TGR
2 Environmental requirements of keynote species
2.1 Endemic fish species to the upper Yangtze
Region2.2 Wild populations of the four domesticatedcarps
2.3 Endangered species under the umbrella ofthe national protective list
3 Eco-operation in TGR
4Q&A

Regulated by TGP

Water level (m)Normal poolwater level

Natural fluctuation(The highest water level was
normally less than 100 m)
Flood control
water level

Months

Reverse seasonal fluctuations in the reservoir

2003

三峡实际调度流量
三峡坝前实际水位

180

50000

160
140

40000

120
30000
100

水位（ m）

水位（m）

无三峡流量

流量 （m3 /s）

40000

流量（m 3 /s）

50000

160
140

无三峡流量

120

2006

30000

180

三峡实际调度流量100

三峡坝前实际水位80
20000

80
20000

60
40

10000

60
40

10000

20

20

时间

40000

03-6-15

03-6-30

03-7-15

50000

160
140

40000

06-5-16

06-5-3106-6-15

06-6-30

06-7-15

三峡坝前实际水位006-7-30

30000

100

160

120

三峡实际调度流量100

三峡坝前实际水位.

180

140

无三峡流量

120

三峡实际调度流量20000

006-5-1The
operationof
TGR
resulted
2007
2004
flood pulse into fragmentations
无三峡流量

30000

180

时间

水位（m）

03-5-31

水位（m）

流量（m 3 /s）

50000

03-5-16

0
03-7-30流量（m 3 /s）

003-5-1

80

80

20000

60
40

10000

60
40

10000

20

20
时间
004-5-1

04-6-15

04-6-30

04-7-15

3

40000

0
04-7-30
水位（m）

04-5-31流量（m /s）

50000

04-5-16

160

120

2005

三峡实际调度流量100

三峡坝前实际水位

007-5-1

07-5-16

07-5-3107-6-15

07-6-30

07-7-15

007-7-30

180140无三峡流量30000

时间

Estimation on differentiations inwater levels in Yichang Reach(with/without the operation of TGR)

80
20000
60
40

10000

20
时间
005-5-1

05-5-16

05-5-3105-6-15

05-6-30

05-7-15005-7-30------ Discharge without TGR—— Discharge with TGR——http://www.ihe.ac.cn
Water levels in TGR

Habitats and flow regimes simplification will beharmful to the most of endemic fish species ofthe upper Yangtze

Reservoir withsimple habitats

Natural riverbed
with complicatedflow regimes andhabitats

The potential effects of the Three GorgesProject to Chinese Dolphin (Lipotes verillifer)
might be the habitat modification and theshortness in food supply.

Reduction in dischargeof the Three Gorges
Reservoir might disturb
the natural propagation
activities of the sturgeon.

Incubation and early development of Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis)

Black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)

These wild populations of the four domesticated carps
normally take three to five years for maturation. They
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

spawn in fast running flow (main channel usually) andfeed in lentic habitats (lakes and seasonal submergingareas). Their spawning sites distribute in a reach more
Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

than 1500 km from Chongqing to Hukou sections inthe Yangtze River historically. The spawning seasonsof them usually last from early May
to theendofBigheadcarp(Aristichthysnobilis)
August.

The four domesticated carps

Distribution of spawning sites of the four carps in the Yangtze RiverTGP DamGezhouba Dam

Wuhan City(IHE located)

Spawning scales

Chongqing CityHukoukmAfter the construction of the Gezhouba Dam in 1981, there are still 30spawning grounds of the four carps remained in the Yangtze River. Eight ofthem located in upstream of the dam site, which made up 20% of the total egg
production in the river and will be eliminated after the impoundment of TGR.

Water Level
(m)

Yidu

46

Long term
investigations haveindicated that all thefour carps spawn only
when the water level
rising. However, how
to describe therelationship between
natural spawning ofthe four carps andwater level
fluctuations is stillunaccounted

Spawning records
45

44

Jianli43 31

Guangji
42 30 23

41 29 2240 28 21

27 2026 191817Month.date 4.30

5.10

5.20

5.30

6.10

6.20

6.30

A flooding process was divided into nine variants inorder to simulate the requirements of the four carps to thehydrological conditions based on a method of “Factorcriteria system reconstruction analysis” (Zhang et al. 2000)
V1 Starting water level of a flood period
V2 Daily increasing rate of water level
V3 Starting flow amount in a section
V4 Daily increasing rate of flow amountV5 Duration of water level rising in a flood period
V6 Interval between a flood period and its former flood period
V7 Difference of water level between a flood period and its
former flood period
V8 Starting date of a spawning period
V9 Order of a larval floodGezhouba Dam

TGP DamWuhan City(IHE located)

Spawning scales
Songzikou

Chenglingji

XindikmSongzikou: Starting water level 37.6-38.9 m, Increasing rate of water level 1.051.25 m/d, starting flow 12200-15600 m3/s, increasing rate of flow 1310-1550
m3/s/d, 5 or 6-day duration of water level.
Chenglingji: Starting water level 26.7-27.8 m, Increasing rate of water level 0.310.38 m/d, starting flow 21560-27540 m3/s, increasing rate of flow 1220-1450
m3/s/d, 10-day duration of water level.
Xindi: Starting water level 26.5-28.0 m, Increasing rate of water level 0.25-0.30
m/d, starting flow 25600-33240 m3/s, increasing rate of flow 2110-2500 m3/s/d, 10day duration of water level.

Thanks foryourattention
Q&A

2008.11.04, the 5th International Forum on Waterfront andWatershed Restoration, Tsinghau University, Beijing