Concerning the effect of sedimentation, most of which directly affects the biological community in the river. Sediment causes turbidity in the water that limits light penetration and prohibits healthy plant growth on the riverbed. Sediment also covers much of the riverbed. By covering up gravel, sediment destroys the spawning grounds and habitat of desirable fish. Also, sediments fill up the interstitial space in the river, which could potentially be occupied by fish and other species. Overall, sedimentation has created an unfavorable habitat for most of the river species. In order to better manage the sedimentation issue of the Yalong, I suggest the following actions. First, land management tools and techniques such as zoning, sub-division zoning and Geographic Information System (GIS) should be utilized to help regulate land for agricultural use. Zoning is like good fence, which regulates what one can do with the land without brining harms to nature. The regulation should be done with assistance of scientists, who can advise on details like how far the farmlands have to be away from riparian area. Yalong River has crucial ecological, cultural and economic values. The river is torrential for most of its course and carries a large volume of water. It is one of the longest tributaries of Yangtze River. The sediments it contains will directly contribute to the upper stream of Yangtze and change its flow regime. Also, the Yanyuan people have a particular relationship with the river. In Tibetan culture, the Yalong River is considered to be a treasure left by the ancestors for the life sustaining use of their descendants. So maintaining the health of the river is important for the culture conservation. Last, the health of the river is closely related to the local economic development. With high frequency of landslides and mountain erosions, it can cause direct economic cost to cover the injuries, death of people and reconstruction. In conclusion, in order to avoid the loss of these values, comprehensive and integrated methods to improve the sedimentation of the Yalong River, such as smart land management, dam monitoring, should all be adopted.

• published: 11 Dec 2013
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