In 2020, China implemented a 10-year fishing ban in the Yangtze River, a substantial aquatic biodiversity conservation initiative (1). Although the ban has offered protection to Yangtze species, habitat destruction prevents China from maximizing its benefits (2). The loss of aquatic habitats, especially floodplains, is now a more substantial driver of biodiversity loss in the Yangtze River than illegal hunting and overfishing (3).
