Three cities in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces have coordinated their legislative efforts to protect Yangtze finless porpoises, an iconic species in the country's longest river Yangtze.

The standing committee of the people's congress in the two provinces have approved the joint protection plan introduced by Nanjing, Zhenjiang and Ma’anshan cities, which will enter into force on October 24.

This also marks the first cross-provincial collaborative legislation in the Nanjing-centered city cluster and first of its kind in regional lawmaking in China to protect the species, an important indicator of the Yangtze River ecology.

(CFP Photo)

The three cities will carry out cooperation in survey, protection, rescue and law enforcement supervision, which will help create a conservation network for the species throughout its life cycle, according to the regulation.

The three sides will also integrate protection of the species with broader ecosystem protection efforts. This includes the regulation of activities affecting the critically endangered species such as shipping, construction, and drone use.

The section of the Yangtze River in the three cities measures approximately 260 kilometers long and is home to about 100 Yangtze finless porpoises, which is 22% of the total in the mainstream of the river and 10% of the Yangtze River basin.