The number of Yangtze finless porpoises spotted in the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River in 2022 was estimated to be about 62, approximately 10.4% of the total population of this endangered species in the main channel of the great river, according to a press conference of the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Greening and Gardening on March 9.

Nanjing is the only major city in the entire Yangtze River basin where Yangtze finless porpoise can be observed in the downtown area. In the survey of natural resources conducted from August 2021 to August 2022, the bureau also reported observing calves 11 times, which suggests the potential for the increasing population of the freshwater porpoises.

(Photo courtesy of Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Greening and Gardening)

This is also the first comprehensive survey conducted since the establishment of the reserve in 2014. The Yangtze finless porpoise in the reserve live in small groups, and their distribution has seasonal differences, mainly related to factors such as biological resources and human activities.

In addition to the finless porpoise, the reserve is also rich in other resources, including animals under national protection and wetland plants.

In recent years, Nanjing has piloted the use of integrated monitoring technology for observing the species from above the water, underwater, and on the shore. The city has also established an in-situ emergency rescue system, the first of its kind in the main channel of the river.