(Handout via Xinhua Daily)

Nanjing launched the international volunteer program for the ecological protection of the Yangtze River on December 5, International Volunteer Day.

This photo taken on July 3, 2024 shows a Yangtze finless porpoise frolicking on the surface of the river. (CFP)

One initiative focuses on the Yangtze finless porpoises, a national first-class protected wild animal and a "barometer" of the river’s ecological health.

Over the past decade, photography enthusiasts, university faculty and students, and expats in the city, have volunteered to protect the unique freshwater subspecies of the finless porpoise family.

Professor Yang Guang from the College of Life Sciences at Nanjing Normal University, also president of the Nanjing Finless Porpoise Aquatic Life Protection Association, said that the association has mobilized expert resources and public engagement in scientific monitoring, rescue, ecological restoration and educational outreach.