Nu River

The Nu River, October 2015 Li Xiao Long What comes to mind when you think of the words “China” and “environment”?Most people will conjure images of cities obscured by smog, rivers choked by massive dams, and a denuded countryside. But tucked away in the country’s southwest corner is a magnificent, undammed river that’s a hotspot of biodiversity and a beacon of ecological hope in a country thirsty for it. It’s called the Nu River. Last month, we convened a research trip that brought scientists to survey a 618 km segment of the Nu River in Yunnan province. Scientists know they nee