Environmental authorities from twoYangtze River Delta provinces and Shanghai have jointly released their first white paper on cross‑regional ecological co‑governance in theYangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration DemonstrationZone, highlighting notable achievements in Qingpu District.

According to the white paper, in 2025, 97.8percentof surface water sections in the demonstration zone reached or exceeded Class III water quality standards. The Taipu River maintained stable Class II water quality, while Yuandang Lake improved to Class III.

In Qingpu, these changes are tangible. The 23‑kilometer ecological shoreline of Yuandang Lake is now fully connected.The shoreline connection project at Dianshan Lake is accelerating, and Qingpu’s “Blue PearlNecklace” water environment comprehensive restoration is showing early results, with the district’s blue‑green space ratio rising to 66.6percent.

The white paper also shows that the demonstration zone’s good air quality days ratio reached 80.8percentin 2025, with the annual average PM2.5 concentration falling to 29 µg/m³,a 23.7percentdrop from 2019, when the zone was established. In Qingpu, the PM2.5 concentration dropped to 27.7 µg/m³ in 2025, the lowest since monitoring began.

By the end of 2025, the demonstration zone had recorded 2,790 species of organisms, including 11 species under first‑class national protection, such as the Siberian crane and Dalmatian pelican. These rare species have been frequently spotted in Qingpu’s Dianshan Lake and Qingxi Country Park.

Even more heartening, fireflies have returned. Highly sensitive to water quality and light pollution, their reappearance is a vivid testament to a healthier ecosystem. In Zhujiajiao Town, the reintroduction and breeding of tiger frogs have also achieved initial success.

Thanks to the improved ecology, Dongshe Village in Liantang Town completed Shanghai’s first VEP (Valueof Ecosystem Products in Specific Geographic Units) accounting. According to professional estimates, the village’s total ecological value over the next decade is about 245 million yuan(US$36.14 million), leading a bank to grant it 39.5 million yuan in green loan credit.