From April 15th to April 17th, 2024, TNC China Health River team visited the headwater and upper reach of Chishui River in Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, and discussed with staff of Yunnan Management and Protection Bureau of the Chishui River National Reserve, the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Changjiang Conservation Foundation about how to cooperate to better protect and restore the ecosystems of the Chishui River , and to enhance the effectiveness of conservation in the next 1-2 years.. Chishui River is a first-class tributary of Yangtze River with high ecological value and no dam on mainstream. Because of the four cascade hydropower dams on Yangtze River above the confluence point of Chishui River, Chishui river has become the key alternative habitat for the endemic and rare fish species living in the Upper Yangtze River, many of which are on the List of State Key Protected Wild Animals. Although the river and its basin has been established as a national reserve and local conservation practitioners have achieved a series of excellent results through daily patrol, habitat restoration, monitoring and evaluation, many problems still exist, including a lack of patrols, limited knowledge of the life histories of threatened fish stocks and related science, uncertainty about the effectiveness of some of the restoration practices that need to be improved, insufficient scientific research and management capacity, a lack of financial resources and mechanisms for securing them in a sustainable manner. Chishui River should be one of the priorities of future freshwater conservation work in China, which requires the joint effort of not only the government, but also research institutions, NGOs, and other social forces.