Freshwater ecosystems play the non-substitutable role in providing essential ecosystem services to humanity. However, due to the endless and different kinds of demands from human, the conservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystem have entered the bottleneck period. In this study, we divide the relevant theories into basic and applied theories to provide a detailed overview of their shift and development. We reviewed the literatures of last two decays about the conservation and restoration projects conducted in China.
Results/Conclusions
We observed an obvious gap between practice and theory. Based on the new generation of conceptions and methods, we explore the potential ways to improve the outcomes of practice. Furthermore, we give suggestions on the optimum allocation of resources and efforts between the theory and practice. Given the current diverse perspectives and many debates, we hope this review could contribute to a clearer understanding of the way we should go.