China has accelerated its pace in building dams to meet growing demands in energy consumption,as well as to alleviate air pollution resulting from fossil fuel emissions and to mitigate global climate change impacts.Large rivers in southweste China (i.e.the Jinsha,Yalong,Dadu,Wu,Nu,Lancang and upper Yangtze rivers) have primarily been targeted as major basins for hydropower development,where cascade dams have been constructed or are proposed.Among them,the Three Gorges Dam is the worlds largest hydropower project and the most important water regulation scheme on the Yangtze River.It has a full water storage capacity of 39.3 billion m3 and a flood regulation capacity of 22.4 billion m3,which permits it to supply multiple benefits including hydropowerproduction,flood control,navigation and tourism [1].Since its impoundment,a distinctive reservoir marginal landscape,which is also referred to as the water level fluctuation zone,has been created by a specific flow regulation mode [2].The Three Gorges Dam will bediscussed herein as a sentinel example of reservoir marginal landscape development,degradation and conservation,but the lessons leaed may be applied globally.