Promoting the green development of the Yangtze River Basin is a significant measure for implementing Xi Jinping’ s Thoughts on Ecological Civilization and the current practice of realizing the new development concept in the new stage. This study analyzes the connotation of green development of watersheds in the new period, constructs the DPSR assessment model based on the conception of ‘Three Waters’ overall planning, evaluates the green development level of different watershed zoning, analyzes the sensitivity of indicators in each assessment dimension, then conducts watershed zoning type identification and differentiated problem analysis, accordingly propose differentiated environmental management strategies. The results show that: ①The green development level of the Yangtze River Basin presents a W-shaped curve, and the green development level of the Jialing River in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Han River in the middle reaches is relatively low, while the green development level in the middle and lower reaches of the main river basin is relatively high. ②Based on the different sensitivities and key constraints of the zoning indicators in each river basin, they can be divided into five types: protection-oriented, governance-led, coordinated regulation-led, efficiency-constrained, and quality enhancement-led, which provide an essential basis for differentiated environmental management strategies for green development in the Yangtze River Basin. ③The Jinsha River and other protection-oriented watersheds should focus on coordinating the rational utilization of water resources with moderate economic and social development, the Min River and other governance-led watersheds should integrate the management of ‘Three Waters’ with high-quality economic and social development, the Han River and other coordinated regulation-led watersheds should collaboratively promote the water ecological environment protection and green transformation of economic development, the Dongting River and other efficiency-constrained watersheds should integrate the water resource utilization efficiency with leapfrog development of economy and society, the middle and lower reaches of the mainstream and other quality enhancement-led watersheds should collaboratively promote the efficient recycling of water resources in coordination with the green and low-carbon development of economy and society. |