Abstract: Xiangxi River is the longest tributary in Hubei region of the Three Gorges Reservoir. The health condition of the river may influence water quality of the reservoir. So, it is meaningful to study how to manage the Xiangxi River ecosystem. While, being a new field in river ecology, river ecosystem management is undergoing development, and how to conduct the research deserves exploration. In this article, the authors introduce firstly the state of the art of relative research in brief. Then, based on the fact that Xiangxi River was mainly affected by constructions of hydropower stations, unreasonable exploitation of land in the watershed, and industrial pollution, etc，we suggest that guaranteeing quantity and quality of water should be the principles, and maintaining healthy river ecosystem and fulfilling its all services should be the objectives of all management research and measures. Following the idea, four research aspects for Xiangxi River ecosystem management can be carried out, including ① ecological planning of land use of Xiangxi River Watershed; ② management of hydropower stations on the Xiangxi River; ③ pollution control of Xiangxi River Watershed; ④ monitoring and evaluation of ecosystem health and services of Xiangxi River.

Key words: river, ecosystem management, Xiangxi River