Abstract: Protecting green water and mountains to achieve green poverty reduction is one of the core elements of General Secretary Xi Jinping's "Two Mountain Theory". Based on the theoretical framework of reconstructing the Green River Green Mountain Protection Poverty Reduction Mechanism, This paper explores the relationship between the green hills protection and the regional anti-poverty in 76 cities and counties along the Yangtze River Economic Belt by means of the panel feasible generalized least squares model (FGLS) and the panel simultaneous equation model (PSEM). The study found that there is a significant "U"-type association between the conservation behavior of green water and green hills for the purpose of improving ecological quality and regional poverty. The protection of green water and green hills with the goal of accumulating ecological capital is characterized by a specific inverted "U" relationship between regional poverty. The two major supporting mechanisms for green water and green hills protection for regional poverty reduction are the continued growth of green industries and the expansion of healthy human capital levels of poor groups. Although the protection of green water and mountains has a clear "pro-poor" character, the margin of improvement in the income level of residents is significantly weaker than the margin of improvement in capacity poverty, and therefore needs to be further strengthened in synergy with poverty reduction factors such as infrastructure construction, urbanization, government financial capacity and openness.

Key words: green water and green hill protection, anti-poverty, yangtze river economic belt, environmental poverty trap