Abstract: In recent years, hazardous events caused by water environmental pollution have occurred frequently. Monitoring water environment is the basis of scientific water pollution prevention and control. Compared with traditional physio-chemical monitoring technology, biological monitoring has incomparable advantages in terms of sensitivity, stability, diversity and long term, and can directly and effectively reflect the ecological risk of water environment. The importance and advantages of biological monitoring methods and the main biological monitoring types were summarized. Based on a large number of literatures at home and abroad, the research progress of monitoring methods for main biological types of water environment, such as microorganism, phytoplankton, zooplankton, periphyton, zoobenthos, higher aquatic plants and fish, was reviewed. The practice and application of biological monitoring methods at home and abroad were discussed, and the future development of biological monitoring prospected.