Poyang Lake, China

Poyang Lake is China’s largest freshwater lake, playing a critical role in regulating floods in Yangtze River. In July 2020, historical floods ravaged Jiangxi province, affecting more than 7 million people in Poyang Lake Basin causing a direct economic loss over 3.2 billion USD. The impact of the flooding of both the Poyang Lake Basin and the Yangtze River Basin, has made people think more deeply about the health of freshwater ecosystems and its connection to human well-being.

On August 22 and 23, 2020, the first Freshwater Health Index (FHI) and Watershed Conservation workshop on the Poyang Lake was held in Nanchang. More than 70 experts and representatives from government, nature reserves, universities and scientific research institutions, businesses, local NGOs, and communities, participated in robust discussions of the Lake’s freshwater health.