Counties surrounding the Poyang Lake in east China’s Jiangxi Province have taken a number of measures to address the food shortage for migratory birds as a result of the low water level brought on by the months-long drought.
Counties surrounding the Poyang Lake in east China’s Jiangxi Province have taken a number of measures to address the food shortage for migratory birds as a result of the low water level brought on by the months-long drought.
Because of the prolonged extreme heat, the Poyang Lake entered the dry season 105 days earlier than usual this year. Consequently, the sharp decline in water volume has resulted in a decrease in feeding birds.
Roughly 100,000 migratory birds have already arrived at the Poyang Lake for the winter so far, and the number is expected to grow. Local authorities have preserved over 66 hectares of unharvested paddy field, containing nearly 500,000 kilograms of grain for the birds to live on until next spring. Simultaneously, the affected farmers are being appropriately compensated.
In addition, 16 monitoring and patrolling stations were established 15 days earlier than in previous years. In conjunction with the warning and monitoring system of the Poyang Lake wetland, 53 personnel were assigned to conduct 24-hour monitoring of the migratory birds, wetlands, and fisheries.
By digging ditches to draw water and draining the inner lake, the government has supplemented 525,000 cubic meters of water for the Changhu and Shahu areas of the Poyang Lake, effectively supplementing the water source needed by migratory birds.
According to the weather forecast, Jiangxi will continue to experience cloudy and rainy weather over the next seven days, and the water level of the Poyang Lake will slowly rise.
Poyang Lake, in China’s Jiangxi Province, routinely fluctuates in size between the winter and summer seasons. In winter, water levels on the lake in are typically low. Then, summer rains cause the country’s largest freshwater lake to swell as water flows in from the Yangtze River.
For migratory birds, Poyang Lake is irreplaceable, affecting more than 98% of the world’s white cranes, 95% of Oriental storks, 70% of white-naped cranes and 50% of swan geese. The lake is also home to the Yangtze finless porpoise, another endangered species.
Between the winter and summer seasons, Poyang Lake, in China’s Jiangxi Province, routinely fluctuates in size. In winter, water levels on the lake are usually low. Then, summer rains cause the country’s largest freshwater lake to swell as water flows in from the Yangtze River.
In recent times, the lake has not swelled in the summer of 2022. In fact, a prolonged heat wave and drought across much of the Yangtze River Basin has dried the lake out early and pushed water levels to lows not seen in decades.