Conservationists Say More Studies Needed Before Damming Poyang Lake

(Beijing) — Conservation groups and academics said a proposed dam on China's largest freshwater lake would do little to resolve the water crisis in the area caused by illicit sand mining and the building of reservoirs further upstream.

They also warned that the plan for Poyang Lake, in the eastern province of Jiangxi, would affect the largest natural habitat of the endangered Yangtze River dolphin. The groups and academics urged authorities to carry out more studies to assess the affect the dam would have on one of the world's largest sanctuaries for migratory birds in winter.