11th Living Lakes Conference

"Balancing Agriculture and Lake Protection" was the focus theme of the 11th international Living Lakes Conference in China.

The 11th Living Lakes Conference took place from 29 October to 3 November 2006 in Nanchang City near Lake Poyang. It was the first international meeting on the topics lake protection, water quality, avian influenza and agriculture in this part of China.

The conference was organised by the Global Nature Fund in cooperation with the Chinese Living Lakes partner MRLSD (Promotion Association for Mountain-River-Lake Regional Sustainable Development) and the provincial government of Jiangxi. The conference was also supported by the National Assembly of the People's Republic of China.

Approximately 200 participants came, among them more than 50 delegates representing over 30 countries and 42 partner lakes of the international Living Lakes network. China was represented by officials of the central government, decision makers in the fields of lake protection, water quality and agriculture as well as NGOs.

As a keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Hartmut Vogtmann, President of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, addressed the main focus of the conference "Balancing Agriculture and Sustainable Development of Lakes and Wetlands".

Among many others Dr. Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, and Marco Barbieri of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/ Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) as well as Prof. Manfred Niekisch from IUCN and Dr. Wolfgang Fiedler (Max Planck Institute) spoke at this conference.

The conference included a UNEP/CMS and FAO supported Seminar on Avian Influenza, Wildlife and Environment with a lively, interactive exchange of views on how to balance agricultural development with the conservation of key habitats for wildlife.

The Conference Reader as well as the Excursion Reader for the 11th Living Lakes Conference in English can be found as Download Data.

Lake Poyang, situated in the lowlands of the middle reaches and underflow of the Yangtse River, is the largest freshwater lake in China. Its average surface area is 3,580 sq. km. The lake is located in the Jiangxi Province, approximately 50 km north of Nanchang City. Because of the massive changes in water level, Lake Poyang is surrounded by a large flood plain.

Click here, to find more information about Lake Poyang and the Living Lakes partner organisation MRLSD.