Lakes in Yangtze River valley face extinction threats

Edited and translated by Ye Xin, People's Daily Online

Some lakes in the Yangtze River valley are facing shrinking and extinction threats, according to a report "Protection and development of the Yangtze River in 2011" issued in Beijing on Jan. 6, 2012.

The problems facing the lakes in the valley include species loss, ecosystem degeneration, water eutrophication, increased flood storage capability and inadequate water supply.

The report, issued by Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, World Wide Fund for Nature and China Development Bank, is called a health examination report for the Yangtze River.

Due to the influence of climate warming, glacier melt water increases at the source and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, causing many lakes in the region to expand in a short period of time. However, with the passage of time, the area of glacier decreases drastically and the melt water also decreases gradually, which may lead to the shrinking and extinction of the lakes, said Yang Guishan, head of Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology.