The shrinking Dongting Lake area and nearby wetlands worries Jiang Yong, Vice Director of the East Dongting Nature Reserve (EDNR). "Dongting Lake is an important winter environment for various kinds of migrating birds. We may lose a chance to welcome these migrating birds this year due to present conditions," said Jiang.

The low water table of the Yangtze River has again roused concern from experts.

At the end of last year, the Yangtze River entered a drought period. The water level has dropped lower than the past five-year average. Meanwhile news about the deaths of rare aquatic animals has frequently appeared in newspapers.

Many experts have called for efforts from all sides to strengthen protection for rare aquatic animals living in the Yangtze River.

In an interview with the Changjiang Times, Liu Denghong, Director of the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute, said that after the Yangtze River entered the drought period, the living space for many species of fishes, including the Chinese sturgeons, greatly narrowed. Their chances of being hit by boats have increased accordingly. In addition, organic wastes have further polluted the Yangzi River. Thus the current living conditions of wild Chinese sturgeons are very worrisome.

The Yangtze River drought also dealt a destructive blow to waters adjacent to the river. One obvious example is the Poyang Lake. At one point the Yangtze River drought reduced Poyang Lake's water circumference from 4,000 hectares to 50 hectares.

The water level of Dongting Lake also hit a record low at the end of last year and the number of fish has decreased sharply with the reduced water level.

Another problem deserving concern is that Dongting Lake may suffer from a mice outbreak this year.

"If the mouse population explodes in the Dongting Lake area, the number of mice is very like to surpass last year's 2 billion record," one expert remarked.

Wang Kelin, Director of the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), believes that, "Despite other various factors that could provoke a mouse plague, decreased water levels in Dongting Lake, leading to the prolonged exposure of shoal, offers a conducive natural environment for mouse reproduction."

"The Yangtze River drought was mainly caused by dry weather at the upper reaches of the river," The Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC) told the Changjiang Times. "It has nothing to do with the Three Gorges Dam Project."

(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, January 17, 2008)