Jiangxi Province has formally initiated five research projects to further the protect the Poyanghu Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China.

The five projects are Poyanghu Lake Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization; Poyanghu Lake Area Agricultural Pollution Control and Management Technology Research; Poyanghu Lake Protection Strategy Research; Poyanghu Lake Ecosystem Comprehensive Management Research; and Poyanghu Lake Sustainable Development Strategy and Measure Research.

Wang Hai, director of Jiangxi Science and Technology Department, says that involving a total investment of RMB52 million, the five projects are all forward-looking and innovative and they cover a whole range of Poyanghu Lake's ecosystem's concerns. Wang says that the implementation of these projects will provide powerful support to the protection of Poyanghu Lake and the promotion of the sustainable development of the Poyanghua Lake area.

Different from the projects initiated in the past, these research projects are highly targeted to the existing problems of Poyanghu Lake and problems such as agricultural pollution and dry land erosion have also been included. Many kinds of high technology such as remote sensing and global positioning systems will be used to carry out the projects. With the global climate change and the increasing environmental pressure caused by social and economic development, Poyanghua Lake in China's Jiangxi Province is facing pressing problems such as low water level, serious industrial and agricultural pollution and water environmental decay.