Wuhan – Over 60 conservation experts, enthusiasts and students recently gathered at Wuhan University in Hubei Province to commence this year's Wetland Ambassador Action Campaign. Organised by WWF, this annual campaign encourages university students across China to spread the concept of wetland conservation to the public through field visits and surveys. The theme of the 2003 campaign, 'Tracing the lost lakes of the Yangtze', aims to raise awareness of the importance of re-linking the now disconnected lakes of the Yangtze to help restore the wetlands. This year’s campaign was co-organised by the Ramsar Convention Implementing Office of the State Forestry Administration, the Yangtze Fishery Administration, and People’s Net. Leaders from the State Forestry Administration and the Hubei Forestry Department expressed appreciation for the volunteers and voiced their support for this year’s campaign.

The Central Yangtze region has more lakes than anywhere else in China. These lakes, most of which are over ten square kilometres in size used to be connected to the Yangtze River by various small channels and tributaries enabling them to playa role in pollution reduction, flood retention and drought prevention in the area. The free flow of water in these lakes also allowed biodiversity to prosper, providing excellent habitats and breeding areas for migrating birds, fish and other forms of wildlife.

Unsustainable economic development and ill-planned irrigation construction projects, has caused many of the lakes have become disconnected from the Yangtze. This has resulted in sharply dwindling wetlands and a devastated ecosystem. The water in many of these lakes has become unsuitable for many species and many have died out in the past decades. Floods have also become more frequent and extensive.

Following the launch of the campaign, experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, WWF and Friends of Nature will run workshops to help the 12 university teams finalise their research plans and design their surveys. The workshops will also further the volunteers’ knowledge of fieldwork research and interview techniques involving human subjects in preparation for the studies. The volunteers will undertake fieldwork in researching comparisons between the past and present status of Yangtze lakes; conduct socio-economic surveys; study bio-diversity with an emphasis on the current status of fish resources; researching existing irrigation constructions; and gathering the views of local governments and communities on restoring the lakes linking the Yangtze.

Participating teams in 2003 are Green Association, Huazhong Agricultural University; Green United Society, Wuhan Sciences and Technology University; Youth Volunteer Association, Medical Department, Yichun College; Environmental Protection Association, Fudan University; Environmental Volunteer Association, Chemical Department, Chasha University of Sciences and Technology; Green Boat, Xianning College; Environmental Protection Association, Anhui University; Environmental Protection Association, Nanjing Institute of Meteorology; Green Source, Central South Forestry University; Lupai Conservation Society, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics; Xunyuan Conservation Society, Shanghai Fishery University; and Green Boat, Wuhan University.