Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education

The Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education is built based on Nanchang University. Nanchang University is a Double First-Class university, a co-constructed university by the Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Provincial Government, and a university for the overall construction of first-class universities in Jiangxi Province. Its predecessor is Jiangxi Public Medical College founded in 1921. As one of the oldest, most comprehensive, largest and most influential universities in Jiangxi Province, it has always been highly valued by the Party and state leaders, the Ministry of Education, as well as the CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee and Jiangxi Provincial Government in terms of construction and development. Supported by Nanchang University, the Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education has been established and continuously developed. It conducts a series of researches focusing on the hydrology, water resources, water environment, aquatic ecology and characteristic resource utilization of Poyang Lake, making important contributions to the ecological environment protection of Poyang Lake and the local social and economic development.

Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China, retaining the natural characteristics of a lake connected to rivers, shallow water, grass-dominated landscape and blockage formation. It plays an important ecological role in flood storage and regulation, climate adjustment, pollution degradation, and biodiversity conservation. However, with the intensification of global changes and human activity disturbances, the hydrological characteristics of Poyang Lake have changed, the problems of water environment and aquatic ecology have become increasingly prominent, and the ecological functions of Poyang Lake have been continuously degraded. Against this background, the Poyang Lake Laboratory was initiated for construction and has grown into a key laboratory of the Ministry of Education.

The construction process of the Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education can be divided into the following stages:

• In 2003, the Poyang Lake Research Center was established and approved as the Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Comprehensive Management and Resource Development co-sponsored by the province and the Ministry of Education.

• In 2004, the laboratory was designated as a province-Ministry co-constructed key laboratory of the Ministry of Education.

• In 2007, the laboratory passed the acceptance inspection and was officially designated as a key laboratory of the Ministry of Education.

• In 2015, the laboratory passed the first assessment organized by the Ministry of Education.

• From 2015 to 2019, the laboratory, together with the Jiangxi Water Security Collaborative Innovation Center, passed the provincial acceptance inspection and co-founded the Jiangxi Institute of Ecological Civilization.

• In 2020, the laboratory was approved as the National Long-term Scientific Research Base for Poyang Lake Wetland Protection and Restoration in Jiangxi by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.