Organized by the Hunan provincial government and sponsored by international non-governmental environmental protection organization World Wildlife Fund, the second Yangtze Forum was held recently to explore solutions to environmental issues around the Dongting Lake that can influence the sustainable development of China's "mother river" - the Yangtze.

With the theme of the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake, the three-day forum brought together river basin management experts from home and abroad, government officials and representatives from non-governmental organizations, as well as businesses, to discuss how to improve conservation of the Dongting Lake and contribute to the sustainable development of the Yangtze River.

A declaration - termed the Guiding Principles for Dongting Lake Conservation - was announced at the forum, calling for all stakeholders to face impending threats by promoting flood prevention and disaster relief, water resource management, integrated pollution prevention and ecosystem protection in the lake.

(China Daily May 21, 2007)