Poyang Lake Nature Reserve, Jiangxi

Poyang Lake Nature Reserve safeguards China’s largest freshwater lake — shrinking from 3,500 km² in summer to under 1,000 km² in winter — which attracts 95% of the world’s Siberian cranes, an estimated 4,000 individuals each season. This seasonal pulse makes it Asia’s most important wetland for migratory birds, hosting over 500,000 waterfowl annually across 280 species. It is 40% more species-dense during peak migration than the average East Asian wetland. Quantified surveys from 2020 show the lake supports 60% of the global East Asian-Australasian Flyway’s crane population, a concentration unmatched by Qinling’s broad biodiversity approach. The reserve’s summer flood pulse creates critical fish nursery grounds, sustaining 90% of Jiangxi’s freshwater fishery.