CHINA – 13 December 2021 – Sateri and Conservation International today announced their partnership on the wetland conservation of Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake. This initiative aims to improve the ecosystem’s health, restore biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods to local people.
Located in Jiangxi Province, in the southeastern part of the country, Poyang Lake plays a critical role in regulating floods in the Yangtze River, and is a vital ecosystem for the environment, culture, and economy. The lake supports the livelihoods of more than 45 million people living in the province, and contributes more than 15% of the Yangtze River’s annual runoff. It is also a wetland of national and global importance — providing a habitat for flora and fauna of high conservation value, including the critically endangered Siberian crane and finless porpoise.
The five-year partnership, which began in 2019, evaluates the health of Poyang Lake and develops strategies for managing and protecting it, while also supporting communities to live in harmony with nature. To guide this work, a preliminary assessment of the Poyang Lake was conducted using Conservation International’s Freshwater Health Index. This scientific tool analyzes the health of the freshwater ecosystem, and measures human uses, needs and impacts providing decisionmakers with clear, scientific guidance on how best to sustainably manage these wetlands.
Richard Jeo, Conservation International’s Asia-Pacific Field Division Senior Vice President, said “Water security and biodiversity loss are two of the most pressing challenges facing humanity and the environment. Our strategic partnership with Jiangxi Provincial Forestry Bureau and Sateri at the Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater Lake, demonstrates how government, corporate and communities can work together on conservation, and will go a long way towards addressing these challenges, and finding solutions that benefit both people and nature.”
Allen Zhang, President of Sateri, said, “The protection of biodiversity and the sustainable use of resources in production must go hand-in-hand. The Poyang Lake initiative is a good example of how manufacturers can support nature-based solutions in parallel with community development. It also aligns with our Vision 2030 aspiration to be net-positive, giving more than we take.”
This project also supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and China’s commitment at the recent UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) by improving protection and management of the Duchang Nature Reserve and Poyang Protected Areas Network for these important wetlands.
About Conservation International
Conservation International works to protect the critical benefits that nature provides to people. Through science, partnerships and fieldwork, Conservation International is driving innovation and investments in nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, supporting protections for critical habitats, and fostering economic development that is grounded in the conservation of nature. Conservation International works in 30 countries around the world, empowering societies at all levels to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet.
About Sateri
Sateri is the world’s largest producer of viscose fibre, a natural biodegradable raw material found in everyday items like textiles, wet wipes and other personal hygiene products. Our five mills in China collectively produce about 1.5 million tonnes of viscose fibre yearly.
Our range of high quality viscose products, branded EcoCosy®, is independently verified as safe, sustainable, and responsibly produced. We also produce textile yarn, spunlace non-woven fabric, Lyocell, and FINEX™, a recycled textile fibre.
Headquartered in Shanghai, we have a sales, marketing and customer service network covering Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Sateri is committed to the fundamental principles of sustainable development; our business practices are underpinned by strict adherence to our Sustainability Policy, Pulp Sourcing Policy and universally accepted environmental and social standards.
