AUTHORS: Sulong Zhou*, Janet Silbernagel – University of Wisconsin-Madison
ABSTRACT: Poyang Lake is a complex wetland ecosystem that not only serves as important wintering habitat for threatened migratory waterbirds but also offers many resources to a wide array of community interests and activities in Asia. Consistent with the other coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) studies, Poyang lake research faces challenges in understanding the linkages between ecosystems and human livelihoods, and in capturing citizen knowledge over long distance to support and validate our research. We piloted the mobile spatial survey tool, Survey 123, in 10 sub-lakes between Poyang Lake Reserve and Nanjishan Reserve with 20 designed questions on fishing, economic, hydrologic, and crane observation. The reports verify the rapid seasonal fluctuation of sub-lake water level, show revenue balance of local fishermen, identify changes of crane populations, and reflect their preferences to crane conservation. This study can help bridge scientific researchers and local community through public involvement in spatial data collection. Furthermore, these responses will inform our subsequent hydrological modeling at Poyang Lake.