Dredging ships have sucked millions of tons of sand from the bed and shores of China's Poyang lake, drastically altering its ability to function.
New plans to build a sluice gate now further threaten the delicate ecosystem reut.rs/3ze3Xq0 1/6
New plans to build a sluice gate now further threaten the delicate ecosystem reut.rs/3ze3Xq0 1/6
Decades of mass urbanization in China have fueled rampant demand for sand to make glass, concrete and other materials used in construction.
The most desirable sand for this industry comes from rivers and lakes rather than deserts and oceans 2/6
The most desirable sand for this industry comes from rivers and lakes rather than deserts and oceans 2/6
Much of the sand used to build the country’s megacities has come from Poyang Lake, in the eastern province of Jiangxi.
Already ravaged by sand mining, the lake now faces a biodiversity crisis 3/6
Already ravaged by sand mining, the lake now faces a biodiversity crisis 3/6
At the start of this year, the provincial government revived a project to alleviate drought by regulating water flows between the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake with a 3km-long sluice gate 4/6
The shallow lake, a national nature reserve, is also a rest stop for over 300 species of migratory birds, including the critically endangered Siberian crane 5/6 
Here's a closer look at how China’s largest freshwater lake was decimated by sand mining reut.rs/3ze3Xq0 via @SimonScarr @manshar_ @ReutersGraphics 6/6
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