Since 2007, the construction of Dongting lake station has been an important task during the 3th knowledge innovation engineering of ISA. With the strong support of the Bureau of Science and Technology for Resources and Environment of CAS, the construction has been basically fulfiled after nearly two years efforts.

On December 11, 2009,the proseminar for the construction and development of the Dongting Lake station was held, and the station was also exhibited to the home and abroad guests in the opening ceremony of the 2009’ International Bird Watching Festival of Dongting Lake, Yueyang, China. This indicated that the Dongting Lake station has began running. 

The station is located at the northwest corner of the East Dongting Lake, with an building area of about 3000 m², and with the 1.2 million m² core experimental sampling field, which is divided into four zones. The core zone occupies an area of 4 ×10⁵ m², the sampling zone accounts for 8×10⁴m², the controlling experimental zone accounts for 5.2×10⁵ m² and the auxiliary observation zone accounts for 1.6×10⁵ m². Meanwhile, the series of long-term observation plots are also arranged at the South and West Dongting Lake .

The research aspects of the station include the optimal management of the watershed landscape pattern and ecological service functions, the succession process and manipulation of wetland ecosystem, the wetland protection and biodiversity conservation, as well as the theory and technology of wetland remediation. Based on the long-term positioning observation and basic research, the scientific theme of the station is to explore the natural process and mechanism of wetland degradation, especially to focus on the mechanism of wetland degradation under the conditions of global climate change and human disturbance, as well as the theories and technical system of wetland protection and rehabilitation.