Gu Jia/Shanghai Daily news

Academics are worried about the extinction of river and ocean floor invertebrates around the Yangtze Estuary due to the poor conditions of the wetlands there, reported today's Oriental Morning Post.
A 20-year field research project is showing that the numbers of these invertebrates in areas like the Yangtze Estuary and near the shores in Nanhui have decreased by 200 to 300 percent per unit.
The worse problem is the loss of several valuable species of invertebrates in the past 10 years. 
"Environmental changes impact directly on the species, and will influence the entire ecosphere, " explained Lu Jian, a lab professor from East China Normal University.
"And human beings will be eventually be influenced," Li said.
Experts have suggested a wetland research center should be established to provide a platform for the academics to better develop research and protect the wetlands.