Abstract: The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are economically important in 21th century, with the water source of national strategic importance. The area is the last defence for the balance of water supply in our country. However, with the macro background of natural evolvement，the highspeed development of valley economics and the deep effect by human activities, for example, largescale exploitation , a series of negative environmental effects appears. Of them the most serious problem is the destroyment of lakes, especially the large degradation of the ability to adjust ecological environment and selfrecover, which has brought bad ecological result, and has already threatened the ecological balance in the Yangtze River, and affected the continuous development of territorial economics. Based on investigations into the situation and problem of the ecological environment of the lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, some countermeasures were suggested for the protection and management of lakes.

Key words: lakes, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, countermeasures and advice