CHANGSHA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- A bird-watching festival will be held around Dongting Lake, China's second largest freshwater lake.

The tenth annual bird-watching festival will be held from Dec. 5 to 7 in three separate locations in central China's Hunan Province, said Gui Xiaojie, chief engineer of Hunan's provincial forestry bureau.

"An international seminar, a volunteer campaign, as well as a launching ceremony will be held during the event," Gui said.

Officials and scholars from more than 10 countries, and 21 bird-watching teams from home and abroad will take part in the festival, Gui said.

As a wetland of global importance, Dongting Lake is home to about 500 types of birds, accounting for one-third of the country's total. Each year, millions of birds make stop-overs at the lake for winter migration.

China has established wetland nature reserves totaling 3,076 square km around the lake. Fish farming and illegal fishing have been banned.