NANCHANG, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Eastern China's Jiangxi Province has issued a policy to compensate farmers who lost crops or other harvests to foraging migratory birds.

Jiangxi's forestry bureau said Monday that the new policy covers areas around the Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake and a seasonal destination for half a million bird that arrive for winter every year.

An official with the bureau told Xinhua that farmers are not allowed to hurt or drive away birds that trespass into their fields or fish ponds for food, but can instead claim recompense from the government.

The compensation is set at 1,200 yuan (175 U.S. dollars) per hectare and is subject to floating.

Late last year, local authorities said drought had lowered water levels in the Poyang Lake, which may pose difficulties for migratory birds to get food from the water body and nearby wetlands.

Hundreds of thousands of birds arrive in the Poyang Lake every year for the winter before flying to warmer regions like Australia.