Tree-planting project cleans Yangtze's branches
Scientists have successfully developed a four-phase recovery program for river ecosystems that have been altered by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, report Luo Wangshu in Kaixian county and Tan Yingzi in Chongqing.
Construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project, has brought power to millions of residents and eased the passage of water traffic along the Yangtze River. The downside is that the dam has also affected the water levels and ecosystems of many of the river's main tributaries, resulting in pollution and damage to the environment.
Now, the banks of the Pengxi River, a tributary of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, are steadily being planted with nonnative trees in an attempt to arrest the decline of the environment and reverse the process.