Hydroelectric facilities cut back to protect rare giant salamanders

An overhaul of hydroelectric projects is underway in a key nature reserve for giant salamanders in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, with 34 hydropower plants halted and 10 dams demolished in the past two years, local authorities said recently.

The large-scale removal is aimed at restoring and protecting the natural habitat of giant salamanders, the world's largest existing amphibian and a critically endangered species under national-level protection.

Most of the 88 hydroelectric facilities located in the National Giant Salamander Nature Reserve of Zhangjiajie will be dismantled, while a few plants of great significance in terms of flood control, irrigation and water supply will be retained.