This is landscaping on a massive scale!
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| Satellite images of western Shiyan between 2010 (Left) and 2012 (Right) show that several peaks have been flattened |
In simple terms the Chinese government have decided that they need more flat land to build new cities for their continuously increasing population. So they will take the tops off the mountains and use the rock to fill the valleys. Simple, logical but perhaps not very environmentally friendly.
Owing to the size of their population, China have to do things on a massive scale. The Three Gorges Dam was enormous and the huge impact that it had on local villagers and the environment, was deemed a necessary sacrifice for the electricity and water that the dam promised.
But is this landscaping a step too far? These works will impact upon the hydrology as well as a huge variety of ecosystems. Are there any alternatives?
