From barren slopes to a thriving botanical garden: a decade at Baihetan

Date: 2026-05-12

Ten years ago, this was a barren slope in the dry-hot valley of the Jinsha River.

Today, it is a botanical garden where rare plants are taking root.

At Baihetan Hydropower Station, CTG has spent the past decade turning one of the toughest environments for plants into a living space for biodiversity. The area once had forest coverage of less than 5 percent, with extreme heat, strong winds, dry seasons, poor soil and steep slopes.

The change did not happen overnight.

Topsoil from construction areas was collected and reused. Pruned branches were turned into organic fertilizer. Different restoration methods were tested on different slopes. Rare plants, including the Panzhihua cycad — often called "the giant panda of the plant kingdom " — were carefully protected and cultivated.

From the first 10 Panzhihua cycads to more than 60 today, and from barren hillsides to a garden of over 200 rare and endemic plants, Baihetan tells a story of how clean energy development can go hand in hand with ecological restoration.

At CTG, building for the future also means helping nature grow back stronger.

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By China Three Gorges Corporation

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