Yet this is not as good as preserving the original forests. The ban is a strategic long-term measure. It is very important to protect the natural forests which are complicated ecological systems. More recently, dams such as that being built on the Yellow River at Xiaolangdi, are designed to trap silt and mud which, if deposited, raise the river bed downstream. Critics of this strategy are now growing more numerous and more vocal.
Lakes are crucial for discharging and storing flood water.
Hubei province used to be called the province of a thousand lakes. Although meteorologists are blaming this year's floods on El Nino and La Nina, the rainfall is not so exceptional. Less rain fell than in 1954, when floods killed 30,000. And in 1954 the floods receded after 20 days. But this year the waters are still rising after 50 days.