The Yangtze River is an important economic lifeline in China. The health of the ecosystem on its upper reaches is very significant for the sustainable development of the whole basin. However, in the last few decades, the vegetation on the upper Yangtze has been degraded seriously partially in connection with frequent natural disasters. Triggered by the disastrous flood of 1998, a great upsurge in ecological shelter reconstruction has occurred, including the initiation of some national programs, such as the ...