Ecosystem Stability Assessment of Yancheng Coastal Wetlands, a World Natural Heritage Site

Peng Tian, Luodan Cao, Jialin Li, Ruiliang Pu, Yongchao Liu, Haitao Zhang and Caiyi Wang
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Peng Tian: Department of Geography & Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Luodan Cao: Department of Geography & Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Jialin Li: Department of Geography & Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Ruiliang Pu: School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5250, USA
Yongchao Liu: Department of Geography & Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Haitao Zhang: Department of Geography & Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Caiyi Wang: Department of Geography & Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: By evaluating the stability of coastal wetland ecosystems, health conditions of regional ecosystems can be revealed and the sustainable development of coastal wetlands can be promoted. Coastal wetlands have been scarcely involved in present ecosystem stability evaluation studies, these being performed with relatively simple evaluation data sources. Therefore, in this research, a comprehensive and representative ecosystem stability evaluation index system was constructed by using the pressure-state-response model and multi-source datasets from perspectives of internal and external environmental changes of the Yancheng coastal wetlands, Jiangsu, China. The analysis results indicated that: (1) The ecosystem stability of the Yancheng coastal wetlands was at an early warning stage, and all segments except the Binhai segment (relatively stable) were in an early warning state. (2) In the criterion layer, the Dafeng District and the whole Yancheng District were faced with the highest pressure, followed by the Dongtai, Xiangshui and Binhai segments, successively. The Sheyang segment reached the highest state level, followed by the Binhai, Xiangshui and Dafeng segments in succession. (3) In the factor layer, the whole Yancheng District was faced with high resource and socioeconomic double pressures, with a poor water quality state and relatively low environmental pressure; favorable soil, biological and landscape states; and positive response to wetland protection. Various factors varied from county to county. (4) In the index layer, the ecosystem stability of the Yancheng coastal wetlands was significantly influenced by the invasion of alien species, change rate of natural wetland area (D32), change rate of artificial wetland area, increment of aquafarm area, intensity of fertilizer application and coverage of dominant vegetations. The novel significance of this research lies in enriching global coastal wetlands ecosystem stability evaluation investigations by providing a typical case study.

Keywords: coastal wetlands; ecosystem stability evaluation; PSR model; Yancheng (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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