Assessing the Health of Inland Wetland Ecosystems Over Space and Time in China
01 Sep 2021-Journal of resources and ecology (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences)-Vol. 12, Iss: 5, pp 650-657
TL;DR: In this article, an assessment system of inland wetland health is established by using the pressure-state-effect-response (PSER) model, which includes 15 assessment indicators including land cover data, climate data, and social and economic data.
Abstract: Wetland is a unique natural landscape pattern, which provides a variety of important functions and services for human societies. With the rapid develop of the economy and accelerated urbanization, the inland wetlands are faced with series of problems, including reduced area, weakened wetland functions, and deterioration of the wetland ecosystem environment. Therefore, it is necessary to quantitatively assess the ecological health of China's inland wetlands, which is key to the sustainable development of ecosystems. However, most assessments of wetland ecosystems only examine single wetlands or watershed wetlands, and there are few assessments of wetland health at the national level. In this paper, based on land cover data, climate data, and social and economic data, an assessment system of inland wetland health is established by using the Pressure-State-Effect-Response (PSER) model, which includes 15 assessment indicators. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to define the indicator weights. Then we assessed the ecosystem health of the inland wetlands of China in 2010 and 2018, which produced three main results. (1) Unlike ecosystem health evaluated by administrative districts, wetland ecosystem health (WEH) evaluation based on the grid could provide additional details of wetland health. (2) The area of inland wetlands increased by 16328 km2 in 2018 compared to 2010, and the average wetland ecosystem health index in 2018 was 3.45, compared to an index value of 3.24 in 2010. (3) In 2018, wetlands in the better, good, moderate and poor conditions represented about 26.3%, 46.4%, 26.9% and 0.5% of the total, respectively. These results provide a practical guide for protecting and managing wetland system resources and reliable information for land use planning and development.
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TL;DR: In this paper , the method for wetland ecosystem health assessment proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) was selected and improved to systematically evaluate the health status of the Cuihu wetlands' ecosystem at three levels.
Abstract: Wetlands are one of the world’s three major ecosystems. They not only maintain regional ecological balance but also provide an important guarantee for human survival. Wetland ecosystem health assessment serves as the foundation for wetland protection, management, and restoration. In this study, the method for wetland ecosystem health assessment proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) was selected and improved to systematically evaluate the health status of the Cuihu wetlands’ ecosystem at three levels. The results revealed that the Cuihu wetlands’ landscape development intensity index was 1.55, the total landscape pattern value was 10 points, and the total score for rapid evaluation was 0.79. Levels I and II indicated that the Cuihu wetlands’ ecosystem was in a good near-natural state. Additionally, level III revealed that ecosystem health is higher in area B than in area A. The Cuihu wetlands were characterized by low species diversity and low distribution of benthic animals and aquatic plants. The comprehensive evaluation results revealed that the Cuihu wetlands’ ecosystem is in a good health. In the future, the health status of the wetland ecosystem should be monitored regularly, the cultivation and propagation of aquatic plants should be strengthened, and effective methods to improve water quality and reduce soil salinity should be used to achieve the best health status of the Cuihu wetlands.
1 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper studied the features of wetland plant communities including plant density, biomass and frequency, and vegetation coverage, as well as the habitats, structural characteristics, species composition, dominant population structure, and other characteristics of different ecosystems.
Abstract: Desert wetlands play a significant role in flood regulation, water purification, biodiversity maintenance, and regional ecological environment improvement. Vegetation is a key factor affecting wetland function and it is important to study the features of plant community and the driving forces of plant community succession. The Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve, a typical desert wetland ecosystem, was selected to study the features of wetland plant communities including plant density, biomass and frequency, and vegetation coverage, as well as the habitats, structural characteristics, species composition, dominant population structure, and other characteristics of different ecosystems. Data was collected using long-term fixed-point observation, sampling monitoring, and other methods. The results showed that the total plant density, total biomass, Magalef index and Shannon–Wiener index of the different desert wetlands in the reserve area were all relatively low, which was caused by the poor habitat and salinization of the arid environment. There was no significant difference between the root–shoot ratio of the wetland plants in the reserve area and that of the construct species of other ecosystems. The specific leaf area of the wetland plants was also not significantly different from that of the construct species of other ecosystems. Vegetation nitrogen-to-phosphorus (N/P) ratios were found to be the key driving force for the succession of plant community in the desert wetlands. These results not only provide underlying insights for the improvement of species diversity and ecological environment, but also provide a scientific basis for the sustainable protection and restoration of typical desert wetlands.
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TL;DR: In this article, an approach based on the integration of pixel-and object-based methods with knowledge (POK-based) has been developed to handle the classification process of 10 land cover types, i.e., firstly each class identified in a prioritized sequence and then results are merged together.
Abstract: Global Land Cover (GLC) information is fundamental for environmental change studies, land resource management, sustainable development, and many other societal benefits. Although GLC data exists at spatial resolutions of 300 m and 1000 m, a 30 m resolution mapping approach is now a feasible option for the next generation of GLC products. Since most significant human impacts on the land system can be captured at this scale, a number of researchers are focusing on such products. This paper reports the operational approach used in such a project, which aims to deliver reliable data products. Over 10,000 Landsat-like satellite images are required to cover the entire Earth at 30 m resolution. To derive a GLC map from such a large volume of data necessitates the development of effective, efficient, economic and operational approaches. Automated approaches usually provide higher efficiency and thus more economic solutions, yet existing automated classification has been deemed ineffective because of the low classification accuracy achievable (typically below 65%) at global scale at 30 m resolution. As a result, an approach based on the integration of pixel- and object-based methods with knowledge (POK-based) has been developed. To handle the classification process of 10 land cover types, a split-and-merge strategy was employed, i.e. firstly each class identified in a prioritized sequence and then results are merged together. For the identification of each class, a robust integration of pixel-and object-based classification was developed. To improve the quality of the classification results, a knowledge-based interactive verification procedure was developed with the support of web service technology. The performance of the POK-based approach was tested using eight selected areas with differing landscapes from five different continents. An overall classification accuracy of over 80% was achieved. This indicates that the developed POK-based approach is effective and feasible for operational GLC mapping at 30 m resolution.
1,260 citations
TL;DR: The field is advancing with the articulation of the linkages between human activity, regional and global environmental change, reduction in ecological services and the consequences for human health, economic opportunity and human communities.
Abstract: Evaluating ecosystem health in relation to the ecological, economic and human health spheres requires integrating human values with biophysical processes, an integration that has been explicitly avoided by conventional science. The field is advancing with the articulation of the linkages between human activity, regional and global environmental change, reduction in ecological services and the consequences for human health, economic opportunity and human communities. Increasing our understanding of these interactions will involve more active collaboration between the ecological, social and health sciences. In this, ecologists will have substantive and catalytic roles.
771 citations
TL;DR: The behavior of ecosystems under stress can be shown to be analogous to Selye's characterization (1973, 1974) of the response of higher organisms to stress.
Abstract: The behavior of ecosystems under stress can be shown to be analogous to Selye's characterization (1973, 1974) of the response of higher organisms to stress. The ecosystem-level distress syndrome is manifest through changes in nutrient cycling, productivity, the size of dominant species, species diversity, and a shift in species dominance to opportunistic shorter-lived forms. These symptoms of ecosystem dysfunction are common in both terrestrial and aquatic systems under various stress impacts including harvesting, physical restructuring, pollutant discharges, introductions of exotic species, and extreme natural events (such as disastrous storms or volcanic activity). The progression of appearance of symptoms under intensifying stress levels may be interrupted temporarily as ecosystem homeostasis and homeorhetic mechanisms intercede. Inability to cope leads to further dysfunctions and, perhaps, to irreversible ecosystem breakdown.
597 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a functional model is presented to demonstrate the impact of urbanization on coastal wetland structure and function, and the model is used to assess the effects of urbanisation at the ecosystem level.
Abstract: Urbanization is a major cause of loss of coastal wetlands. Urbanization also exerts significant influences on the structure and function of coastal wetlands, mainly through modifying the hydrological and sedimentation regimes, and the dynamics of nutrients and chemical pollutants. Natural coastal wetlands are characterized by a hydrological regime comprising concentrated flow to estuarine and coastal areas during flood events, and diffused discharge into groundwater and waterways during the non-flood periods. Urbanization, through increasing the amount of impervious areas in the catchment, results in a replacement of this regime by concentrating rain run-off. Quality of run-off is also modified in urban areas, as loadings of sediment, nutrients and pollutants are increased in urban areas. While the effects of such modifications on the biota and the physical environment have been relatively well studied, there is to date little information on their impact at the ecosystem level. Methodological issues, such as a lack of sufficient replication at the whole-habitat level, the lack of suitable indices of urbanization and tools for assessing hydrological connectivity, have to be overcome to allow the effects of urbanization to be assessed at the ecosystem level. A functional model is presented to demonstrate the impact of urbanization on coastal wetland structure and function.
341 citations