The Effects of Tidal Flat Reclamation on the Stability of the Coastal Area in the Jiangsu Province, China, from the Perspective of Landscape Structure

As one of the most important wetland systems, coastal wetlands play an important role in conserving water, regulating the climate and protecting biodiversity. However, due to large-scale and long-term tidal flat reclamations, the landscape structure and function of the coastal wetlands have been greatly affected. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the spatio-temporal characteristics of the impact of tidal flat reclamation on regional ecology and to quantitatively assess the relationships between them. In this study based on long-term, multiperiod remote sensing data, the main spatiotemporal variation characteristics of stability, and the relationship between stability and tidal flat reclamation were analyzed with regard to the influence scope of tidal flat reclamation. The results showed that a substantial decrease in natural wetlands in 1980, mainly caused by tidal flat reclamation, was discovered in the Jiangsu coastal area, and the influence scope of tidal flat reclamation on regional landscape ecology was roughly 30 km. In the affected area, the overall stability had a tendency to improve, but the stability change characteristics between reclamation area and non-reclamation area varied greatly. Especially in the reclamation area, the stability of construction wetlands and non-wetlands deteriorated. Spatially, the stability outside the reclamation area had the characteristics of first deteriorating and then improving as the distance from the reclamation area increased. Under the influence of tidal flat reclamation, the influence of different use types of TFR on stability was not completely consistent, and the influence of the same uses type of tidal flat reclamation on different landscapes was also different.

Automated summary

Coastal wetlands, as one of the most important wetland systems, play a vital role in water conservation, climate regulation, and biodiversity protection. However, the landscape structure and function of coastal wetlands have been greatly affected by large-scale and long-term tidal flat reclamations. This study analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of the impact of tidal flat reclamation on regional ecology using remote sensing data, finding that the influence scope of tidal flat reclamation was approximately 30 km. The results showed an overall improvement in stability in the affected area, but the stability change characteristics varied greatly between reclamation and non-reclamation areas.