Status of wetland research in China

Abstract

This study used a bibliometric approach to quantitatively evaluate the status of wetland research in China using detailed information from 31794 articles retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database and published from 1999 to 2019. We outline the progress of wetland research in China in terms of the number of articles published, active research institutions, funding provided, research directions, dynamic changes in the focus of the research and development trends. By analysing high-frequency keywords, we conclude that there are four focus areas of wetlands research in China: (1) climate change; (2) wetland pollution; (3) wetland plants and microorganisms; and (4) the conservation and management of wetlands. By combining focus area and high-citation analysis, we show that carbon storage and organic carbon mineralisation, biological remediation, constructed wetlands for the treatment of waste water and the sustainable use of ecological services are currently the most notable research areas, with a marked increase since 2009. These topics are in line with the focus of research globally over the past 6 years and are likely to become a primary research focus in future. The results of this study provide a useful theoretical basis and directions for further research in the sustainable development of wetland resources in China.