Study on the Spatial and Temporal Evolution of the Ecological Environmental Quality in Linghekou Wetland

Abstract

Coastal wetlands are located in the overland area between land and sea and play an important ecological role, but social and economic development and the acceleration of urbanization have resulted in the degradation of the ecological functions of coastal wetlands and serious pollution within the wetlands. The study of the spatial and temporal changes in the ecological environmental quality of coastal wetlands can suggest feasible response strategies for the ecological construction of coastal wetlands. This study uses RS and GIS technology, based on the PSR model, AHP method and InVEST model, to study the spatial and temporal changes in the ecological environmental quality of the Linghekou wetland and to propose early warning on future ecological and environmental conditions. The results show the following: (1) The natural wetland area decreased, the landscape fragmentation index increased and the wetland landscape showed a degradation trend between 2005 and 2020. (2) The composite indices for the evaluation of the ecological environmental quality of the Linghekou wetland in 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 were 0.473, 0.380, 0.353 and 0.378, respectively, with the ecological environmental quality declining from a sub-healthy state in 2005 to a sub-sick state in 2020, with increasing interference from human activities, increasing differentiation of the internal organization of the wetlands and degradation of ecological services. (3) The habitat quality of the Linghekou wetland has improved since 2015 due to the implementation of local conservation measures, but the habitats are still under strong pressure from anthropogenic disturbance. (4) The predicted results for 2025 and 2030 show that the ecological environmental quality of the Linghekou wetland will continue to deteriorate in the future, especially in the northwestern and central-eastern parts of the study area, where anthropogenic disturbance will continue to intensify and habitat degradation will become more severe in the future. This study provides a scientific reference for coastal wetland management and ecological construction, and also enriches the research results on coastal wetlands in the field of ecological and environmental assessment.