Health assessment of mangrove ecosystem of natural protected areas in Guangdong Province, China

Abstract

IntroductionMultiple factors, including human disturbance and environmental change, have caused a significant global mangrove resource loss. Therefore, the Chinese government has restructured mangrove habitats and restored the ecosystem functionality through establishing naturally protected mangrove areas. Despite efforts spanning several years, over 90% of mangrove forests in China have been now integrated into the natural protected area system, with the health status and influencing factors of mangrove ecosystem remaining a pertinent subject for further exploration. Given the intricacies of mangrove ecosystems with complex nonlinear relationships among evaluation factors, it is imperative to adopt scientific methodologies to assess their health status.MethodsTo illustrate this, we conducted a mangrove ecosystem health assessment of natural protected areas of Guangdong Province, China. By employing a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and establishing an index system for mangrove ecosystem health assessment.ResultsThe results revealed the following findings. (1) Various factors exert differing degrees of influence on mangrove ecosystem health. Notably, the mangrove habitat pattern (weight 47.95%), bird diversity (weight 20.97%), mangrove community (weight 14.31%), water environment (weight 11.76%), and soil sedimentary environment (weight 5.01%) were identified. (2) Overall, the mangrove ecosystem within protected areas of Guangdong exhibited unhealthy signs. There were 4 healthy protected areas (20.00%), 4 areas classified as sub-healthy (20.00%), and 12 were deemed unhealthy (60.00%). (3) Key factors contributing to the compromised health of mangrove ecosystems included the homogenization of mangrove plants, decreased habitat diversity, and exogenous pollution.DiscussionBy planting local mangrove species, scientifically managing the ratio of mangrove cover area to mudflat area, and controlling pollution sources and treating pollutants, the structure of the mangrove ecosystem can be optimized, and the quality of mangrove forest can be improved. These findings can enhance mangrove ecosystem management practices, assist mangrove natural reserve managers in performing targeted mangrove ecological protection and restoration, promote effective management, and contribute to the realization of “harmonious symbiosis” between humanity and nature within mangrove ecosystems.