Analysis of the spatiotemporal correlation between vegetation pattern and human activity intensity in Yancheng coastal wetland, China

Abstract

Remote sensing images were used to reproduce the changes in wetland vegetation since 1987, and the potential impact of policy changes and human activities on vegetation restoration and biodiversity conservation in coastal wetlands was explored based on the landscape pattern index and the human disturbance index (HDI). The results showed that the vegetation displayed a zonal distribution pattern in which, perpendicular to the coastline early in the study period, the vegetation type changed from coastal wetland to bare mud flat with Spartina alterniflora, Suaeda glauca, and Phragmites australis as well as to constructed wetlands dominated by rice. Under the influence of human activities, the number of patches (NP) and mean nearest-neighbor distance (MNN) between patches gradually increased during the study period, while the mean patch size gradually decreased. The patch density increased from 179 (1987) to 296 patches per ha (2013). Additionally, human activity in the study area intensified. The HDI increased from 0.353 (1987) to 0.471 (1987) and showed positive correlations (R2 > 80%, p < 0.01) with NP and MNN. Human activity, such as changes in land use, resulted in more fragmented vegetation patterns, and the nonzonal (intrazonal) distribution of the vegetation became more obvious in coastal wetlands.