Development and management of land reclamation in China

Abstract

In recent decades, sea enclosing and land reclamation has become an important way in China to accommodate the increasing need of space for living and development. In this article, it is shown that land reclamation has brought about serious impact on China's coastal ecosystems and their services, including: reduction of coastal wetland area by slightly over 50%, significant coastal landscape fragmentation and loss of biodiversity, destruction of habitats for fish and feeding grounds for shorebirds, decline of bird species and fisheries resources, reduced water purification ability from narrowing and even disappearance of gulfs and bays, increased water pollution and frequent harmful algal blooms, etc. To address these problems, since 2001 the Chinese government has issued a series of laws and policies to strengthen land reclamation management. However, the pace of China's land reclamation has been rising continuously that the worsening trend of its detrimental impacts on the coastal ecosystems and their services has not been turned around. It is argued that China should strengthen the laws and regulations, improve marine spatial planning, fully evaluate the negative impact of reclamation, and enhance ocean awareness and public involvement in reclamation management, so that better management of land reclamation can be achieved.