Abstract
Complex hydrological regimes and rugged topography in mountainous cities have increasingly compromised urban riparian zones, presenting marked restoration challenges. This study conducted restoration trials along the Jiulongtan riparian zone, located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (URYR), China. It featured 2 major ecological engineering interventions: (a) establishing semi-natural meadows and applying braided branched meshes to the riparian slope revetment and (b) constructing littoral woods and managing microtopography and sediment in the floodplain area. Furthermore, emergy evaluation was utilized to gauge the effectiveness of these restoration strategies and to assess the sustainability of the reconstructed riparian ecosystems. The following results were obtained: (a) Both the restored slope revetment (RSR) and restored floodplain (RF) ecosystems achieved a state of performance equilibrium after their implementation, with the former benefiting from renewable energy investments and the latter effectively utilizing local resources; (b) service yield outcomes highlighted significant enhancements in species diversity within the reconstructed ecosystems; plant diversity emerged as the primary contributor to total service yield, recording 3.71 × 10 18 sej/a for the RSR and 5.50 × 10 18 sej/a for the RF; (c) the emergy sustainability index values of 1.98 for the RSR and 5.16 for the RF suggest robust sustainability potential, particularly for the RF, even amid intense environmental stresses. These results affirm the success of the innovative restoration strategies employed for riparian reconstruction in the URYR’s mountainous urban settings, offering valuable insights and reference for future restorative decisions in response to complex hydrological regimes and topography of urban riparian zones, both within the URYR and elsewhere.
Published Version
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