Identifying Variations in Ecosystem Health of Wetlands in the Western Songnen Plain (2000–2020)

Effects of seashore reclamation activities on the health of wetland ecosystems: A case study in the Yellow River Delta, China

Geospatial assessment of ecosystem health of coastal urban wetlands in Ghana

ABSTRACTWetlands play a crucial role in maintaining local ecosystems, offering significant ecological and economic value, especially in water conservation and climate regulation. However, due to the limitations of field observation data in large‐scale spatiotemporal analyses, current health assessment frameworks for inland wetlands in arid regions remain underdeveloped. To address this gap, we propose a wetland ecosystem health assessment system based on remote sensing data. This system enables the evaluation of complex and interrelated characteristics such as spatial structure changes, landscape patterns, and spatial connectivity in inland wetlands in arid areas. By overcoming the spatiotemporal constraints of field data, our approach provides theoretical support for wetland protection and management, as well as for the rational development and sustainable utilization of wetland resources, thereby offering effective strategies to tackle the challenges facing wetland ecosystems. This study focuses on the Bosten Lake wetland as the research area, constructing a wetland ecosystem health assessment system based on the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) dataset, anthropogenic factors, ecological elements, and topography. Using the pressure‐state‐response (PSR) model, landscape indices, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), wetland ecosystem health index (WEHI), Theil–Sen slope estimation, Mann–Kendall (MK) trend analysis, and geographical detector methods, we investigated the spatiotemporal characteristics of ecosystem health, transitions in health levels, trends in health changes, and their driving forces. The findings are as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the health level of the Bosten Lake wetland exhibited a wave‐like pattern of decline, growth, decline, and growth. The WEHI in the lake region was higher compared to the lakeshore and marginal areas, while the small lake areas tend to have relatively higher WEHI levels. The area of unhealthy regions decreased while the area of healthy regions expanded. (2) Significant improvement in the wetland ecosystem health during 2000–2020 was observed mainly in the western part of the large lake regions and the small lake regions, while slight deterioration was noted around the lake periphery. (3) The key factors influencing the health of the Bosten Lake wetland included ecosystem service value (ESV), gross domestic product (GDP), largest patch index (LPI), and population (POP). In contrast, slope and nighttime light (NTL) had minimal impact. Interactions between ESV and LSI, GDP, or Shannon diversity index (SHDI) strongly influenced the wetland ecosystem.

Wetland ecosystems are vital for ecological security. However, rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to regional degradation, particularly in areas like the Qin-mang River Basin, a pivotal site in China’s ecological security strategy. Urgent measures are required to safeguard the health of its wetland ecosystems. This study employs the hierarchical analysis method-neural network-driver-pressure-state-response (AHP-SOM-DPSR) model to evaluate the ecological health of wetland ecosystems in the Qin-mang River Basin over a thirty-year period, from 1992 to 2022. Initially, the Drive-Pressure-State-Response (DPSR) model establishes a comprehensive indicator system encompassing 19 indicators spanning driving forces, pressures, states, and responses. Subsequently, a hybrid approach combining Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Self-Organizing Map (SOM) determines indicator weights to evaluate spatiotemporal ecosystem changes over the past three decades. Additionally, spatial autocorrelation theory analyzes ecosystem health in the study area. Finally, Pearson correlation coefficient analysis examines the driving factors influencing ecosystem health and their impacts. Results indicate: (1) Ecosystem health has deteriorated gradually from 1992 to 2022, underscoring the imperative for enhanced wetland management in the Qin-mang River Basin. (2) High spatial autocorrelation areas, primarily in the central-southern and northern regions, highlight priority zones for wetland ecosystem management. (3) Urbanization levels, average temperature, and total population significantly impact wetland ecosystem health in the Qin-mang River Basin. These findings offer valuable scientific insights for guiding ecological management and conservation efforts in the region.

Wetlands are one of the world’s three major ecosystems. They not only maintain regional ecological balance but also provide an important guarantee for human survival. Wetland ecosystem health assessment serves as the foundation for wetland protection, management, and restoration. In this study, the method for wetland ecosystem health assessment proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) was selected and improved to systematically evaluate the health status of the Cuihu wetlands’ ecosystem at three levels. The results revealed that the Cuihu wetlands’ landscape development intensity index was 1.55, the total landscape pattern value was 10 points, and the total score for rapid evaluation was 0.79. Levels I and II indicated that the Cuihu wetlands’ ecosystem was in a good near-natural state. Additionally, level III revealed that ecosystem health is higher in area B than in area A. The Cuihu wetlands were characterized by low species diversity and low distribution of benthic animals and aquatic plants. The comprehensive evaluation results revealed that the Cuihu wetlands’ ecosystem is in a good health. In the future, the health status of the wetland ecosystem should be monitored regularly, the cultivation and propagation of aquatic plants should be strengthened, and effective methods to improve water quality and reduce soil salinity should be used to achieve the best health status of the Cuihu wetlands.

This review aims to provide a comprehensive review of the conservation and ethnobotanical properties of Acorus calamus L., commonly known as sweet flag, is a perennial herb of significant medicinal, aromatic, and ecological value, native to wetlands across Asia, Europe, and North America. This plant plays a significant ecological role in its natural habitat. It helps stabilize soil and provides a habitat for various aquatic species, thereby contributing to the overall health of wetland ecosystems. The essential oils extracted from its rhizomes contain bioactive compounds such as alpha-asarone, beta-asarone, and eugenol, which have demonstrated antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, sedative, and neuroprotective properties. Ecologically, A. calamus plays a vital role in wetland habitats by stabilizing soil, filtering water, and providing a habitat for aquatic species, thus supporting the overall health of these ecosystems. However, the plant faces significant conservation challenges due to overharvesting, habitat loss, and climate change. Overharvesting driven by high demand in traditional medicine and the herbal industry has led to the depletion of wild populations, while habitat loss from wetland drainage, agricultural expansion, and urban development further threatens its survival. Climate change, with its impact on water levels and weather patterns, poses additional risks to the species' natural habitats. It is essential to implement effective conservation strategies, such as in-situ and ex-situ conservation, sustainable harvesting practices, and community-based conservation programs. These efforts are crucial to preserving this valuable species for its continued ecological benefits and potential in traditional and modern medicine.

Wetland is a unique natural landscape pattern, which provides a variety of important functions and services for human societies. With the rapid develop of the economy and accelerated urbanization, the inland wetlands are faced with series of problems, including reduced area, weakened wetland functions, and deterioration of the wetland ecosystem environment. Therefore, it is necessary to quantitatively assess the ecological health of China's inland wetlands, which is key to the sustainable development of ecosystems. However, most assessments of wetland ecosystems only examine single wetlands or watershed wetlands, and there are few assessments of wetland health at the national level. In this paper, based on land cover data, climate data, and social and economic data, an assessment system of inland wetland health is established by using the Pressure-State-Effect-Response (PSER) model, which includes 15 assessment indicators. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to define the indicator weights. Then we assessed the ecosystem health of the inland wetlands of China in 2010 and 2018, which produced three main results. (1) Unlike ecosystem health evaluated by administrative districts, wetland ecosystem health (WEH) evaluation based on the grid could provide additional details of wetland health. (2) The area of inland wetlands increased by 16328 km2 in 2018 compared to 2010, and the average wetland ecosystem health index in 2018 was 3.45, compared to an index value of 3.24 in 2010. (3) In 2018, wetlands in the better, good, moderate and poor conditions represented about 26.3%, 46.4%, 26.9% and 0.5% of the total, respectively. These results provide a practical guide for protecting and managing wetland system resources and reliable information for land use planning and development.

To investigate the state and degradation degree of wetland ecosystem in Dagu River estuary, the comprehensive assessment index (CEI) method was employed. A set of assessment indicator system was established based on the pressure-state-response (PSR) model. In this study, wetland landscape pattern and some data was interpreted from Landsat-TM images in 2000 and 2003 for the subsequent ecosystem health assessment. Eleven indicators were elaborated and standardized by determining uniform criterion. It is found that the wetland ecosystem health in Dagu River estuary was bad both in 2000 and 2003, and human disturbance was the most important factor influencing it. During the three years, the wetland landscape has suffered serious fragmentation, and there was a downtrend both in rationality of organization and in resistibility of the wetland ecosystem. Thus, the chief measure to protect Dagu River estuary wetland should be setting a limit to human development activities.

As “kidneys of the earth”, wetlands play an important role in ameliorating weather conditions, flood storage, and the control and reduction of environmental pollution. With the development of local economies, the wetlands in both the Amazon and Yangtze River Basins have been affected and threatened by human activities, such as urban expansion, reclamation of land from lakes, land degradation, and large-scale agricultural development. It is necessary and important to develop a wetland ecosystem health evaluation model and to quantitatively evaluate the wetland ecosystem health in these two basins. In this paper, GlobeLand30 land cover maps and socio-economic and climate data from 2000 and 2010 were adopted to assess the wetland ecosystem health of the Yangtze and Amazon River Basins on the basis of a pressure-state-response (PSR) model. A total of 13 indicators were selected to build the wetland health assessment system. Weights of these indicators and PSR model components, as well as normalized wetland health scores, were assigned and calculated based on the analytic hierarchy process method. The results showed that from 2000 to 2010, the value of the mean wetland ecosystem health index in the Yangtze River Basin decreased from 0.482 to 0.481, while it increased from 0.582 to 0.593 in the Amazon River Basin. This indicated that the average status of wetland ecosystem health in the Amazon River Basin is better than that in the Yangtze River Basin, and that wetland health improved over time in the Amazon River Basin but worsened in the Yangtze River Basin.

Improving wetland ecosystem health in China

Exploring the evolution of ecosystem health and sustainable zoning: A perspective based on the contributions of climate change and human activities

Wetland ecosystem health assessment through integrating remote sensing and inventory data with an assessment model for the Hangzhou Bay, China

Wetlands are multi-functional landscapes between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife, support groundwater recharge, moderate climate, control flood and fulfil the livelihood of the communities. Rapid population growth, urban expansion, and industrialization have caused the degradation of wetlands over the last few decades. The wetlands located in the urban and peri-urban areas are generally the most threatened ecosystems globally. The present study assessed the ecosystem health of urban and peri-urban wetlands of Lucknow district in India and recommended a sustainable solution for their management. Remote sensing data derived from the normalized difference vegetation index, modified normalized difference water index, and land use/land cover change were utilized for analyzing the spatiotemporal change in areas under wetlands, from 1989 to 2018. Site-specific indicators on pressure, state and response were integrated in FRAGSTATS-based assessment to construct a Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model. A qualitative field survey has been conducted through focus group discussion and expert opinion to validate the result from the PSR model. The results revealed that the overall health of the wetlands has deteriorated drastically in these peri-urban areas owing to anthropogenic activities. The wetland ecosystem's health is significantly correlated with land transformation. The study recommended community participation, and involvement of local authorities in storing rainwater, constructing culverts and channels, and interlinking them with wetlands for sustainable conservation and effective management of the wetland ecosystem.

Assessment of wetland ecosystem health in Rarh Region, India through P-S-R (pressure-state-response) model

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems worldwide and are frequently described as the kidneys of the earth because of the wide range of environmental functions and ecological benefits. Assessments of wetland ecosystem health play an important role in the development of robust protection and use strategies for wetlands that integrate ecological and socio-economic aspects. In this study, the Element-Landscape-Society conceptual model for diagnosing wetland ecosystem health was constructed. The conceptual model highlights the three main elements of wetland ecosystems (i.e. water, soil, and vegetation). This study selected eighteen indicators to establish an indicator system to diagnose wetland health, considering the importance of landscape and social factors. Using remote sensing, field sampling, and statistical data, this research constructed models based on the analytical hierarchy process and support vector machine methods and compared the diagnoses from the two methods and verified them with previous studies. Results indicate the indicator system is useful for assessing the health of a wetland ecosystem. Overall, the Zoige wetland ecosystem had medium health status; the health was good in the center of the wetland, but gradually declined towards the edge; therefore, the buffer and the experimental area at the edge of the reserve should receive more protection.