Abstract
Comparative evaluation of cross-boundary wetland protected areas is essential to underpin knowledge-based bilateral conservation policies and funding decisions by governments and managers. In this paper, wetland change monitoring for the Wusuli River Basin in the cross-boundary zone of China and Russia from 1990 to 2015 was quantitatively analyzed using Landsat images. The spatial-temporal distribution of wetlands was identified using a rule-based object-oriented classification method. Wetland dynamics were determined by combining annual land change area (ALCA), annual land change rate (ALCR), landscape metrics and spatial analysis in a geographic information system (GIS). A Mann–Kendall test was used to evaluate changing climate trends. Results showed that natural wetlands in the Wusuli River Basin have declined by 5625.76 km2 in the past 25 years, especially swamp/marsh, which decreased by 26.88%. Specifically, natural wetlands declined by 49.93% in the Chinese section but increased with an ALCA of 16.62 km2/y in the Russian section during 1990–2015. Agricultural encroachment was the most important reason for the loss and degradation of natural wetlands in the Wusuli River Basin, especially in China. Different population change trends and conservation policies in China and Russia affected natural wetland dynamics. The research offers an efficient and effective method to evaluate cross-boundary wetland change. This study provides important scientific information necessary for developing future ecological conservation and management of cross-boundary wetlands.
Highlights
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth
The results indicate that the natural wetlands of the Wusuli River Basin experienced a gradual decrease from 13.79% of the total area (26,892.99 km2) in 1990 to 10.91% of the total area (21,267.23 km2) in 2015, with an annual land change area (ALCA) of −225.03 km2/y and an annual land change rate (ALCR) of −0.96%/y
In the study, combining a rule-based object-oriented classification method, landscape metrics, spatial analysis and a Mann–Kendall test, we identified dynamic changes in natural wetlands and their influencing factors in the Wusuli River Basin from 1990 to 2015
Summary
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth They provide a wide variety of ecological functions and values, ranging from flood control to groundwater aquifer recharge and discharge, carbon sequestration, and water quality improvement, and they harbor a large part of the Earth’s biodiversity [1,2,3]. They supply many services for humans, such as food, water, recreation and space for living. Considerable evidence has shown that wetlands have experienced alarming rates of loss and degradation, with their ecological functions and biodiversity declining at local, regional and global scales. To prevent further wetland loss and degradation as well as to identify valuable wetland protected areas (WPAs), it is essential to inventory and monitor wetlands and their adjacent uplands to analyze change factors, collect baseline data and support decision making in terms of long-term strategies for wetland conservation [19,20]
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