Abstract
Poyang Lake is the largest wintering habitat for migratory birds in Asia. In the last decade, the lake has experienced an early-occurring and prolonged dry season that has deteriorated the lake’s ecological status. To tackle this issue, the Chinese government has proposed the construction of the Poyang Lake Hydraulic Project (PLHP) to regulate water flow to the lake. However, its impact on migratory bird habitats is unknown. In this study, we simulated the habitat suitability for migratory birds in Poyang Lake during wet and dry years, with and without the presence/operation of the hydraulic project. A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model was used to simulate the water conditions for each case. Matter-element theory, 3S technology and ecological knowledge were combined to develop a matter-element-based habitat suitability model in a geographic information system (GIS)-based platform. We assessed and compared the habitat suitability in four scenarios: (1) Wet year without the hydraulic project, (2) wet year with the hydraulic project, (3) dry year without the hydraulic project, and (4) dry year with the hydraulic project. The results showed that the operation of the hydraulic project can effectively alleviate the water shortage issue in the wetland and increase the area of habitats suitable for migratory birds in typical dry years. However, it can reduce the area of suitable habitats in the northern provincial nature reserve of the lake. In addition, a reasonable management of the lake’s fishing activities can also increase habitat suitability and promote balanced patterns between human activities and migratory bird habitats.
Highlights
Worldwide, wetlands have been subjected to increasing human pressures which degrade their “ecological condition” [1,2,3]
The results showed that in some of the dish-shaped lakes of Poyang Lake, the migratory bird habitat suitability was higher without the presence of the hydraulic project and decreased with the operation of the hydraulic project
The study of the impact of the Poyang Lake Hydraulic Project (PLHP) on the wintering migratory bird habitats is the key factor that determines the implementation of the project or not
Summary
Wetlands have been subjected to increasing human pressures which degrade their “ecological condition” [1,2,3]. Migratory birds are indicator organisms for the ecological status of wetlands that are heavily affected by human activities [4,5]. In the early 1980s, the world’s largest Grus leucogeranus population was found to be wintering in the wetland of Poyang Lake. Poyang Lake and its wintering migratory birds have since attracted the attention of the international community [6]. More than 300,000 birds, including more than 30 rare species, visit Poyang Lake. Poyang Lake has the reputation of “the migratory bird kingdom” [7]. Since the beginning of the 21st century, especially after the operation of the Three Gorges Project in 2003, the dry season in Poyang
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