Transitions and suggestions for China's coastal port reclamation policies

Abstract

China has the largest extent of reclamation in the world. Since the year 2000, the reclaimed areas have been utilized for ports, industries, and urban expansion. Ports are key to land-sea coordination and regional development. The study of port reclamation patterns and environmental strategies for port clusters has become the focus of coastal zone sustainable development. Ports are the only land usage type which are dependent on reclamation activites, and play important roles in driving economic development and world trade. Since 2002, port reclamation in China has undergone several phases, such as an acceleration stage, peak stage, deceleration stage, and stagnation stage. However, new situations have been demonstrated for port reclamation projects which include the following: Stronger demands for port reclamation and stricter reclamation policies; ecological demands of port reclamation; area in different stages of reclamation; unbalanced spatial-temporal distributions of reclamation activities; coordination of reclamation related policies; and imbalances between filling and dredging practices. Generally speaking, research findings have shown that land use efficiency, reclamation management and ecological restoration require improvement. Management model of port reclamation, adaptation strategies to rising sea level rise, and ecological compensation systems are also needed to be improved. Therefore, further research in the field of land reclamation has important implications for scientifically regulating the spatial patterns of port reclamation activities, as well as promoting the sustainable development of port-dense coastal zones.