Dike-pond System Research Articles

Governing Landscape Simplification in Rapid Commercialization Contexts – the Case of the Dike-Pond System in the Pearl River Delta, China

In the last decades, rapid agricultural commercialization has led to landscape simplification, posing threats to the social and ecological values of agroecosystems worldwide. This paper draws upon the landscape commons concept, advocating for an institutional perspective to comprehensively understand the local governance concerning landscape simplification. We contributed to commons research by expanding the scope into holistic and multifunctional landscape systems, and particularly concentrate on pond landscapes. We select the case of a dike-pond system in the Pearl River Delta, China, to scrutinize the local institutional arrangements and their interplay with landscape simplification. This study utilizes the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework in conjunction with Ostrom’s Design Principles (DPs). Findings from the study reveal that an emphasis on ponds exhibiting comparative profit advantages over dikes and rivers, coupled with a preference for intensive fish production in collective decision-making, has resulted in land cover simplification and erosion of the system’s multifunctionality. To address this issue, we recommend considering multiple biophysical elements and functions in the governance of landscape commons while identifying avenues to reinforce local institutions, in alignment with Ostrom’s DPs.

Identifying Dike-Pond System Using an Improved Cascade R-CNN Model and High-Resolution Satellite Images

The dike-pond system (DPS) is the integration of a natural or man-made pond and crop cultivation on dikes, widely distributed in the Pearl River Delta and Jianghan plain in China. It plays a key role in preserving biodiversity, enhancing the nutrient cycle, and increasing crop production. However, DPS is rarely mapped at a large scale with satellite data, due to the limitations in the training dataset and traditional classification methods. This study improved the deep learning algorithm Cascade Region Convolutional Neural Network (Cascade R-CNN) algorithm to detect the DPS in Qianjiang City using high-resolution satellite data. In the proposed mCascade R-CNN, the regular convolution layer in the backbone was modified into the deformable convolutional layer, which was more suitable for learning the features of DPS with variable shapes and orientations. The mCascade R-CNN yielded the most accurate detection of DPS, with an average precision (AP) value that was 2.71% higher than Cascade R-CNN and 11.84% higher than You Look Only Once-v4 (YOLOv4). The area of oilseed rape growing on the dikes accounted for 3.42% of the total oilseed rape planting area. This study demonstrates the potential of the deep leaning methods combined with high-resolution satellite images in detecting integrated agriculture systems.

Land-Use Modes of the Dike–Pond System in the Pearl River Delta of China and Implications for Rural Revitalization

Rural revitalization is a global problem. The measures should be adjusted to local conditions to make targeted efforts. Natural and socioeconomic resource factors should be considered in rural revitalization. Therefore, this study focuses on the dike–pond system, which is an important traditional agricultural cultural heritage in the Pearl River Delta of China, to illustrate the importance of identifying the utilization mode of a certain land-use type in village integrated with socioeconomic factors to promote rural revitalization. The study used principal component analysis (PCA) and the variance inflation factor (VIF) to identify the main factors influencing the land-use modes of the dike–pond systems, systematic cluster analysis to identify the modes, and interpretive structural modeling to clarify the influence relationships and structures of the factors. We found that the seven modes reflected the different characteristics, organizational structures, and interaction relationships of the factors. There were significant differences in the ecological processes between the seven modes. More detailed village planning should be performed. Strengthening the economic affordability of the operator should be regarded as important in policy guidance and support measures. Agricultural support measures need to be adjusted to different land-use type systems, and localized resources should be revitalized by the theory of “human–earth–sphere”.

Change and ecological restoration of the dike-pond system in the Pearl River Delta: A case study of four villages in Foshan City

Change and ecological restoration of the dike-pond system in the Pearl River Delta: A case study of four villages in Foshan City

A review and prospect of research on the dike-pond system in the Pearl River Delta

A review and prospect of research on the dike-pond system in the Pearl River Delta

Multi-Functional Dike-Pond SYSTEM Adaptive to Water Level Change: Application of Pond-Based Ecological Wisdom in Ecological Restoration of the Hydro-Fluctuation Belt of the Three Gorges Reservoir

There are many ponds with different sizes and shapes in nature, providing a variety of ecological services. In the era of traditional farming, people created pond systems with ecological wisdom, such as Beitang ponds, multi-pond system, mulberry-based dike fish pond, etc., which perform ecological functions including water storage, stormwater regulation, pollution purification, micro-climate adjustment, and habitat provision. Due to global climate change and human interference, problems such as the surface water shortage, water pollution and water ecosystem destruction are becoming more and more serious. To deal with the changing environment, restore ecology, and construct landscape effectively, we not only could be inspired by the natural pond system, but also need to learn from the traditional cultural heritage, such as the ecological wisdom of the various pond systems. The multi-functional dike pond system plays an important role in dealing with the environmental changes and optimizing the ecological services. On the basis of clarifying the composition, structure and function of ponds in nature, this article explores the ecological wisdom of the pond systems in traditional villages, taking the design and practices of the Three Gorges Reservoir as an example to discuss the application of the multi-functional dike pond in the ecological restoration and landscape optimization of the hydro-fluctuation belt with seasonal water level fluctuation.

Emergy and exergy evaluation of a dike-pond project in the drawdown zone (DDZ) of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR)

The dike-pond system was a form of ecological engineering that was a component of successional dikes and ponds along the banks of the Pengxi River in the drawdown zone (DDZ) of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). The application of science-based evaluation system was appropriate for the flows of emergy in this agricultural ecosystem. The Emergy Analysis (EmA) has the ability to transform different types of inputs to a common form to allow meaningful comparisons across different systems. This study made use of the emergy analysis that assessed two different types of farming methods in the DDZ of the TGR. One method was planning crops in a dike-pond system (model I), and the other method was conventional agriculture (model II). In addition, the Exergies of both yields of agriculture methods were calculated, and the Exergy and Emergy Density (ED) were combined to explore the quality of these methods. The results showed that the two models relied on different resources. The ED yield of both models were similar, but the emergy investment of model II was greater than that of model I. Model II also used less renewable energy input to the agricultural systems than model I. The agricultural emergy sustainability index (AESI) of model I system (AESI=2.4>1) was greater than that of model II system (AESI=0.5<1), which indicated that the sustainable development of model I was stronger than that of model II in the DDZ of the TGR. The ratio Exergy/Emergy density (Rex/em) in the two models of different agricultural system were 121.52×10−3J/sej (Model I) and 24.19×10−3J/sej (model II). Model I was greater than model II, and the result intimated that the model I agricultural system was a new method in the DDZ, but it was older and closer to the steady state than model II. The Emergy and Exergy analysis certifies that model I has a more acceptable and more sustainable development potential and is more stabilized in the DDZ of the TGR.

Modern analysis of an ancient integrated farming arrangement: life cycle assessment of a mulberry dyke and pond system

Integrated agriculture and aquaculture (IAA), as typified by the mulberry dike-pond system (DPS) of the Pearl River delta of southern China, is often cited as an example of sustainable intensified production due to its characteristic closed loop recycling of nutrients. In this study, we tackle two issues that have been hardly addressed in previous analyses of aquaculture production, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) from the pond and the role of labour. Previous assessments led us to revisit the sustainability of the DPS system as a model for a well-studied IAA system using a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Our study quantifies on-farm CH4 and N2O emissions and indirect emissions embedded in inputs, using the global warming potential (GWP) metric. To model the indirect impact of the high labour requirements of the system, a simple methodology based on metabolizable energy requirements is proposed. Our GHGe assessment suggests that using fish ponds to treat organic waste results in higher net emissions than alternative waste processing options (e.g. composting), even when the co-production of fish is accounted for. The majority of total system GWP100 (97 %) can be attributed to methane from the fertilised ponds. Food required to meet labour requirements plays an important role, from 11 to 22 % of total environmental impact. Methane from semi-intensive ponds fertilised with organic waste appears to be a significant source of GWP, calling into question the environmental sustainability of IAA systems such as the mulberry DPS. Improving sustainability in such systems will require better understanding of GHGe from waste-fed aquaculture ponds, notably with respect to on-farm N2O and CH4.

Analysis of ecological and commercial benefits of a dike-pond project in the drawdown zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir

The drawdown zone of China's Three Gorges Reservoir is a potential land resource during summer, but conventional agriculture threatens its ecological health. We therefore examined an alternative eco-friendly method of using the drawdown zone by growing commercial hydrophytes in experimental dike-ponds. The experimental site is situated on Baijia Creek, a tributary of the Pengxi River of Kai County, Chongqing. We assessed the ecological and commercial benefits provided by a 4.26 ha dike-pond system relative to those of an adjacent similar area that was farmed conventionally. Fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide use were permitted in the contrast area but avoided in the experimental area. We found that both biodiversity and economic returns were somewhat higher in the experimental area than the contrast area. In the experimental area there were 26 species of aquatic invertebrates (1.53 times those in the contrast area) and 16 species of birds (1.45 times those in the contrast area). The hydrophyte crops Trapa bispinosa, Eleocharis dulcis, Zizania latifolia, Oryza sativa and Nelumbo nucifera were grown successfully in the dike-pond wetlands. The dike-ponds appeared to provide better protection of ecological health than conventional agriculture, while also presenting a method for local farmers to profit from the land resource in the drawdown zone.

Conservation and ecofriendly utilization of wetlands associated with the Three Gorges Reservoir

The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China has created a major reservoir in which the water level fluctuates annually by about 30 m, generating a drawdown zone of up to 350 km(2) in summer. Since construction of the dam, there has been scientific and public interest in how to use the drawdown zone resources in environmentally sustainable ways. To this end, and with government support, an international conference was held in Chongqing Municipality (China) in October 2011 on the subject of conservation and ecofriendly utilization of wetlands in the Three Gorges Reservoir. The conference proceedings were subsequently published in the Journal of Chongqing Normal University. The proceedings reports are reviewed here in the context of other relevant literature. The proceedings included papers on ecology, ecodesign and ecological engineering, erosion control, plant production and carbon sequestration, phytoremediation of pollution, hydrosystem management, and others. Several of the reports derive from experimental work conducted at a research field station on the Three Gorges Reservoir situated in Kaixian County, Chongqing Municipality. Plant communities in the drawdown zone are declining in diversity and evolving. Experimental plantings of flood-tolerant edible hydrophytes in a dike-pond system reveal their potential to provide economic returns for farmers, and flooding-tolerant trees, such as cypresses, also show promising results for stabilizing soils in the drawdown zone. Flood-tolerant natural plant communities vary strongly with depth and their composition provides useful indicators for revegetation strategies. In the region surrounding the reservoir, remnant natural broad-leaved evergreen forests are most effective in sequestering carbon, and within the drawdown zone, carbon is mostly stored below ground. There is strong interest in the potential of aquatic plants for removal of pollutants, notably N and P, from the reservoir water by means of floating beds. Other examples of applying ecodesign and ecological engineering strategies for restoration and management of rivers and lakes are also given. Scientific studies have provided valuable advice for ecofriendly utilization of the reservoir drawdown zone and further studies of the evolving condition of the reservoir can be expected to pay additional practical dividends.

Design of the dike-pond system in the littoral zone of a tributary in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

The Three Gorges Dam is the greatest water control project in the world with the largest fresh water littoral zone. Emergence of the littoral zone during the growing season provides some plants with the opportunity to complete their growth cycle, but the fluctuating water level also brings about some environmental problems, such as soil erosion, water pollution, and biodiversity reduction. A series of cascading terraced ponds located in the littoral zone of a secondary branch of the Yangtze River at Laotudi Bay was designed to be a dike-pond system for resolving the environmental problems of this special littoral zone while also making use of resources in an eco-friendly manner. The design of the dike-pond system is described in detail in this article, and some monitoring protocols are recommended for evaluating the environmental benefits of the system. The economic value of the dike-ponds was estimated to be about ¥125,986. Due to the ecological management mode adopted, 14 species of wild aquatic plants and 6 species of wading birds were found in the dike-pond system, in contrast to 9 species of wild aquatic plants and 3 species of wading birds in a comparable conventional farming area. It is hoped that dike-pond ecological engineering will be instrumental in reducing water pollution and increasing biodiversity in the littoral zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir.

Ecological Development of Coastal Areas in China

Ecological development is an important research topic about shoaly land in China. In this article, we will first discuss the scale issues of shoaly land development, which will be followed by a brief review of exploitation of shoaly land in China. Then we will outline some problems on recent exploitation of shoaly land in China at different spatial scales. Finally, we will examine the main characteristics of ecological development approaches on shoaly land in China at different scales, such as region, farm, and plot. We will also analyze the different ecological processes of these approaches, including rundle development of shoaly land, dike-pond system, multipurpose utilization of brine pan, and shrimp pool tridimensional cultivation, and their socioeconomic benefits.

Human-environment interactions in agricultural land use in a South China's wetland region: A study on the Zhujiang Delta in the Holocene

The formation and evolution of agricultural land uses in the Zhujiang Delta of South China are examined in the light of the dynamics of people and the environment and their interplay. The origin and propagation of agriculture are found to have a close relationship with the climate and sea level changes in the Holocene era. The development of rice cultivation, horticulture, and dike-pond system exemplifies human-environment interactions in a specified geographical and social context, which are manifested by the impact of environmental changes and population growth on agricultural innovations. The technologies of dike building and land reclamation, which represent local farmers effort to build a new and harmonious relationship with the changed environment, were critical to the agricultural success and sustainability. Imprudent use of a new agricultural technology could damage the environment, as evidenced by a frequent flooding that followed inappropriate dike building and premature reclamation. Diverse agricultural land uses are as a result of the adaptation of agricultural technology innovations to the environmental conditions.

HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF POND AQUACULTURE MANAGEMENT IN THE ZHUJIANG DELTA

The existing highly-productive dike-pond system (DPS) combines not only dike horticulture and aquaculture production but also their efficient energy and nutrient exchange. This eco-farming system in fact provides in-depth implications on the complementarity among mulberries, silkworms, fish, and pond mud. Integrating old records and recent aquaculture research, this paper traces China's pond aquaculture history and its environmental management tradition over several centuries. It demonstrates how local farmers and fish culturists used centuries-old experience to adapt and react to environmental changes and developed their techniques suitable for fish resources management. Findings from the Zhujiang Delta case support: (1) grass carp monoculture was originated from a rice-grass carp practice which made hilly waste field pond productive; (2) difficulties involved in collecting fry of several species from the wild leading both to the development of local commerce in fry and to commercial fish production; and (3) argument of the carp polyculture techniques which have evolved into a highly sophisticated food production system should be justified by factors lying behind the change of pond acreage over time. Hence establishment of flood control embankments and the increasingly specialized village economies all prove progress in both the management system and the techniques.

Environmental impact on the development of agricultural technology in China: the case of the dike-pond (‘jitang’) system of integrated agriculture-aquaculture in the Zhujiang Delta of China

The development of the environmentally conserving dike-pond system of integrated agriculture and aquaculture in the Zhujiang Delta of south China is traced to illustrate the impact of environmental changes on technological innovations. The technologies of dike building, land reclamation, pond fish culture, and crop cultivation on dikes, which were either independently developed or modified from ideas brought in by migrant farmers from northern China, represented farmers' efforts to adapt to the new characteristics of a changed environment as population pressure increased. The new technologies revealed the farmers' awareness of the need for environmental conservation. However, increased population pressure also necessitated more intensive use of the land, both in the highland and lowland regions, giving rise to inappropriate dike building and premature reclamation activities, which in turn brought about more frequent flooding in the delta region. Careless application of a new technology tended to have harmful effects on the environment. Political conditions in different periods of China's economic development have also caused changes in the dike-pond system which has to maintain high productivity and profitability. Recent advances in dike-pond system technology have focused on crop diversification and animal husbandry to match the three-dimensional characteristics of its ecological components. New agricultural technologies can be successful in China only if they can provide a balance between land use and conservation.

The character and change tendency of agricultural land use in the Zhujiang Delta—A case study of Shunde City

In this paper, Shunde City is selected as a typical region standing for the Zhujiang Delta because of its excellent location and dike-pond system. There are three main characters of agricultural land use in this region. First, the most typical land use form is dike-pond system. It is a special form of artificial ecosystem of land-water interaction. Second, sandy field is also an important land type in this region. Third, land use is greatly influenced by export-oriented economy. Recently, with economic reforming and the opening up of the Zhujiang Delta, the structure of agricultural land use has been changed greatly. The area of mulberry dike has decreased and a variety of planting crops has increased. Various structure of dike-pond farming has emerged in the Zhujiang Delta such as “fruit dike-fish pond”, “flower dike-fish pond”, “grass dike-fish pond”, “vegetable dike-fish pond”. The area of water has slightly increased and its development tends to modernization due to the use of modern equipment and advanced breeding ways. The area for “three high” (high yield, high quality and high efficiency) agriculture has increased greatly.

The types, structure and results of the dike-pond system in South China

The dike-pond system is an excellent artificial ecological agriculture system. With its special structure, it has many advantages compared with the other agricultural productions. In the system, the fertilizer, water and soil can be readjusted automatically, and flood and drought calamities can be prevented, so that the inferior land can be made fertile. The residues from planting and from stock/poultry raising can be recycled within the system. It is the most important that the fertilizer and feeds can be satisfied from within the system. This in itself could be a kind of break-through in agricultural development. A new form of fish feed supply is created saving input of purchased fertilizer and feeds as well as enhancing the development of planting, fishery and animal husbandry. The system has been attracting more and more attention from home and abroad. It has spread quickly to some other parts of China, and has begun to be appear abroad. The system is suitable for the areas with resembling the Pearl River delta elsewhere in Asia, Africa and South America, especially for lowlying water-logged land which is normally reclaimed by constructing water conservancy projects. In the latter case, the cost of pumping water is high, but the system is generally unstable compared with the stable, high yield dike-pond system. So a brilliant future can be envisaged for the dike-pond system.

Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture in South China: The Dike Pond System of the Zhujang Delta. By Kenneth Ruddle and Gongfu Zhong. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1988), pp. 173, £27.50 (HB).

Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture in South China: The Dike Pond System of the Zhujang Delta. By Kenneth Ruddle and Gongfu Zhong. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1988), pp. 173, £27.50 (HB). - Volume 25 Issue 2

Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture in South China: The Dike-Pond System of the Zhujiang Delta

Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture in South China: The Dike-Pond System of the Zhujiang Delta

Integrated agriculture-aquaculture in South China: the dike-pond system of the Zhujiang Delta

Integrated agriculture-aquaculture in South China: the dike-pond system of the Zhujiang Delta