Marine Ecological Function Zoning and Management Countermeasures: A Case Study of the Sea Area of Zhejiang Province
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Summary of the Research
3. Data and Research Methods
3.1. Research Framework
3.2. Indicator System and Data Sources
3.3. Evaluation Method
3.3.1. Identification of Zoning Units
- Marine ecological supply area: It refers to an area that is rich in marine ecological environment resources and strong carrying capacity. The primary management and control objectives of this area are to protect biodiversity, including national and provincial marine nature reserves, ensure the supply of marine materials and ecological products and protect marine areas and uninhabited islands with marine ecological functions such as fishery resources, marine ecological environment and marine biodiversity.
- Marine mariculture and resting area: It refers to the marine ecological environment with high development suitability, including the sea area suitable for human life, health preservation and recreation and uninhabited islands.
- Marine ecological restoration area: It refers to an area with poor marine ecological environment resources, weak carrying capacity and damaged ecological environment. The primary goal of this area is ecological restoration.
3.3.2. Three-Dimensional Discrimination Matrix
3.3.3. Determination of the Division Plan
4. Results and Management Strategy
4.1. Indicator Normalization
4.2. Indicator Weight
4.3. Analysis of Zoning Results
4.4. Analysis of Zoning Effectiveness
4.5. Management Strategy
- Marine ecological supply areas are primarily used to carry out sea-use activities for the development and conservation of fishery resources. In addition, they are also used to develop modern fisheries that ensure the supply of marine materials and ecological products. Activities that damage aquatic living resources and pollute the water environment within the specified marine ecological supply area are prohibited. The sea-use projects that fail to meet the requirements of zoning management in this area should be gradually adjusted. On the other hand, the sea areas with substandard environmental quality should be improved, and the damaged coasts, estuaries and other ecosystems in the area should be restored, aiming to protect fishery resources and important fishery waters such as spawning grounds, wintering grounds, bait farms and migratory passages.
- Marine mariculture and resting areas are mainly used for humans to live, preserve health and rest. In accordance with the requirements of centralized and intensive sea use, the use efficiency of marine space resources in this area should be improved, ecological environmental protection measures should be strictly implemented and coastal natural landscapes and beach resources should be protected to dodge the negative impact of human activities on the marine ecological environment. The scale of the development and construction of marine mariculture and resting areas should be rationally controlled, the spatial layout of the area should be optimized and crucial ecological resources such as coastlines, bays and islands appropriately utilized. Coastal restoration work in the waters around towns should be carried out to build new marine mariculture and resting areas
- The supervision and environmental monitoring of sea-use activities in the marine ecological restoration area ought to be strengthened. Strict restrictions should be placed where sea-use activities affect and interfere with the protected objects in the marine ecological restoration area. The marine ecological environment and biodiversity should be maintained, restored and improved. The natural landscape should also be protected, and protection measures need to be improved. The monitoring and management of the operation quality of the marine ecological restoration area require strengthening and the unreasonable sea-use projects in the area should be regulated, while the damaged marine ecosystem should be restored.
5. Discussion
- Based on the spatial differentiation theory, this study’s focus is on the zoning system for marine ecological elements of the whole sea area, mainly selecting indicators from the perspectives of ecological environment elements, ecological environment sensitivity and ecological service functions. In addition, it also comprehensively evaluates the sea area from three aspects: marine ecosystem health, marine ecosystem diversity and the balance of economic and social development. At the same time, this study considers the necessity of human survival and development when analyzing the systematic development of marine ecological elements, a supplement to the spatial planning of marine resources in national ecological function regionalization. However, the quantitative analysis does not address the functioning of our country’s inshore ecosystem services.
- Combined with the characteristics of marine ecosystem integrity, connectivity and systemization and current marine management experience, this study proposes that marine ecological function zones should be divided into first-level functional zones and second-level functional zones. This paper focuses on the exploration of the zoning structure of the first-level marine ecological function and does not conduct research on the zoning type of the second-level marine ecological function.
- Since the marine ecological function zoning in this study is only for the sea area, it is recommended to refer to the National Ecological Function Regionalization for the ecological function zoning of islands and continents.
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Target Aspect | Standard Aspect | Indicator Aspect | Date | Data Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
Health of the marine ecological environment | Supply capacity | C1 Concentration of chlorophyll a | February 2020 | National Marine Data Center (Statistics) http://mds.nmdis.org.cn/pages/home.html, (accessed on 11 December 2020) |
Survival conditions | C2 Water quality environment | 2017 | 2017 Ecological Environment Quality Bulletin of China’s Inshore Waters (grid picture) | |
Diversity of marine ecosystem | Biodiversity | C3 Phytoplankton diversity | 2018 | Environmental investigation and sampling of sea-related projects in Zhejiang Province (Sampling statistics) |
C4 Zooplankton diversity | 2018 | Environmental investigation and sampling of sea-related projects in Zhejiang Province (Sampling statistics) | ||
C5 Diversity of macrobenthos in shallow seas | 2018 | Environmental investigation and sampling of sea-related projects in Zhejiang Province (Sampling statistics) | ||
habitat diversity | C6 Ecosystem type | 2018 | Environmental Investigation of Sea-related Projects in Zhejiang Province (Vector Data) | |
Balance of economic and social development | Economic growth | C7 per capita GOP | 2017 | 2018 China Marine Statistics Yearbook (Statistics) |
Social development | C8 Investment in fixed assets of the whole society adjacent to the land area | 2017 | 2018 China Marine Statistics Yearbook (Statistics) | |
C9 Employment adjacent to land areas | 2017 | 2018 China County Statistics Yearbook (Statistics) |
Serial Number | Indicator Aspect | Unit | Range of Values | High | Medium | Low |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C1 | Concentration of chlorophyll a | μg/L | 0.54–3.20 | 2.00–3.20 | 1.26–1.99 | 0.54–1.25 |
C2 | Water quality environment | dimensionless | 1–5 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 5 |
C3 | Phytoplankton diversity | dimensionless | 0.50–3.02 | 2.09–3.02 | 1.39–2.08 | 0.50–1.38 |
C4 | Zooplankton diversity | dimensionless | 0.78–3.59 | 2.68–3.59 | 1.85–2.67 | 0.78–1.84 |
C5 | Diversity of macrobenthos in shallow seas | dimensionless | 0–2.87 | 2.03–2.87 | 1.23–2.02 | 0–1.22 |
C6 | Ecosystem type | km | 0–90,948.86 | 0–20,329.75 | 20,329.76–43,512.79 | 43,512.80–90,948.86 |
C7 | per capita GOP | CNY million | 0.10–0.90 | 0.51–0.90 | 0.31–0.50 | 0.10–0.30 |
C8 | Investment in fixed assets of the whole society adjacent to the land area | CNY million | 1450.31–5009.58 | 4995.63–5009.58 | 2999.65–4995.62 | 1450.31–2999.64 |
C9 | Employment adjacent to land areas | CNY million | 23.14–183.1 | 132.92–183.10 | 108.46–132.92 | 23.14–108.45 |
Target Aspect | Health of the Marine Ecological Environment | Diversity of the Marine Ecosystem | Balance of Economic and Social Development |
---|---|---|---|
Health of the marine ecological environment | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Diversity of the marine ecosystem | 1/3 | 1 | 2 |
Balance of economic and social development | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1 |
Indicator Aspect | Concentration of Chlorophyll a | Water Quality Environment | Phytoplankton Diversity | Zooplankton Diversity | Diversity of Macrobenthos in Shallow Seas | Ecosystem Type | Per Capita GOP | Investment in Fixed Assets of the Whole Society Adjacent to the Land Area | Employment Adjacent to Land Areas |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Concentration of chlorophyll a | 1 | 1/2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Water quality environment | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Phytoplankton diversity | - | - | 1 | 3/2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
Zooplankton diversity | - | - | 2/3 | 1 | 2 | 2/3 | - | - | - |
Diversity of macrobenthos in shallow seas | - | - | 1/3 | 1/2 | 1 | 1/3 | - | - | - |
Ecosystem type | - | - | 1 | 3/2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
Per capita GOP | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 3/2 | 3 |
Investment in fixed assets of the whole society adjacent to the land area | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2/3 | 1 | 2 |
Employment adjacent land areas | - | - | - | -- | - | - | 1/3 | 1/2 | 1 |
Serial Number | Target Aspect | Indicator Aspect | Weight |
---|---|---|---|
C1 | Health of the marine ecological environment | Concentration of chlorophyll a | 0.132 |
C2 | Water quality environment | 0.268 | |
C3 | Diversity of the marine ecosystem | Phytoplankton diversity | 0.132 |
C4 | Zooplankton diversity | 0.088 | |
C5 | Diversity of macrobenthos in shallow seas | 0.048 | |
C6 | Ecosystem type | 0.132 | |
C7 | Balance of economic and social development | per capita GOP | 0.1 |
C8 | Investment in fixed assets of the whole society adjacent to the land area | 0.066 | |
C9 | Employment adjacent to land areas | 0.034 |
Function Code | Type of Function Area | Protected Target | Development Direction |
---|---|---|---|
A-1 | Marine ecological supply areas | Aquatic genetic resources | Focus on ensuring the functions of fishery sea use and fishing sea use. On the premise of not affecting the basic functions of agriculture and fishery, the sea uses for transportation and tourism and entertainment can be compatible, and it is forbidden to change the natural attributes of the sea area. |
A-2 | Marine ecological supply areas | Important habitats for marine organisms and their birds, and living environment of macroalgae, thick-shelled mussels and striped mussels | Continue to restore important habitats of marine life and its birds to maintain a positive development direction. After the ecosystem is stabilized, the cultural tourism function can be properly released, promoting the gradual transformation of zoning areas into mariculture and resting areas. |
A-3 | Marine ecological supply areas | Marine geology and landform landscape, coastal organisms, marine biodiversity, important shellfish and algae | Protect the marine geology and landform landscape, continue to restore the biological and marine biodiversity of the coastal zone, realize the sustainable development of the island’s ecological environment and maintain the positioning of the ecological supply area. |
B-1 | Marine ecological restoration areas | Important habitats of marine organisms | Steadily achieve the restoration of marine biodiversity according to the requirements of the repair object. After achieving the goal, its cultural tourism function should be gradually released and its transformation into a marine mariculture and resting area should be promoted positively. |
B-2 | Marine ecological restoration areas | Marine biodiversity | Steadily achieve the restoration of marine biodiversity according to the requirements of the repair object. After achieving the goal, its cultural tourism function should be gradually released and its transformation into a marine mariculture and resting area should be promoted positively. |
B-3 | Marine ecological restoration areas | Comprehensive management of marine environment | Comprehensively improve the bay ecosystem, estuary wetland ecosystem, coastal habitat and its landscape to achieve the significant restoration of ecological functions in Taizhou Bay, obvious positive development of the estuary wetland ecosystem and significant improvement in coastal habitat quality. |
C-1 | Marine mariculture and resting areas | Develop culture, entertainment, religion and tourism industries with Mount Putuo as the core | Drive the development of the island’s cultural tourism industry and maintain a well-developed marine ecological environment. |
C-2 | Marine mariculture and resting areas | Coastal tourism | Drive the development of coastal tourism and maintain the continuous development of the marine ecological environment. |
C-3 | Marine mariculture and resting areas | Coastal tourism | Drive the development of coastal tourism and maintain the continuous development of the marine ecological environment. |
C-4 | Marine mariculture and resting areas | Coastal tourism | Drive the development of coastal tourism and maintain the continuous development of the marine ecological environment. |
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Huang, X.; Yan, J.; Zhang, G.; Huang, J.; Wang, Q.; Li, B.; Ma, Y. Marine Ecological Function Zoning and Management Countermeasures: A Case Study of the Sea Area of Zhejiang Province. Sustainability 2023, 15, 4254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054254
Huang X, Yan J, Zhang G, Huang J, Wang Q, Li B, Ma Y. Marine Ecological Function Zoning and Management Countermeasures: A Case Study of the Sea Area of Zhejiang Province. Sustainability. 2023; 15(5):4254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054254
Chicago/Turabian StyleHuang, Xiaolu, Jishun Yan, Guangshuai Zhang, Jie Huang, Quanming Wang, Binyong Li, and Yu Ma. 2023. "Marine Ecological Function Zoning and Management Countermeasures: A Case Study of the Sea Area of Zhejiang Province" Sustainability 15, no. 5: 4254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054254