Restorating marine coastal ecosystem health as a new goad for integrated catchment management in Tolo Harbour,Hong Kong,China

Abstract

The paper demonstrates why it is necessary to take the restoration of marine coastal ecosystem health as a new goal for integrated catchment management, in coastal area of the Tolo Harbour. The present goal of integrated catchment management (ICM) in the Tolo Harbour is to meet with Water Quality Objectives. The performance of an ICM plan, Tolo Harbour Action Plan (THAP), is evaluated by using marine coastal ecosystem health indicators including stress indicators and responses indicators. Since the implementation of THAP in 1988, some significant reduction in pollution loading has been observed—reduction of 83% of BOD load and 82% of TN between 1988 and 1999. There has been an improvement in the health state of Tolo Harbour marine coastal ecosystem as evidenced in the trends of the physical, chemical and biological indicators, although some reverse fluctuations in some periods exist. However, this can only be considered as the first sign of the ecosystem health restoration, since ecosystem health covers not only physical, chemical and biological aspects of an ecosystem, but also ecosystem-service-function aspect. It is recommended to take the restoration and protection of marine coastal ecosystem health as a new goal, instead of water quality objective management, for integrated catchment management in Tolo Harbour catchment. Steps to further improve the marine coastal ecosystem health of Tolo harbour are discussed in the paper.     

Nutrient release and sediment oxygen demand in a eutrophic land-locked embayment in Hong Kong

Tolo Harbour is a large eutrophic land-locked estuarine embayment in Hong Kong. The rapid urbanization, commercio-industrial activities and lack of legislative control around the Tolo catchment produced large quantities of untreated or partially treated municipal sewage, agricultural wastes and cottage industrial effluents which were discharged into Tolo Harbour via rivers and watercourses. Control measures were implemented to reduce the external nutrient loading into the harbour since the early 1980s. Nutrient data for the period 1982 to 1997 were analyzed for temporal trends. Over the period of observation, the total inorganic nitrogen and total phosphorus both show an increasing trend, despite a decade of efforts in reducing nutrient loading. The release rates of potentially mobile nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the sediments collected from Tolo Harbour were determined by N and P release experiments under oxic conditions. The experimental results showed that the sediment released significant amount of nutrients, especially orthophosphates and ammonia nitrogen. The maximum release rates were 15.0 and 206.0 mg/m2/day, respectively. Although the external nutrient loading has been reduced, nutrients could gradually be released back into the water column from the contaminated sediments and delay improvement of the water quality.     

海州湾保护区海洋环境质量综合评价

海洋环境质量综合评价是开展海洋环境保护和管理的基础和依据。以海州湾海洋保护区为研究区，结合国内海洋环境调查现状，利用层次分析法构建了以生物要素为主、物理化学要素为辅的海洋环境质量综合评价指标体系。参考国内外相关研究，将海洋环境质量等级划分为“优良中差劣”。收集了海州湾保护区2005~2011年环境调查资料，结合国家相关标准和统计数据序列综合确定各评价指标等级判定标准。利用2006年8月、2009年12月和2011年3月的调查数据对海州湾保护区环境质量进行评价和分析。评价结果显示综合指数值分别为0608、0465、0638，保护区环境质量整体处于等级良，且近岸环境较离岸海域差，较客观地反应了该区域的环境状况。此外，海洋生物物种丰度和生物多样性呈现一定程度的季节波动，尤以冬季底栖生物较为明显，反应了区域气候特点对生态系统生物要素的影响。在生态环境评价以及评价标准的选择中需注意季节变化可能产生的干扰；开展环境质量评价时应充分注意调查时间选择的代表性，方能客观有效地反映区域环境质量状况     

Scenarios for integrated river catchment and coastal zone management

The European Water Framework Directive requires EU Member States to introduce water quality objectives for all water bodies, including coastal waters. Measures will have to be introduced if these objectives are not met, given predictions based on current trends. In this context, the estimation of future fluxes of nutrients and contaminants in the catchment, and the evaluation of policies to improve water quality in coastal zones are an essential part of river basin management plans. This paper investigates the use of scenarios for integrated catchment/coastal zone management in the Humber Estuary in the U.K. The context of this ongoing research is a European research project which aims to assist the implementation of integrated catchment and coastal zone management by analysing the response of the coastal sea to changes in fluxes of nutrients and contaminants from the catchments. The example of the Humber illustrates how scenarios focusing on water quality improvement can provide a useful tool to investigate future fluxes and evaluate policy options for a more integrated coastal/catchment management strategy.     

上海隧桥工程海域生态系统健康的初步评价

随着上海经济的快速发展，一些大型海洋工程在上海海域纷纷兴建，造成了生境破碎化、生物多样性的破坏等一系列的生态损害。在分析海洋工程可能造成生态损害的同时，以上海长江口隧桥工程为例，选择2007年春季和秋季的2次生态调查数据进行研究。架桥阶段结束后，综合分析了春季与秋季的调查数据，发现各项指标均有偏向于不利的趋势。基于结构功能指标体系评价法，并利用层次分析法研究后得出上海长江口隧桥工程附近海域的综合健康指数分别为2043和2166。根据CHI≤3的情况下判断，该海域的生态健康状况属于不健康接近亚健康状态，表明河口生态系统自然属性发生明显改变，生物多样性及生态系统结构发生了一定程度的变化，主要生态服务功能出现退化或丧失。针对遭遇海洋工程破坏的生境，需要进行更多、更长时间的人工干预，并提出有效的生态保护和修复对策。     

Direct and indirect effects of climate and fishing on changes in coastal ecosystem services: a historical perspective from the North Sea

Humanity depends on the marine environment for a range of vital ecosystem services, at global (e.g. climate regulation), regional (e.g. commercial fisheries) and local scales (e.g. coastal defence and recreation). At the same time, marine ecosystems have been exploited for centuries, and many systems today are under stress from multiple sources. Recent studies have shown how both climate change and fishing have caused long-term changes in the marine environment. However, there is still poor understanding of how these changes influence change in coastal ecosystem services. In this paper, an integrated modelling approach is used to assess how the final delivery of marine ecosystem services to coastal communities is influenced by the direct and indirect effects of changes in ecosystem processes brought about by climate and human impacts, using fisheries of the North Sea region as a case study. Partial least squares path analysis is used to explore the relationships between drivers of change, marine ecosystem processes and services (landings). A simple conceptual model with four variables—climate, fishing effort, ecosystem process and ecosystem services—is applied to the English North Sea using historic ecological, climatic and fisheries time series spanning 1924–2010 to identify the multiple pathways that might exist. As expected, direct and indirect links between fishing effort, ecosystem processes and service provision were significant. However, links between climate and ecosystem processes were weak. This paper highlights how path analysis can be used for analysing long-term temporal links between ecosystem processes and services following a simplified pathway.     

大河流域岸线生态保护与治理国际经验借鉴——以莱茵河为例

岸线资源作为基础性的自然资源与战略性的经济资源，是经济社会可持续发展和维系生态平衡的重要基础。研究国外大河流域岸线开发与治理的经验与做法，对于处理好长江岸线保护与开发利用的关系、积极推动我国生态文明建设和长江大保护行动具有重要现实意义。通过梳理莱茵河流域岸线生态保护与治理的问题及措施，提出借鉴莱茵河综合管理模式与治理经验，以恢复长江生态系统健康为首要目标，创新长江经济带岸线综合管理机构与体制，统筹岸线空间，在加强岸线保护与修复治理的同时提升岸线利用效率，以期为我国长江流域岸线生态保护与综合管理提供借鉴。     

Anthropogenic-driven changes with focus on the coastal zone of Mauritius, south-western Indian Ocean

Some 44% of the world's population lives within 150 km of the coast and mass migration towards the coast will continue in the decades ahead. Degrading and exhaustive uses of land, water and other coastal resources and disruption of environmental processes through degradation of environmental quality and loss of critical terrestrial and aquatic habitats can lead to serious deleterious impacts on the health and productivity of coastal ecosystems. Following the Arusha Resolution (1993), the Seychelles Statement (1996) and the Colombo CZM Workshop (1999), the need for integrated coastal zone management has become critical because of the limited land resources and unproportional domination of coastal areas in the wider Caribbean and Indian Ocean/ Pacific island states. The coastal zone of Mauritius (1,850 km², 20°S, 58°E, south-western Indian Ocean, 1.12 million inhabitants) was redefined in 1997 in the Environmental Protection Act of 1991 [Part VII (Act 34)] to include all islets within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ; 1.7 million km²). During the 1980s, the Mauritian economy underwent major structural changes successfully, with a rapid phase of industrialization diversifying into two major activities, textiles and tourism. Existing reports and data in a common framework have to be synthesized and organized to fill existing gaps in knowledge with data collection and scientific inquiries, to identify social and economic drivers and to relate socioeconomic change to demands for environmental resources (land use, water resources, marine systems) and environmental impacts as proposed under the MERMAID (Mauritius Environmental Resource Management and Industrial Development) project. Nutrient flux and sediment trace metal contamination studies are currently underway to investigate different watersheds impacted by agricultural, urban and industrial activities in the north-west of the island. There is a pressing need to integrate the natural sciences with socioeconomic disciplines as proposed by the International Human Dimensions Program (IHDP) for an integrated management of coastal zones. Three integrated pilot projects in the Pacific-Indian Ocean and wider Caribbean as identified by Land Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) in the future, including current status and changes in material fluxes from drainage basins, transboundary impacts from the ocean and atmospheric inputs, could elucidate the land–sea interactions and human dimensions of change on small islands. The sustainability of marine resources and the conservation of biological diversity will depend on a critical understanding of linkages between human activities and ecological responses and upon a citizenry that assumes ownership of these regions. Case studies would also help in investigating how humans affect transport pathways and biogeochemical cycles in small island states. Electronic Publication     

Challenges for marine spatial planning in the context of multiple sea uses,policy arenas and actors based on experiences from the German North Sea

Today, increasing use intensity and establishment of new sea uses such as offshore wind farming can be observed in coastal and marine waters. This development also increases the pressure on coastal and marine ecosystems. The exclusive economic zone of the German North Sea can serve as an example for this development, in particular illustrating the need to combine multiple uses and societal demands within a given sea area. In order to deal with the resulting conflicts and cumulative impacts, new planning tools and integrated approaches to planning and management are developing. While the sea becomes a contested but at the same time politically recognised area, also conflicts rooted in different perceptions, values and attitudes of coastal people can be observed. In order to deal with the current challenges in marine areas, marine spatial planning and similar tools for integrated planning need to be developed in the form of communication processes, which link diverse sets of information and span a dialogue between groups of society and across spatial scales including the transnational dimension.     

太湖流域湖泊水环境问题、成因与对策

综合分析了太湖流域存在的的湖泊水环境问题,主要表现为水质全面恶化、洪涝灾害加剧、湖泊生态系统与生物资源破坏和底质污染严重。造成湖泊水环境问题的自然因素与流域地势平缓、亚热带季风气候和地面沉降有关;人为因素如围垦、污水排入湖泊、过量使用农药化肥和湖泊淤积加剧了太湖流域水环境问题的发展。针对当前存在的湖泊水环境问题,提出湖泊水环境整治对策是：树立可持续发展观念,加强流域污染源的控制;重视湖泊水环境的科学研究;加强湖泊水环境水资源的规划与管理;因地制宜地实施湖泊水环境整治工程。     

Practices and opportunities of ecosystem service studies for ecological restoration in China

New approaches have emerged in integrating ecosystem services, their structure and function for ecological restoration. As the concept relating with ecosystem services has become widely accepted in last decade in China, its linking with ecological restoration will provide good opportunities and make substantial progress towards sustainable development. By analyzing the traditional ecological restoration procedure in China, we developed a framework of ecological restoration based on ecosystem services valuation. Relevant researches of ecological restoration based on ecosystem services are also carefully reviewed. China’s ecosystem services studies and payments for ecosystem services (PES) experiences were extensively discussed to show the ecological restoration strategy and its change. Two case studies in China were presented to show the framework for ecological restoration based on PES. We suggested that despite the limitations of valuation uncertainties at present, PES could be an opportunity for ecological restoration by evaluating the trade-offs of different stakeholders. In current state in China, challenges and opportunities coexist and scientists should work together in the integrated research of sustainable ecological management and economic development policies.     

基于内容分析法的河流健康内涵及表征

运用内容分析法对近10~15年中外文献中有影响力的36个河流健康概念进行分析,经过样本选取、指标提取、量化处理等过程提炼出最频繁出现的能代表其内涵的6个标准,即：维持结构完整性、自然生态功能发挥、满足人类社会合理需求、处于良好状态、河流管理工具和目标、建立河流基准状态。基于此,对河流健康概念进行了重新架构：河流健康是指河流生态系统特定的良好状况,可以作为河流基准状态以及河流管理的目标,在这一状态下,河流生态系统能够维持其生态系统结构完整性,充分发挥其自然生态功能,并满足人类社会合理需求,提供相应的社会服务功能。通过对30个有关河流健康表征指标及评价方法的文献进行分析,识别生物指标、水质参数、形态结构、河床底质、水文条件以及河岸带状况等是目前使用最广泛的6个指标,指出河流健康的表征指标及评价标准应根据区域特征、人类活动影响以及功能定位而有所差异。     

基于耗散结构理论的城市生态水平评价研究——以武汉市为例

城市是一个经济-社会-自然复合系统,城市生态环境是城市经济社会持续发展的支持系统。基于耗散结构理论和信息熵原理,通过计算生态经济熵、生态功能熵和城市生态系统总熵变,分析城市生态系统的演化发展规律;利用综合发展度和协调发展度两个指数,建立城市生态水平评价的定量模型。以武汉市1988~2004年城市生态系统发展为例,评价结果表明：（1）武汉城市生态系统的生态经济熵、生态功能熵和城市生态系统总熵变均呈现出下降趋势,城市健康、有序水平不断提高;（2）武汉城市生态系统在经历了1988~1991年停滞发展期后,从1992年开始,生态综合发展水平逐年提升,协调发展水平在不断增加,近10年来都保持在基本协调发展水平。     

Review on the Progress of Marine Ecosystem Management

Along with the industrial development, adverse impacts on the natural environment become more serious, and ecosystem health and ecological security have also been deteriorated. The traditional environment management focused on the shorterm and economic benefits. Such managing pattern is not accommodating to the new situation of increasingly global environment problems and large scale marine environment problems. This paper introduces the advance and definition of a new managing patternecosystem management. Meanwhile, the con- notation of ecosystem management was summarized as seven points： Sustainability; Human is an important aspect of ecosystem management; Cooperation is the foundation of ecosystem management; Maintain health and security of ecosystem; Ecological diversity protection characters ecosystem management; Maintain the integrity of ecosystem; Ecosystem management must be founded on scientific theories and precise information. Somebody said Ecosystem Management is ＂a new label of old ideas＂. However, there is an essential difference between ecosystem management and traditional environmental management. In the last part of this paper, the differences of the approaches between ecosystem management and traditional environmental management are compared.     

Current status of coastal zone issues and management in China: a review

This paper identifies and examines social-economic and environmental issues recently emerged in China's coastal zone. Evaluation of management scheme and progress in perspectives of coordinated legislation, institutional arrangement, public participation, capacity building, and scientific research (mainly coastal planning and functional zoning) in China's coastal zone are made. The Chinese government has made a significant effort in developing legislation for the coastal zone. Jurisdictional and zoning boundaries, and allocating use rights for coastal and marine resources have been established. State Oceanic Administration is the leading agency responsible for China's ocean policymaking and overall management of ocean and coastal affairs. A demonstrated project for integrated coastal management in Xiamen has been implemented, and is characterized as "decentralization" approach in decision-making process. In view of the above, comprehensive coastal management in China is a big challenge, facing with many difficulties. Finally, recommendations are raised for tackling these issues for China's coastal zone management.     

Review on the Progress of Marine Ecosystem Management

Abstract

Along with the industrial development, adverse impacts on the natural environment become more serious, and ecosystem health and ecological security have also been deteriorated. The traditional environment management focused on the short-term and economic benefits. Such managing pattern is not accommodating to the new situation of increasingly global environment problems and large scale marine environment problems. This paper introduces the advance and definition of a new managing pattern—ecosystem management. Meanwhile, the connotation of ecosystem management was summarized as seven points: Sustainability; Human is an important aspect of ecosystem management; Cooperation is the foundation of ecosystem management; Maintain health and security of ecosystem; Ecological diversity protection characters ecosystem management; Maintain the integrity of ecosystem; Ecosystem management must be founded on scientific theories and precise information. Somebody said Ecosystem Management is “a new label of old ideas”. However, there is an essential difference between ecosystem management and traditional environmental management. In the last part of this paper, the differences of the approaches between ecosystem management and traditional environmental management are compared.     

基于神经元网络模型的崇明东滩湿地生态系统健康评估

崇明东滩湿地位于崇明岛的东端，是全球重要的生态敏感区域，由于受到人类活动的干扰，生态系统健康遭受威胁，因此有必要对其健康进行定量的评价研究。以崇明东滩湿地为研究区域，以生态系统健康理论为基础，选取地形地貌、环境、生物、人类干扰等指标，并将研究区的健康分为五级，建立东滩湿地健康评价指标体系。结合GIS的技术，以网格为评价单元，并在神经元网络模型理论和技术的支持下，提出了一个分布式神经网络湿地生态系统健康评价模型，定量的分析崇明东滩湿地的健康状况，为湿地的合理利用与保护提供决策支持和科学依据。研究结果从空间上显示了崇明东滩湿地不同区域的健康状况，总体来说处于一个比较健康的状态，但健康状态较好的区域面积只占30％，相对一般区占70％，且生态系统健康将呈下降趋势。因此，需要对湿地加强管理，使湿地生态系统可持续发展。     

基于投影寻踪的洞庭湖生态系统健康评价

以历史文献、图件及1986～2010年水沙、水质等实测资料为依据,选取环境要素、生物指标、水动力条件和外部指标等4类共13个表征洞庭湖生态系统健康状况的指标,采用加速遗传算法的遗传寻踪模型,基于matlab7.0平台对典型年洞庭湖生态系统健康状况进行评价。结果表明:（1）1986～2010年,洞庭湖生态系统健康样本投影值呈下降趋势。1991年左右出现较高点（投影值为1726 4）,2006年出现了较低点（投影值为1625 8）,而2010年投影值有所回升（投影值为1679 0）;（2）从空间分布上看,南洞庭湖健康状况相对较好,其次是西洞庭湖,最差的是东洞庭湖。这说明受湖泊围垦、退田还湖和三峡水库运用等影响,洞庭湖的水文水动力条件、湖泊生物多样性以及水质状况等发生了较为明显的变化,且各湖泊存在一定的差异     

基于生命力指数与集对分析的城市生态系统健康评价

鉴于城市生态系统的生命特征,引入城市生命体概念,构建包括生产力、生活态、生态势和生机度的城市生命力指数,分别针对经济子系统、社会子系统、自然子系统及生态调控子系统来综合反映城市生态系统健康状况.引入集对分析这种不确定理论与方法,在充分考虑城市生态系统健康不确定性与相对性的基础上,构造各被评价城市与最优评价集的相对贴近度,开展城市生态系统相对健康状况比较研究,以促进城市生态系统健康水平的整体提升.利用基于集对分析的城市生命力指数综合评价模型及信急熵权重,比较了北京、上海、武汉、广州等16个城市2005年的生命力指数相对状况,结果表明:2005年,厦门、上海、北京、青岛等城市的生命力指数处于被评价城市中相对较高等级,即城市生态系统健康状况较优;而重庆、西安、银川、哈尔滨、成都等城市处于相对较低等级,即城市生态系统健康状况较劣.     

基于层次分析法的城市河流生态修复评估

城市的发展改变了许多河流的自然水文环境，并导致河流生态系统中水质、物理生境和生物完整性下降。评估受损河流水体修复的效果，需要结合物理、化学的参数，以及对生物结构、多样性和过程的影响。构建了包含河流水力、水质、水生生物、河岸带及物理结构5个方面15个指标的城市河流生态修复评估指标体系，运用群组决策的层次分析法(AHP)，确定了各指标的权重，重要性排序前5位依次为：水质污染指数、鱼类IBI、水源补给量、藻类多样性、透明度。并以我国南方城市岐江河整治修复状况为例进行综合评价，结果表明,河流生态系统修复评估结果为可以接受，体现了河流整治工程使河流水质、生态的状况有所改善，但河流生态系统恢复需要较长的周期，修复初期生态系统仍处于受损状态。〖