Changes in mudflat resources in the Pearl River Estuary and ecological restoration strategies
YUAN Fei
CHEN Wenlong
LI Li
YANG Liuzhu
Abstract：The Pearl River Estuary,recognized as one of the most complex estuarine systems globally,has undergone extensive development and management since the 1980s.Activities such as channel sand mining,mudflat reclamation,and reservoir construction have yielded economic benefits but have also significantly influenced the estuary's natural evolution.A systematic review of water and sediment dynamics and mudflat changes since the 21st century reveals a sharp decline in sediment inflow,instability in bay shoals and troughs,and fragmentation of mudflat habitats.These conditions have led to ecological degradation,weakened biodiversity,intensified saltwater intrusion,and alterations in biological habitats.To address these challenges,measures are proposed to accelerate the ecological restoration of damaged mudflats,including strengthening shoreline and mudflat conservation,promoting ecological transformation of hardened seawalls,restoring estuarine wetland ecosystems,expediting the ecological rehabilitation of the Modaomen mouth bar,and maintaining the stability of the Lingdingyang middle shoal through adaptive restoration.
Keywords：Pearl River Estuarywater and sediment dynamicsmudflat changesecological restorationmudflat rehabilitation
Publication Date：2025-05-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 29-34 )