Delineating pollution threat intensity from onshore industries to coastal wetlands in the Bohai Rim, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta, China

摘要

The industrial activities, especially the onshore secondary industry, have becoming a major threat on the coastal wetlands. However, the extent of this damage has rarely been revealed from a regional perspective in past studies. To quantify the impacts of onshore secondary industries on coastal wetlands in China, the Bohai Rim, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta were selected as the study areas. The key state-monitored enterprises with high pollution and emission were identified and presented using Geographic Information System analysis. The agglomeration of the enterprises and their pollution was delineated by the multi-distance spatial cluster analysis and kernel density estimation method. Combined with the geographical distribution of the coastal wetland nature reserves, quantity-based industrial pollution threat intensity was calculated. The results show that the three regions are influenced significantly and differently by the types of industry and the quantity of wetlands. The coastal wetlands in the Pearl River Delta region are threatened by relatively homogeneous types of industrial pollution but with the highest pollution threat degree of 309.68; the coastal wetlands in the Bohai Rim region are threatened by the most complex industrial pollution, with a pollution threat degree of 274.01; and the Yangtze River Delta region has the lowest total threat degree of 166.37. Furthermore, the relationship between industrial agglomeration and coastal wetland pollution is discussed, and policy recommendations for industrial restructuring in coastal regions are given. Considering the growing industrialization in the developing countries, the study can provide experiences to support and advance the synergistic management of onshore industries and coastal wetlands in other country.