Methodology Of Selecting Important Marine ECO-function Areas

The important marine eco-function areas are regions that in order to maintain regional marine ecosystem health and marine ecological security, play an important role in marine biodiversity maintenance, marine product supplies, coastal zone protection, fresh water and nutrients input, marine cultural services, and promoting sustainable development of society and economy in coastal area.The important marine eco-function areas are the key of marine ecological redline. Due to long-term unreasonable human exploitation, ecological functions of important marine eco-function areas have degraded in general. Some important marine eco-function areas have been undergoing ecological degradation from structural damage to functional degradation, posing an obvious threat to regional marine sustainable development and marine ecological security. At present, there are few studies on important marine eco-function areas both domestically and internationally, and evaluation method and index system are remained to be improved. In this study, based on deeply review on studies related to important marine eco-function areas, significance of marine habitats was identified and scaled, and assessment index system and methodology of significance of marine ecological function were established. Finally, case study was carried out in jurisdictional sea areas of Quanzhou City. The main research contents and results are concluded as follows:(1) The concept and connotation of important marine eco-function areas was proposed.(2) 9 types of potential important marine eco-function areas were identified in accordance with marine ecosystem services value, important marine ecosystems in the laws and regulations. They are estuary, coastal wetlands, islands, mangrove, coral reefs, seagrass beds, concentrated distribution areas of rare and endangered species, important fishery waters, natural relics and landscape areas.(3) With reference to existing criteria for selecting important wetland, marine protected areas, ecological and biological significant areas, the grading standard for 9 types of potential important marine eco-function areas is established as high(?), medium(II) and low(III) level. In this study, the criterion-referenced assessment was used to select high(?) and medium(II) marine eco-function areas, which is determined as the important marine eco-function areas.(4) In the case study, 7 types of 40 important marine eco-function areas were identified, including 6(I) level important marine eco-function areas and 34(II) level important marine eco-function areas. the area of important marine eco-function areas account for 25.39%。...