Remote sensing-based assessment of wetland restoration potential in important wetland reserves along the Silk Road
WANG Xinshuang1(), ZHAO Yehe2(), LIU Jiange1, SUN Xin1, ZHANG Yongzhen1, MAO Dehua3
1. Shaanxi Geomatics Center of Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an 710054, China 2. The First Topographic Surveying Brigade of Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an 710054, China 3. Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Wetlands, hailed as the "kidneys of the Earth", hold great significance for maintaining the stability of ecosystems. This study investigated 10 important wetland reserves along the Silk Road. Based on remote sensing data from the ZY3 satellite, it extracted the wetland types in 2015 and 2020 through interactions between object-oriented analysis and manual interpretation. As a result, a dataset of wetland distribution and its dynamic changes in the reserves was established. By combining topography, hydrological conditions, ecological importance, and wetland type transition, this study proposed a method for assessing the spatial potential of returning farmlands to wetlands. The results of wetland information extraction show that from 2015 to 2020, the wetland area in the 10 reserves exhibited a net increase of 238.04 km2 thanks to both natural and anthropogenic factors. Such an increase was dominated by lacustrine wetlands, with the wetland rate rising by 0.58% generally. This demonstrates that the establishment of ecological reserves posed a positive impact on regional wetland protection. However, in local regions, wetlands still showed a trend of degradation, covering an area of 77.00 km2. The potential analysis results of returning farmlands to wetlands indicate that a total of 325.13 km2 of farmlands should be returned to wetlands, consisting of 10.63 km2 requiring high-priority restoration, 167.02 km2 subjected to medium-priority restoration, and 147.48 km2 requiring low-priority restoration. The proposed region-specific scheme for ecological restoration in wetlands can provide decision-making support for wetland protection and management along the Silk Road.
王馨爽, 赵野鹤, 刘建歌, 孙鑫, 张永振, 毛德华. 丝路沿线重要湿地保护区湿地恢复潜力遥感评估[J]. 自然资源遥感, 2025, 37(4): 204-211.
WANG Xinshuang, ZHAO Yehe, LIU Jiange, SUN Xin, ZHANG Yongzhen, MAO Dehua. Remote sensing-based assessment of wetland restoration potential in important wetland reserves along the Silk Road. Remote Sensing for Natural Resources, 2025, 37(4): 204-211.
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