Restore polder and aquaculture enclosure to the lake: Balancing environmental protection and economic growth for sustainable development

Yi Yin; Mingyuan Gao; Xinyu Cao; Jiahao Wei; Xiaoyu Zhong; Shiqing Li; Kai Peng; Junfeng Gao; Zhijun Gong; Yongjiu Cai

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173036

Restore polder and aquaculture enclosure to the lake: Balancing environmental protection and economic growth for sustainable development

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jul 10:933:173036. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173036. Epub 2024 May 11.

Authors

Yi Yin¹, Mingyuan Gao², Xinyu Cao³, Jiahao Wei⁴, Xiaoyu Zhong⁵, Shiqing Li⁶, Kai Peng⁷, Junfeng Gao¹, Zhijun Gong¹, Yongjiu Cai⁸

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² Jiangsu Province Hydrology and Water Resources Investigation Bureau, Nanjing 210029, China.
³ School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
⁶ Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB), Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
⁸ Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: caiyj@niglas.ac.cn.

PMID: 38740215
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173036

Abstract

The restoration of lakes and their buffer zones is crucial for understanding the intricate interplay between human activities and natural ecosystems resulting from the implementation of environmental policies. In this study, we investigated the ecological restoration of shallow lakes and buffer zones in the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin, specifically focusing on the removal of polder and aquaculture enclosure areas within the lakes. By examining data from eight shallow lakes and their corresponding buffer zones, encompassing lake morphology, water quality parameters, and land use/land cover (LULC) data spanning from 2008 to 2022, which shed light on the complex relationships involved. During the process of restoring polder and aquaculture enclosure areas, we observed a general decrease in the extent of polders and aquaculture enclosures within the lakes. Notably, the removal of aquaculture enclosures had a more pronounced effect (reduction rate of 83.37 %) compared to the withdrawal of polders (reduction rate of 48.76 %). Linear regression analysis revealed a significant decrease in the concentrations of seven water quality parameters, including COD, COD_Mn, TN, TP, NH₃-N, Chl-a, and F, while pH and DO factors exhibit a distinct increasing trend. The results of redundancy analysis and Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated significant correlations between the area of polders and aquaculture enclosures and the changes in lake water quality. Encouragingly, the withdrawal of polders and the removal of aquaculture enclosures had a positive impact on the lake water quality improvement. In contrast, the LULC in the buffer zones of the lakes experienced a gradual decline owing to land degradation, resulting in a reduction in ecosystem service value (ESV). These results offer valuable support for policymakers in their endeavors to restore lake water quality, mitigate the degradation of buffer zones land, and promote the sustainable development of land and water resources.

Keywords: Aquaculture enclosure; Ecosystem service value; Land use/land cover; Polder; Shallow lake; Water quality.