The assessment of wetland ecosystem health by means of LDI: A case study in Baiyangdian wetland, China

The three-tier framework of wetland monitoring and assessment methods in the United States is the soundest methodology for wetland assessment at present. This study aims to evaluate the ecosystem health condition of Baiyangdian wetland, a typical marsh wetland in northern China, by means of LDI (Landscape development intensity index), which belongs to Level 1 of this framework. Two field investigations were successively conducted in November 2009 and July 2010. Distributed soil and water samples were collected during the investigations in order to evaluate temporal and spatial variations of wetland health condition. Results show that LDI is a sensitive assessment tool to evaluate the anthropogenic disturbance gradient in Baiyangdian wetland. Strong correlation was found between the assessment results of LDI and soil parameters, which demonstrated the robustness of the method. Baiyangdian wetland has been suffering from serious deterioration, which is caused mainly by intensive anthropogenic disturbances and climate change. Our study has provided critical information about the health status of Baiyangdian wetland, which can also guide the further restoration of this important wetland in northern China.