Impact of habitat management on waterbirds in a degraded coastal wetland

Pingping Wei, Qijie Zan, Nora F.Y. Tam, Paul K.S. Shin, S. G. Cheung, Mingguang Li

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The loss of coastal wetlands in Hong Kong Mai Po Nature Reserve adversely affected wetland-depended species. To mitigate this impact, gei wai ponds were reconstructed according to a set of biodiversity management zones (BMZs). This study, based on Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), investigated if waterbird distribution was related to BMZ characteristics. Based on habitat characteristics, ponds in the same BMZ generally clumped in the same quadrant or within a short distance on CCA scatter plots, indicating that a BMZ zone produced common habitat traits. Ponds in a close distance on the plot had similar bird abundance or community structure. Significant correlations were noted between the abundance of cormorants and tall tree, and between waders and bare ground areas within study ponds. This study indicated that the control of key habitat factors was important for the success of reconstruction of gei wais and management of waterbirds in Mai Po.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)645-652
Number of pages8
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume124
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Nov 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Degraded wetland
  • Habitat management
  • Habitat utilization
  • Waterbird

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Impact of habitat management on waterbirds in a degraded coastal wetland'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this