Status of Scleractinian Corals in the Pearl River Estuary and Their Ecological Service Value Assessment
In order to understand the status of coral reef wetlands in the Pearl River estuary,the transect method combined with high-definition photos was used to investigate and identify the species composition,coverage,recruitment,mortality and coral reef fishes of scleractinian corals in the Pearl River estuary,in August 2020.The results showed that 48 species of scleractinian corals,belonging to 24 genera and 12 families,were found in the Pearl River estuary.The dominant species were Porites lutea,Plesiastrea versipora,Montipora grisea,and Porites agglomerans.The average coverage rate of living corals was 17.3％,the average coral recruitment was 0.61 ind/m2.There were few coral dead,bleaching and diseasing.A total of 57 species of coral reef fishes belonging to 19 families were recorded,of which Pomacentridae was the dominant family,with an average density of 126.9 ind/250 m2.The market price method,benefit transfer method,substitution cost method and other evaluation methods were comprehensively used to evaluate the ecological services value of scleractinian corals in the Pearl River Estuary.As a result,the total ecological services value of scleractinian corals in the Pearl River Estuary was estimated about 173.499 3 million yuan/a,with the ecological service value per unit area of 129 900 yuan/(hm2·a).Among them,the coastal protection value was the highest,which estimated about 41.323 1 million yuan/a,accounting for nearly a quarter of the total value.Tourism development and sewage discharge were the main sources of pressure affecting the growth and development of scleractinian corals in the Pearl River estuary.It was recommended to establish a long-term monitoring network for the ecological health of coral communities to provide scientific support for the protection and restoration of coral reef ecosystems.
scleractinian coralsecological service valuethe Pearl River estuaryecological protection and restoration
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NSTL
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