MANGROVE HEALTH: AN EVALUATION BASED ON ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS FOR THE ZHENHAI BAY MANGROVE WETLAND PARK IN CHINA

Constructed parks for mangrove wetlands are considered crucial for preserving coastal ecosystems. However, several challenges confront the construction and maintenance of existing mangrove parks in the Great Bay Area of China, such as the survival rates of newly planted plants, declining plant diversity, and fluctuating quality of water and soil. While various methods exist for restoring mangrove wetland parks, there is a need for a health assessment of mangrove parks to quantify related health indicators. Previous studies mainly focused on individual species and the ecological functions of mangroves, neglecting the complexity of the overall health of communities. Based on the current situation of mangrove parks in the Great Bay Area, this paper proposes a methodology and workflow with Zhenhai Bay National Wetland Park as a study area, aimed at identifying potential health factors through field surveys on ecological communities and structures, biosafety, water and soil, and external threats and disturbances. Experiments and indicators were carried out for the evaluation, and the quantified results showed that the mangrove park had an average level of health, with the central area being more sensitive than the north and south parts. The assessment results can guide further landscape design, wetland restoration, and tourism planning, and serve as a reference for other health assessments for mangroves in similar urban areas.