How important are the wetlands in the middle-lower Yangtze River region: An ecosystem service valuation approach

The middle-lower Yangtze River region, with its lake groups and river systems, is one of the important wetland regions in the world. In this study, physical dimension measurement and monetary evaluation were conducted to estimate the value of wetland services in this region. Results revealed that the total value of the wetland ecosystem services in the middle-lower Yangtze River region is US $162.5 billion per year, which reflects the irreplaceable importance of wetlands in this region. The wetland ecosystem service values revealed considerable spatial variability. Poyang Lake, Hong Lake, and Shijiu Lake have the most ecosystem service value. The value of human-made wetlands (2.62×104 US $/ha/yr) is 48% lower than that of natural wetlands (5.04×104 US $/ha/yr), indicating that the conversion of natural wetlands for aquaculture from the sustainability perspective is not significant. The direct and indirect values of wetland ecosystems are 46.17% and 53.83% of the total values, respectively. Recognizing that the value of wetlands in this region is mainly embodied as indirect use values, conservation of the regulating and supporting services should be prioritized in the design of future wetland ecosystem management plans.