Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2026, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (2): 191-204.doi: 10.11978/2025092CSTR: 32234.14.2025092

• Marine Environmental Protection • Previous Articles    

Assessment of the threat status of seagrass bed ecosystems in Hainan Island

REN Jing1,2(), JIANG Zhijian1,2,3,4(), CHEN Guoke2,5, QI Wenqian1,2, LONG Xu1,2, LIU Songlin1,2,3,4, WU Yunchao1,2,3,4, HUANG Xiaoping1,2,3,4   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Guangzhou 510301, China
    2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3 Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
    4 Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572100, China
    5 State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
  • Received:2025-06-27 Revised:2025-08-28 Online:2026-03-10 Published:2026-03-26
  • Contact: JIANG Zhijian. email: jiangzj1982@scsio.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1301402); Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(425CXTD622); National Natural Science Foundation of China(42176158); National Natural Science Foundation of China(U25A20795); National Natural Science Foundation of China(42576139); Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China(2024B1212050003); Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China(2023B1212060047); Special Fund of South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences(SCSIO2023QY04)

Abstract:

Seagrass bed ecosystems have important ecological service functions, and analyzing their threat degree and influencing factors is helpful for proposing targeted conservation strategies for these ecosystems. Focusing on the seagrass bed ecosystem of Hainan Island, this study integrates survey data, historical records, and literature. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Ecosystems assessment method was adopted to evaluate the threat status of these ecosystems, determine their degree of endangerment and explore the impacts of both human activities and natural factors. Corresponding conservation countermeasures are proposed. The results show that the seagrass bed ecosystems in Wenchang and Sanya are facing a Critically Endangered (CR) situation, while those in Lingshui are Endangered (EN). Ecosystems in Qionghai are assessed as Vulnerable (VU), while those in Chengmai and Danzhou are classified as Near Threatened (NT) and Least Concern (LC), respectively. The seagrass bed ecosystem across Hainan Island is under multiple pressures, with coastal reclamation and fishing activities being the dominant factors of degradation, followed by environmental pressures imposed by sewage discharge and aquaculture. Additionally, climate change factors, such as tropical cyclones, also exert a certain degree of influence. In view of this, this study proposes strengthening the regulation of fishing activities, advancing research on seagrass asexual reproduction, and establishing long-term monitoring of seagrass health and ecological connectivity to promote the sustainable development of the seagrass bed ecosystem in Hainan Island.

Key words: seagrass bed, Red List of Ecosystems, threat status, conservation and restoration, Hainan Island

CLC Number: 

  • P763.3