Abstract:
In recent decades, the shrink of wetland and the decrease of its ecological function in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region have seriously affected the quality and connectivity of wetland bird habitat, which has severely disrupted the migration and breeding of birds in the wetlands. To quantitatively analyze changes in the quality and connectivity of wetland habitats in recent decades, potential habitat patches were identified using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model based on the occurrence and environmental factors of Anatidae in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. Next, habitat connectivity analysis was carried out using the equivalent connectivity area (ECA) index based on graph theory from 1980 to 2015. The results show that:(1) The potential habitat area of Anatidae in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region presents a downward trend in the past 35 years, decreasing from 6898 km
2 in 1980 to 3764 km
2 in 2015 (a decrease of 45.0%). The decline in marginally habitat is most obvious (a decrease of 50.5%). Highly suitable habitat area presents an upward trend between 2009 and 2015. (2) Connectivity of potential habitats has been decreasing over the past 35 years. Furthermore, the decline rate of connectivity of potential habitat after 2000 was greater than before. On the other hand, the spatial distribution of the potential habitat connecting structure has shifted to the Bohai Rim. The most obvious change in the connection structure is in the central plain of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. The main factors driving the decline of the area and connectivity of potential habitats include the reduction of precipitation, the strengthening of evaporation, the imbalance between water supply and demand, the construction of hydraulic engineering facilities and the change of land use resulted from population growth and economic development. On the contrary, the Ecological protection policies such as the establishment of ecological reserve and water supplement will alleviate the degradation of highly suitable potential habitat.