The strategic ecological impact assessment of urban development policies: a case study of Rizhao City, China

In China urban development policies (UDP) are legislated aiming to promote the cities’ socio-economic development. Urbanization, however, leads to urban expansion and land-use changes, which in turn affects the structure, function and processes of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Rizhao City, a seaport city of China, was chosen as a case study in order to study the ecological impacts of UDP at a strategic level. Ecosystems and their components were identified and assessed. The changes of biodiversity, habitats and ecosystem services caused by the UDP of Rizhao City were examined and analyzed. We found that UDP contributes in an essential way to protect and maintain the ecosystems and their components when it comes to land-use change. Based on our analysis, ecosystems as well as ecosystem services of Rizhao City are expected to be maintained in the near future with the current UDP.

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