Impact of Modern Human Activities on the Songhua River’s Health in Heilongjiang Province

Fen HOU, Fengxiang LI, Qixing ZHOU

Abstract


The Songhua River is the largest river in Heilongjiang province. During the past decades, intense human activities had extensive effects on the river. Protecting the Songhua River requires diagnosing threats on a large scale. Here we conducted the first comprehensive survey on the rivers’ health throughout the Heilongjiang province, investigating into land use of riversides, modern industries along riversides and other human factors. The results showed that water quality, habitat quality and biological assemblages of the Songhua River are facing deterioration. Farmland, sand dredging operations and tourism depending on water resource may be the main factors which lead to the unhealthy state. This study will be helpful for developing riparian zone restoration plans, or adopting both biological and engineering measures to minimize the degradation of the Songhua River.


Keywords


Songhua River; Modern human activities; River health; Influence of tourist attractions; Heilongjiang province

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/6417

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