Abstract:To reveal the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving factors of the landscape pattern in the Huachang Bay mangrove wetland of Hainan, this study conducted quantitative analyses at both patch-type and landscape scales based on three periods of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from 2015, 2020, and 2025, employing methods including land use dynamic analysis, landscape pattern indices, and Pearson correlation analysis. The results indicate that: Land use in the study area exhibits a trend of a decrease in water area, an increase in mangrove cover, and conversion of some ponds to cropland; the mangrove area shows an accelerating growth rate over time, with continuous reduction in water bodies, and expansion of cultivated land and built-up areas. The restoration area exhibits a dual evolutionary pattern of internal integration and edge exposure, with the overall landscape showing concurrent intensification of fragmentation and increase in diversity. GDP and urban population show strong trend consistency with mangrove expansion and built-up land growth, respectively, while climate variables were also associated with changes in woodland and marsh vegetation, suggesting that multiple factors may be associated with the observed changes. Accordingly, recommendations for contiguous restoration, construction of forest-edge ecological buffer zones, and restoration of hydrological connectivity are proposed.
