Abstract:In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a core area of high-density urbanization, urban wetlands face multiple challenges such as habitat fragmentation and intense human disturbance. The contradiction between Ardeidae habitat protection and urban development is becoming increasingly prominent. As a unique traditional ecosystem in South China, the Lingnan dike-pond wetland exhibits natural adaptability to the habitat needs of Ardeidae through its 'pond-dike-water' composite structure. This paper takes Yunlu Wetland in Shunde, Foshan as a case study to explore an ecological restoration model for Ardeidae habitats in high-density urban areas based on the Lingnan dikepond wetland approach. Through on-site monitoring and literature research, the habitat requirements of three major target groups—Ardeinae, Ixobrychus, and forest-dwelling associated birds—were identified. Core problems such as fragmented dike-pond systems, insufficient hydrodynamic connectivity, and degraded nesting vegetation were diagnosed. Ecological restoration strategies including dike-pond habitat reconstruction, hydrodynamic optimization, and nesting habitat restoration were proposed.
