From collapse to the health of the aquatic ecosystem in Dasha River (2006–2021): a case study of Shenzhen city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China

Abstract

Compared with the aquatic ecosystem destruction caused by rapid urban development, substantial ecological restoration usually requires long periods and is a challenging process. Although river ecological restoration has been successful in different regions, the relationship between biodiversity, water quality, and effective measures applicable to developing countries remains poorly understood. This study was conducted in the Dasha River in Shenzhen city, one of the fastest-growing cities in China. The rehabilitation measures were sorted out in four phases to study the impact on water quality and biodiversity. In response, three campaigns were carried out to take phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthos samples within the last three engineering stages, in 2007, 2012, and 2021. Synchronized investigations of water quality were conducted monthly from 2006 to 2021. Our analysis showed that the biodiversity of benthos has improved in recent years, which marks a turnaround for the aquatic ecological environment. According to the Hilsenhoff family biotic index (FBI), the water quality level in the 2021 campaign was promoted to “Good” in the downstream and “Fair” in the upper and middle streams. By analyzing Pearson’s correlations between response ratios of water quality parameters and the Shannon–Wiener index of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthos, we concluded that biodiversity is significantly related to water quality. Specifically, the biodiversity of zooplankton is associated with ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) (R² =  − 0.77, P < 0.05), and benthos diversity is strongly negatively correlated with NH₃-N, total nitrogen, chemical oxygen demand, and biochemical oxygen demand (R² ≥ -0.82, P < 0.01). Despite the temporary negative impact of along-river interception on aquatic organisms in the campaign of 2012, the measures quickly and effectively improved water quality, which is the foundation for biodiversity improvement in 2021. This study provides insights into relationships among biodiversity, water quality, and regulation projects and can offer a reference for selecting aquatic ecosystem restoration measures in developing areas.