HSIE - Geography - Year 9 - Environmental change and management: overseas: Shandong, China

Although China has experience economic progress since 1978, environmental degradation has caused many problems due to population increases and demand for natural resources.

Intertidal wetland, located at the interface of the continent and ocean, provides significant support to human society. With China being the largest developing country and the second-biggest economy in the world, the intertidal wetland along its coast has been exposed to climate change and over-exploitation for decades.

Shandong has more than 70% of natural coasts are under erosion. Coastal erosion started from the 1970’s and became a very serious problem at 1990’s. The dramatic decrease of sediment supplies from rivers caused rapid erosion at the delta and estuary areas, especially in the abandoned Yellow River Delta.