A study on the ecological zoning of the Nantong coastal zone based on the Marxan model

Ecological zoning is the basis for ecological protection and resource use in coastal zones. In this study, marine data are obtained through measurement, extraction of remote sensing information, etc., and ecological zoning of the Nantong coastal zone is performed based on the Marxan model to achieve ecological target protection at the lowest economic cost. A square hexagon with an area of 1 km2 is used as the planning unit, and the frequency of selection of the planning unit in the Marxan model (the number of times it is selected out of 100 solutions generated in each calculation) is combined with the optimal solution to divide the Nantong coastal zone sea area into an ecological zone, a control zone and a development zone. Two programs with different levels of ecological protection are proposed, and the area of the ecological zone reaches 31.58% and 35.86% of the study area in the two scenarios, while the area of the development zone is 59.05% in both scenarios. The utilized combination of selection frequency and the optimal solution provides additional zoning opportunities in the marine areas, and the various analyzed combinations can enhance practical management of the study area.