Abstract: To quantify the impacts of human activities on landscape pattern of coastal wetlands in Yancheng, we took the area from the northeast of Huangsha Port to the 4 km southward extension of the Simaoyou River port of Yancheng coastal wetland as the research object. Based on the landscape pattern index, hemeroby index, and GIS methods, we analyzed the dynamics and responses of wetland landscape pattern and hemeroby using 6period remote sensing image data from 1984 to 2020. The results showed that area of natural landscape generally showed a decreasing trend during the study period, and that artificial landscape continued to grow, advancing to the sea, and gradually replaced natural landscape as the dominant landscape. Landscape fragmentation was intensified. The landscape shape tended to be regular. The connectivity of patches was weakened. The diversity of landscapes was reduced. After 2013, the degree of fragmentation had been reduced. The degree of human interference showed an upward trend from 1984 to 2006, and tended to be stable from 2006 to 2013. After 2013, the degree of interference was reduced. The disturbance gravity center gradually shifted from land to sea, and the disturbance affected landscape type changed from cultivated land to aquaculture pond. Compared with the northern part of the study area, the hemeroby in the southern area varied greatly, while the hemeroby in the central core area was relatively stable. The interference of human activities had severe impacts on landscape pattern, which was dependent on the extent of interference. There was antagonism between human interference and natural succession. The results indicate that the relationship between landscape change and human disturbance can be well understood by combining landscape dynamics and hemeroby over the years in the study area, providing a scientific reference for the management and protection of Yancheng coastal wetlands and the sustainable development of coastal ecological environment.

Key words: coastal wetland, landscape pattern, spatiotemporal dynamics, hemeroby.