Abstract:

A survey of the typical regional development models in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area used to adapt to the flood environment between the 17th century and 1950s indicates that three main models are formed in this area in accordance with the different characteristics of floods and tides. 1) The low-water areas of Zhaoqing, Gaoyao, Qingyuan, and Sanshui in the north are primarily affected by floods, and the fish fry resources during the Xijiang flood periods are used for vortex pond cultures to develop the cultivation of waterlog-tolerant deep rice and economically valuable aquatic plants. 2) The central South China Sea, Shunde, and Gaoming flood tide superposition areas have been generally developed into continuous mulberry fish ponds to develop a set of technical systems for flood control and flood resistance as well as to utilize tidal drainage and irrigation during the flood periods. 3) The coastal entrance areas of the Zhongshan, Panyu, Dongguan, and Xinhui areas are dominated by tides, and the local technical measures, such as the addition of rocks to build small spur dikes and planting grasses, can accelerate sediment deposition as well as the enclosing, reclaiming, and developing of the tidal flat. During the tidal flat development process, the flood tides can be creatively used to accelerate the succession of the tidal flat plant community as well as to aid in drainage and irrigation, the improvement of paddy soil, and the selection of suitable crops. The three aforementioned development models illustrate the concrete practices in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area that transform potential harm into a methodology to benefit regional development. Furthermore, the harmony between humans and water in this region directly promotes the construction of an ecological civilization in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Key words: the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, wetlands, deep water rice, Mulberry-dike pond system, tidal lands, ecological civilization