Soil Heavy Metal Accumulation and Ecological Risk in Mount Wuyi: Impacts of Vegetation Types and Pollution Sources

Soil heavy metal (HM) contamination poses significant ecological risks in Mount Wuyi, a UNESCO biodiversity hotspot and major tea production area. Research reveals that Cr, Cd, and Pb exhibit notable pollution levels, with Cd and Hg presenting the highest ecological hazards. Vegetation types play a crucial role in HM accumulation; cultivated areas and shrublands, such as tea gardens, show higher concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb, and Hg due to agricultural and transportation activities, while bamboo forests demonstrate natural resistance to contamination. Geochemical indices and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) modeling identified four primary pollution sources: urbanization (27.94%), transport–agriculture activities (21.40%), agricultural practices (12.98%), and atmospheric deposition (12.96%). These findings highlight the urgent need for clean energy solutions, phytoremediation strategies, and tea-specific detoxification measures to ensure ecological security and sustainable agriculture in this critical region.

Wu, F., Zhu, D., Yang, T., Mao, C., Huang, W., Zhou, S., & Yang, Y. (2025). Soil Heavy Metal Accumulation and Ecological Risk in Mount Wuyi: Impacts of Vegetation Types and Pollution Sources. Land, 14(4), 712. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040712