Li, W.; Liu, W.; Wang, L., and Wen, J., 2018. Competitiveness evaluation of Shanghai ports based on niche theory. In: Ashraf, M.A. and Chowdhury, A.J.K. (eds.), Coastal Ecosystem Responses to Human and Climatic Changes throughout Asia.

As a distributing center of the trade and transportation network, ports play an important role in the development of the national economy. However, many ports have common economic backgrounds, and competitions such as price wars have intensified, which inhibits the sustainable development of ports. With this background, the niche theory of ports was constructed based on the biological niche theory, and basic competitive strategies for ports also are put forward using the trend and position of niche theory and the niche overlap theory. Five main ports in the Yangtze River Delta are chosen as research objects. Then the competition relationships among the five ports are analyzed in detail. Based on that, a development strategy for Shanghai Ports is put forward.