Ecological security pattern: A new idea for balancing regional development and ecological protection. A case study of the Jiaodong Peninsula, China

Construction of ecological security pattern of arid area based on landscape ecological risk assessment: a case study of the Wu-Chang-Shi urban agglomeration

The construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) holds paramount importance in ensuring regional environment sustainability. This study introduces an innovative approach to ESP construction grounded in landscape ecological risk (LER) assessment, with Wu-Chang-Shi urban agglomeration in Xinjiang, China, serving as a case study. Initially, LER within the area was evaluated using the LER Index (LERI) method. Subsequently, the Geodetector model was employed to discern the relationship between multi-source data and LER. Furthermore, ecological resistance and corridors were delineated utilizing the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. Lastly, the corridors were optimized using the gravity model, finalizing the ESP construction. Study results reveal that LER was always fluctuating from 1990 to 2010, and tended to stabilize from 2010 to 2020. Factor detection underscores the predominant influence of land use on LER, followed by elevation and vegetation distribution. The ESP shows the imperative for improving connectivity of the natural areas that are fragmented by urban land, highlighting the great significance of the woodland-originating corridors. Finally, strategies are proposed to enhance woodland and water coverage, boost landscape diversity in nature reserves, and prioritize ecological conservation in corridor regions. In summation, the study furnishes a framework for analyzing arid regions in Eurasia. Furthermore, the research idea of evaluation-analysis-remodeling also offers insights into environmental management in developing areas with more diverse climate types.

The impact of land use on eco-environment in the Dianchi Basin

(1) Studying the dynamic correlation between land use and the eco-environment in the Dianchi Basin is important for improving the basin's spatial layout and enhancing ecological development and conservation; (2) Through dynamic analysis and comprehensive evaluation of land use, the introduction of ecological and environmental quality index, and the use of FLUS models, the impacts on eco-environments in the Dianchi Basin for the recent 20 years were analyzed; (3) The past two decades witnessed a constant increase in the construction land in the Dianchi Basin and a decline in the farmland at an average annual rate of 0.93 %; The utilization level of land in the Dianchi Basin presented a negative correlation with the quality of the area's eco-environment, which reduces first and then increases; When natural production becomes a priority, both the construction land and farmland have witnessed growth. However, when ecological protection becomes a priority, it is projected that by 2035, the Dianchi Basin will achieve its highest eco-environmental quality index; (4) Studying how the change of land use types affects eco-environment is crucial for optimizing the current allocation of land resources and promoting sustainable development in the basin.

The impact of green-listed companies on rural ecological environments in China: A spatial heterogeneity and empirical analysis

Based on the panel data of 22 inland provinces in China from 2010 to 2020, this study constructs and measures the level of rural ecological environment in China. The impact of the financial performance of green-listed companies on the rural ecological environment and its moderating and threshold effects are analyzed. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) During 2010-2020, China's rural ecological environment shows a trend of "fluctuating-decreasing-rising" with significant regional non-equilibrium characteristics. (2) The financial performance of green-listed companies has a significantly negative impact on rural ecology. This negative impact has a crucial heterogeneous feature, with a more significant negative impact in areas with a higher rural ecological environment index and less substantial performance in regions with a lower rural ecological environment index. (3) There is a significant positive moderating effect of education level and digitalization on the relationship between the financial performance of green-listed companies on the level of rural ecological development. As moderating variables, the digitalization and education level weakens the negative impact of green-listed companies' performance on the ecological environment. The positive impact of the financial performance of green-listed companies on the development level of the rural ecological environment is more vital in areas with higher per capita education levels and digitalization in rural areas. (4) There is a significant threshold effect on the financial performance of green-listed companies on the level of rural ecological development. When the financial performance of green-listed companies exceeds a particular threshold value, the impact of the financial performance of green-listed companies on the development level of the rural ecological environment is significantly positive. Based on the above findings, this paper puts forward corresponding countermeasure suggestions.

Ecological function zoning of Nansi Lake Basin in China based on ecosystem service bundles

Ecological function zoning is an essential means of scientific management of ecosystems. According to the characteristics of ecological function zoning, implementing zoning control is conducive to the governance and protection of the ecological environment and the maintenance of ecological sustainability. This study was conducted with the Nansi Lake Basin as the cross-section for 2018. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs model was adopted to assess and measure five ecosystem services, including water yield, crop production, soil conservation, carbon storage and carbon sequestration, and habitat quality. The Self-Organizing Feature Maps neural network was applied to obtain the ecosystem service bundles, and then, the ecological function zones were divided. The results indicated that the overall spatial pattern of ecosystem services in the study zone showed a decreasing schema from east to west; There was a trade-off between supply services and support services and a synergy between supply services and regulatory services; according to the bundling results, the Nansi Lake Basin was divided into four ecological functional zones: the eastern ecological surplus zone, the central crop supply zone, the western ecological balance zone, and the lake habitat protection zone. The results showed that (1) the spatial distribution of various ecosystem services in the Nansi Lake Basin showed spatial heterogeneity and specific regional laws, showing a decreasing pattern from the east to the west as a whole, especially in soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and habitat quality. (2) According to the supply and spatial distribution of each ecosystem service, the Nansi Lake Basin was divided into four ecological functional zones: the eastern ecological surplus zone, the central crop supply zone, the western ecological balance zone, and the lake habitat protection zone. (3) For zone I, provisioning services and regulation services were in synergy. For zone II and zone III, the provisioning service had a trade-off relationship with the regulation service and the supporting service. For zone IV, supporting services were trade-offs not only with provisioning services but also with regulating services. In general, the trade-offs between ecosystem service in the Nansi Lake Basin were stronger than the synergies, and the overall benefits of ecosystem services were smaller. Relying on the perspective of the ecosystem service bundles, at the county level, this study provided an analysis of the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services in the Nansi Lake Basin, which helped formulate the management plan for the corresponding region and provided the appropriate recommendations for regional habitat conservation and restoration.

Improving the ecological network optimization with landscape connectivity: a case study of Neijiang City, Sichuan Province

Rapid urbanization intensifies the fragmentation of landscape patches and affects the stability of ecosystems. The construction of an ecological network can effectively promote the connection of important ecological spaces and improve the landscape integrity. However, the landscape connectivity, directly affecting the stability of ecological network, was less considered in the ecological network construction of recent researches, which easily caused the instability of constructed ecological network. Therefore, this study introduced landscape connectivity index to establish a modified ecological network optimization method based on the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. The results showed that, compared with the traditional model, the modified model focused on the spatially detailed measurement of regional connectivity, and emphasized the impact of human disturbance on ecosystem stability at the landscape scale. The constructed corridors in the optimized ecological network of the modified model not only effectively improved the connection degree between important ecological sources but also avoided the areas with low landscape connectivity and high obstacles to ecological flow, especially in the counties of Zizhong, Dongxing, and Longchang within the focal study area. The ecological network established by the traditional model and modified model generated 19 and 20 ecological corridors with lengths of 334.49 km and 364.35 km, respectively, and the number of ecological nodes was 18 and 22. Evaluated by the Gravity method, the modified model identified the important ecological corridors in the ecological network, and the energy transfer efficiency of the network was improved. This study provided an effective way to improve the structural stability of ecological network construction and can provide scientific support for regional landscape pattern optimization and ecological security construction.

Constructing the Landscape Ecological Security Pattern in the Dawen River Basin in China: A Framework Based on the Circuit Principle

With the rapid development of urbanization, land cover, and land use patterns have greatly changed in China, which has damaged the landscape structure, affected the energy balance and material flow within the system, and reduced the value of ecosystem services. The construction of landscape ecological security patterns could promote species exchange between biological groups and increase material and energy exchange between landscape elements. Few studies have focused on the randomness of species to migration path, thus failing to objectively reflect the process of species migration and diffusion. Therefore, circuit theory was used in this study to better match the random selection of migration paths by species. In this paper, 14 typical mammal species from the Dawen River basin of the lower Yellow River in China were selected as examples, and the conclusions were as follows: (1) The ecological sources of the Dawen River basin were 49, with forest land and lakes as the main sources, and they were crucial to the stability of the regional ecological security pattern. A total of 128 ecological corridors were identified, among which 83 were key corridors and the rest were potential corridors. The key corridors throughout the whole region need priority protection and can be used as a core area for the observation and monitoring of natural resources. (2) Based on the circuit principle, 32 pinch points and 21 barrier points were identified, indicating that regional habitat connectivity must be further improved. (3) Four types of zones were determined, and optimization measures were proposed. (4) On the basis of conceptual protection, the ecological protection network of the Dawen River basin was built to enhance ecological resilience. The landscape ecological security pattern of the Dawen River basin was constructed from the three levels of points, corridors, and areas. Based on the concept of regional ecological security, a resource optimization strategy for ecological security patterns was proposed, which is significant for maintaining the integrity of watershed ecosystems.

Multi-Scenario Simulation of Green Space Landscape Pattern in Harbin City Based on FLUS Model

In this study, the change in green space in different scenarios and the index characteristics of landscape patterns were analyzed and were conducive to providing the decision basis for future green space planning in Harbin, a city in Northeast China. The FLUS model was used to predict the layout of green space, and the prediction results were analyzed and evaluated using the landscape index method. Combined with the MOP model and LINGO12.0, the objective function of economic benefit and ecological benefit was established to maximize the comprehensive benefit. As revealed by the outcome, from 2010 to 2020, the fragmentation degree of cultivated land, forest, and grassland decreased, and the overall landscape level tended to be diversified and uniform. In the status quo scenario, the cultivated land and the forest land were increased, whereas the water area and the wetland changed little, and its overall benefit was the lowest. The forest was increased by 137.46 km² in the ecological protection scenario, the largest among the three scenarios, and the overall water quality improved. In the economic development scenario, the cultivated land tended to expand rapidly, the connectivity was increased, and the area of forest was decreased by 69.19 km², and its comprehensive benefit is lower than that under the scenario of ecological protection. The sustainable development scenario achieved the most significant economic and ecological benefits, with a total income of CNY 435,860.88 million. Therefore, the future green space pattern should limit the expansion of cultivated land, maintain the spatial pattern of woodland and wetland, and enhance the protection of water area. In this study, Harbin green space was studied from different scenario perspectives, combined with landscape pattern index and multi-objective planning, which is of great significance for Harbin green space planning decisions in the future and improving comprehensive benefits.

Circuit theory-based ecological security pattern could promote ecological protection in the Heihe River Basin of China

Building ecological security patterns is essential to maintain regional ecological security and achieve sustainable development in the inland river basins with ecologically vulnerable environment. Numerous methods have been developed to build the ecological security pattern. However, to our knowledge, rare studies have quantified to what extent the derived pattern can improve ecological protection in the future. Taking Heihe River Basin (HRB), the second largest inland river basin in China, as the study area, we applied the circuit theory to build the ecological security pattern of HRB, and simulated how our built pattern contributed to ecological protection using the CLUMondo model. The results showed that the ecological security pattern of HRB contained 17 ecological sources, 35 key ecological corridors, and some ecological strategic points. The ecological sources were distributed in areas with better ecological conditions such as the Qilian Mountain Nature Reserve and Heihe National Wetland Park. The ecological corridors showed a pattern of "two horizontal and three vertical belts." Pinch points were mostly close to ecological sources or distributed on the corridors that played a key role in landscape connectivity, while barriers were mainly distributed on the corridors with large ecological resistance in the middle and lower reaches. The optimal ecological security pattern presented a "one screen, one belt, four districts and multiple centers" shape in HRB and could more effectively promote ecological protection compared to current development and protection scenarios. Our study provides a reliable decision-making guide for ecological protection and restoration of HRB, and can be extended to build ecological security patterns for broad-scale arid areas.

Applying Convolutional Neural Network to Predict Soil Erosion: A Case Study of Coastal Areas

The development of ecological restoration projects is unsatisfactory, and soil erosion is still a problem in ecologically restored areas. Traditional soil erosion studies are mostly based on satellite remote sensing data and traditional soil erosion models, which cannot accurately characterize the soil erosion conditions in ecological restoration areas (mainly plantation forests). This paper uses high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images as the base data, which could improve the accuracy of the study. Considering that traditional soil erosion models cannot accurately express the complex relationships between erosion factors, this paper applies convolutional neural network (CNN) models to identify the soil erosion intensity in ecological restoration areas, which can solve the problem of nonlinear mapping of soil erosion. In this study area, compared with the traditional method, the accuracy of soil erosion identification by applying the CNN model improved by 25.57%, which is better than baseline methods. In addition, based on research results, this paper analyses the relationship between land use type, vegetation cover, and slope and soil erosion. This study makes five recommendations for the prevention and control of soil erosion in the ecological restoration area, which provides a scientific basis and decision reference for subsequent ecological restoration decisions.

Construction, Evaluation, and Optimization of a Regional Ecological Security Pattern Based on MSPA-Circuit Theory Approach

Ecological security is crucial for regional sustainable development; however, as modern urbanization highlights ecological security challenges, major challenges have arisen. In this paper, we take the ecological region around Taihu Lake, China, as a typical research site, extract important ecological sources and key nodes using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and circuit theory, and propose a regulatory framework for the ecological security pattern (ESP) of the ecological region based on the spatial characteristics of sources, corridors, and nodes. We obtained the following results: (1) The ESP includes 20 ecological sources, 37 ecological corridors, 36 critical ecological protection nodes, and 24 key ecological restoration nodes. (2) Most ecological sources are large and concentrated in western Zhejiang and west of Taihu Lake, which are both important ecological sources and ecological resistance surfaces. (3) The ecological corridors spread east, west, and south from Taihu Lake, with high network connectivity. (4) Shanghai serves as the central node, with the Su-Xi-Chang town cluster and the Qiantang River town cluster serving as the extension axes for the ecological resistance hot-spot area. The center of the elliptical ecological resistance surface (standard deviation) lies in Suzhou City, located on the east shore of Taihu Lake. (5) Ecological nodes were mostly located in ecological corridors or junctions. A "four zones and one belt" pattern is suggested in order to make the land around Taihu Lake more connected and stable ecologically. This study can be used as a guide for building and improving an ecological safety network.

Integrating CVOR-GWLR-Circuit model into construction of ecological security pattern in Yunnan Province, China

In the traditional construction of ecological security pattern, the minimum cost path is extracted as the ecological corridor based on the minimum cumulative resistance model, and the ecological nodes are identified manually. This method lacks the consideration of the exchange process of energy flow and information flow in the ecological process, resulting in a certain lack of ecological security pattern in structure and function. Therefore, an ecological security pattern construction method integrating CVOR-GWLR-Circuit model is proposed to solve the above problems by transforming natural background data into localized correction variables and adding them to the ecological security pattern evaluation model. Taking Yunnan Province as an example, firstly, the ecological security evaluation system of "Contribution, Vigor, Organization, Resilience" (CVOR) is constructed based on the importance of ecosystem services and ecosystem health, and the ecological security of Yunnan Province in 2020 is evaluated, and the ecological source areas are identified combined with nature reserves. Then, the ecological resistance surface was constructed by considering land use data and topographic factors, and the landslide sensitivity evaluation model was constructed based on geographically weighted logistic regression model (GWLR) to correct the basic resistance surface. Finally, the circuit theory model is used to extract the ecological corridor and construct the ecological security pattern in Yunnan Province. The ecological pinch points and barriers in the ecological corridor are diagnosed by the current density, so as to identify the width of the ecological corridor and identify the key areas of ecological protection and restoration. The results showed that the ecological sources area of Yunnan Province was about 69,417.78 km2, accounting for 17.6% of the total area of the study area, mainly distributed in Dehong Prefecture, southwest Yunnan, Diqing Prefecture and Nujiang Prefecture in northwest Yunnan. A total of 780 ecological corridors were generated between the ecological sources, with a total length of about 197,598.2 km, an average length of 253.3 km, and the longest path length of 932.1 km. The ecological corridors are "spider web", linking southwest, northwest, northeast, central and southeast Yunnan Province. 36 ecological pinch points and 42 ecological barriers were identified. The research results verify that the ecological security pattern constructed by integrated CVOR-GWLR-Circuit model is more reasonable, which can provide scientific basis for regional ecological protection planning and ecological corridors design.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Ecological Connectivity in the Ethnic Areas, Sichuan Province, China

With ongoing economic and social development, natural habitats are becoming increasingly fragmented, blocking habitat connections and reducing landscape connectivity. The study of changes in ecological connectivity can provide valuable information for habitat and landscape restoration, which are necessary for sustainable regional development. Despite the growing interest in this issue, studies that reveal the change in ecological connectivity in the compounded areas of ecological vulnerability and deep poverty are still lacking. In this paper, one of the most underdeveloped and ecologically fragile southwestern ethnic regions of China, the Sanzhou region of Sichuan Province, was the study area. Based on a vector map of current land-use status and vector data on ecosystem factors and nature reserves in 2010 and 2015, the change in ecological connectivity was analyzed using the minimum cumulative resistance model using GIS spatial analysis method. Firstly, ecological sources were identified based on the distribution of ecological functional areas. Secondly, the ecological resistance surface based on ecosystem service value is revised by integrating the three dimensions of topography and hydrology, ecological environment and development, and utilization intensity. Finally, the ecological connectivity of ethnic areas in southwest China in 2010 and 2015 was compared and analyzed through the perspective of ecological resistance. The results show that: (1) From 2010 to 2015, the overall ecological connectivity decreased. (2) There were six areas of high ecological resistance featuring human activity and ecological degradation: the Anning River Valley in Liangshan Prefecture, Ganzi, Dege and Luho counties in Ganzi Prefecture, and Ruoergai and Hongyuan counties in Aba Prefecture. (3) Low ecological resistance areas were more numerous and widely distributed, forming an ecological protection barrier for the three autonomous prefectures, and regulating and protecting their natural environments. It is necessary to maintain and strengthen this protection; accordingly, measures are proposed to improve ecological connectivity. This study provides a reference for achieving ecological security and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in this region.

Constructing the Ecological Security Pattern of Nujiang Prefecture Based on the Framework of "Importance-Sensitivity-Connectivity"

Constructing an ecological security pattern is vital to guaranteeing regional ecological security. The terrain and geomorphology of the alpine valley are complex and sensitive, meaning it is difficult to construct ecological security patterns. Therefore, the study takes Nujiang Prefecture as the study area and builds an "Importance-Sensitivity-Connectivity" (Importance of ecosystem service, eco-environmental sensitivity, and landscape connectivity) framework to carry on the comprehensive evaluation of the ecological security and identification of ecological sources. Furthermore, we constructed an ecological resistance surface using land-use type. Using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, the study identifies the ecological corridors and nodes to build ecological security patterns to optimize the ecological spatial structure of Nujiang Prefecture. The results showed that (1) the importance of ecosystem services was higher in the west and lower in the east. The high-sensitive areas of the ecological environment were distributed discontinuously along the banks of the Nujiang and the Lantsang River, and the areas with high landscape connectivity were distributed in patches in the Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve and the Biluo Snow Mountain. (2) The overall ecological security was in a good state, and the ecologically insecure areas were primarily distributed in Lanping County and the southeast region of Lushui City. (3) The primary ecological source area was identified to be 3281.35 km² and the secondary ecological source area to be 4224.64 km². (4) In total, 26 primary ecological corridors, 39 secondary ecological corridors, and 82 ecological nodes were identified.

Changes and Characteristics of Green Infrastructure Network Based on Spatio-Temporal Priority

With advancements in urbanization, natural lands are constantly being encroached upon by artificial impervious surfaces, leading to serious ecosystem damage. Calls for Green Infrastructure to address urban environmental issues and resource reallocation are growing. How to optimize Green Infrastructure networks are becoming increasingly important under rapid urbanization. In this study, we used the main city zone in Hangzhou as the study area, and we extracted 2000, 2010 and 2020 land-use data. We used morphological spatial pattern analysis to identify Green Infrastructure landscape types and further extract Green Infrastructure elements. We identified the spatial priority of Green Infrastructure network elements through landscape connectivity evaluation according to ecological importance and development vulnerability. After the construction of a Green Infrastructure network, we analyzed its spatio-temporal characteristics to determine the Green Infrastructure network’s spatial priority. Through spatial prioritization, the gradual construction and optimization of Green Infrastructure networks will help to improve urban green spaces in stages. Smartly coordinating urban growth and ecological protection based on Green Infrastructure spatial prioritization may help improve urban living environments and enhance sustainable urban development capabilities. In conclusion, sources dominate corridors and codes are changing. If sources are fragmented, the integration degree decreases and the first-level source advantage is weakened. The corridor morphology continuously develops, and the corridor structure stabilizes. Second-level corridors gradually replace third-level corridors to guide Green Infrastructure network structure development. Codes present a scatter distribution and tend to average, closely following corridor change.

Landscape Ecological Risk and Ecological Security Pattern Construction in World Natural Heritage Sites: A Case Study of Bayinbuluke, Xinjiang, China

The evaluation of ecological risk and the construction of ecological security patterns are significant for the conservation of World Natural Heritage sites with high outstanding universal value. This paper constructed a landscape ecological risk evaluation framework for Bayinbuluke using the three aspects of the “nature–society–landscape pattern” and a cumulative resistance surface from the risk evaluation results. The ecological sources were identified based on Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and the landscape index. Finally, the Minimum Cumulative Resistance model (MCR) and gravity model were used to obtain both key ecological corridors and general ecological corridors. The results showed that: (1) the influencing factors of landscape ecological risk were, in order of strongest to weakest, landscape pattern factors, natural factors, and social factors; (2) the spatial differences in terms of landscape ecological risk within the study area could be identified. Low-risk areas were mainly concentrated in the core area, high-risk areas were mainly in the outer buffer zone, and the overall ecological risk level at Bayinbuluke was high; and (3) a total of four key corridors and ten general corridors could be constructed. This study provides a reference for decision-making on the ecological security and protection of heritage sites.

Construction of Ecological Security Pattern Based on the Importance of Ecological Protection-A Case Study of Guangxi, a Karst Region in China

The ecological security pattern is an important way to coordinate the contradiction between regional economic development and ecological protection and is conducive to promoting regional sustainable development. This study examines Guangxi, a karst region in China. The ecosystem service function and ecological environment sensitivity were both selected to evaluate the ecological conservation importance, and based on the results of the ecological conservation importance evaluation, suitable patches were selected as ecological sources. Meanwhile, resistance factors were selected from both natural factors and human activities to construct a comprehensive resistance surface, circuit theory was used to identify ecological corridors, ecological pinch points, and ecological barrier points, and ecological protection suggestions were then proposed. The results show that there are 50 patches of ecological sources in Guangxi, with a total area of 60,556.99 km2; 115 ecological corridors, with the longest corridor reaching 194.97 km; 301 ecological pinch points, whose spatial distribution is fragmented; and 286 ecological barrier points, most of which are concentrated in the central part of Guangxi. The results of this study provide a reference for the construction of ecological security patterns and ecological conservation in developing countries and karst areas.

Construction of an Ecological Security Pattern and the Evaluation of Corridor Priority Based on ESV and the “Importance–Connectivity” Index: A Case Study of Sichuan Province, China

Constructing an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an important means to describe, manage, and control ecological security. However, there are few related studies on functional analyses and evaluations of landscape elements, and the distribution of identified elements cannot fully reflect reality. To accurately depict ecological security and strengthen the role of landscape planning for policy formulation, we used the spatial distribution patterns of ecosystem services to adjust the ecosystem service value to accurately identify the distribution of ecological sources. The gravity model and Centrality Mapper tool are used to build an “importance–connectivity” index that evaluates the importance of ecological corridors in linking the sources and the contribution to maintaining the overall connectivity of ecological networks. The results show that (1) spatial heterogeneity exists in seven kinds of ecosystem services in Sichuan Province, China, and the high-level areas are concentrated in the central region. Moreover, (2) a total of 179 ecological sources and 445 ecological corridors with woodland and grassland as the main land use types are identified, and (3) a total of 153, 49, 78, and 165 corridors are divided into high importance–high connectivity, low importance–high connectivity, high importance–low connectivity, and low importance–low connectivity ecological corridors, respectively. The study provides a new framework for the construction of an ESP and for the priority evaluation of ecological corridors. To achieve balance between economic development and environmental protection, priority should be given to the protection of high-priority corridors when maintaining ecological security.

Coupling Ecological Security Pattern Establishment and Construction Land Expansion Simulation for Urban Growth Boundary Delineation: Framework and Application

Reasonable delineation of the urban growth boundary (UGB) plays a vital role in guiding orderly urban space growth and ensuring urban environmental health. Existing methodologies for UGB delineation have failed to address the significance of ecological security. Therefore, this study presents a framework that couples ecological security pattern (ESP) establishment and construction land expansion (CLE) simulation to delineate the UGB. The proposed framework is applied to the Nanchang Metropolitan Area (NCMA) in southeastern China. First, we established the regional ESP of the NCMA in 2018 based on an improved minimum cumulative resistance model. The areas of low-, medium-, and high-level ESP were 1050.75, 736.42, and 720.59 km2, respectively. Second, we implemented a multi-scenario simulation of CLE in the NCMA in 2025 based on a cellular automata–Markov model. A natural development scenario was superior to urban growth and ecological protection scenarios for social, economic, and ecological development at the regional scale. Accordingly, we delineated the UGB of the NCMA in 2025 with a scale of 687.87 km2, based on dynamic adjustment using the results of ESP establishment and CLE simulation in the natural development scenario. The rationality and scientificity of the proposed framework were verified by comparing the scale and layout of the delineated UGB with the regional planning of Nanchang City. The framework incorporating dynamic adjustment with ESP establishment and multi-scenario CLE simulation provides a useful tool for the delineation of the UGB in similar urbanized cities. Its application is conducive to achieving a win–win outcome of regional ecological security and urban development.

Identifying Ecological Security Patterns Based on Ecosystem Services Is a Significative Practice for Sustainable Development in Southwest China

Southwest China, which is rich in biodiversity and a wide range of ecosystem services (ESs), is a strong support for local human wellbeing. This area is also one of the key components of the ecological security shelter (ESS) for national ecological security and biodiversity conservation. Due to the combination of man-made and natural factors, Southwest China has suffered serious ecological degradation that directly threatens ecological security which refers to the health status of ecosystems and ESs functions. Mapping ESs-based ecological security patterns (ESPs) is essential for designing conservation strategies that suitably combine regional environment conservation with sustainable utilization. We used the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs Tool) model to identify ecological conservation priority areas which integrated ecological sensitivity (soil erosion sensitivity, rock desertification sensitivity, landslide sensitivity, debris flow sensitivity, and freezing-thawing erosion sensitivity), ecological risk (drought risk, natural disaster risk, and socio-economic risk), and ecological conservation importance (soil conservation, water conservation, and biodiversity conservation importance). In this research, we summarized a new designing framework of ESs-based ESPs. We divided the study area into two zones and four belts including: (A) the alpine steppe and wetland zone, (B) Hengduan Mountain zone, (C) northern shelter belt (Daba-Micang Mountain), (D) central shelter belt (Wumeng-Wuling Mountain), (E) southern shelter belt (southern border of China), and (F) southwestern shelter belt (eastern Himalayas Mountain). Identifying distributions of the ESs-based ESPs has practical significance to improve local human wellbeing and to maintain sustainable development of natural-social ecosystems in Southwest China. Furthermore, ESs-based ESPs are necessary for local administrations to create rationalizing plans on balancing conservation and utilization of natural resources, so that policy-makers can put into place targeted prevention and control measures to limit the development of excessive consumption of natural resources and ecological damages, which is worth promoting.

Simulating Urban Expansion Based on Ecological Security Pattern-A Case Study of Hangzhou, China

Disordered urban expansion has encroached on a large amount of ecological land, resulting in the steady degradation of urban ecology, which has an adverse effect on the sustainable development of the region. An ecological security pattern can effectively control urban expansion, and it is of great significance to balance urban development and ecological protection. In order to analyze the impact of ecological security patterns on urban expansion, Hangzhou was taken as an example, the CA-Markov model and FLUS model were used to simulate the urban expansion pattern in 2030 under the natural development scenario and the ecological security scenario. The results showed that (1) the ecological source area in the study area is 630.90 km² and was mainly distributed in the western mountainous area. There are 14 ecological corridors, primarily composed of valleys and rivers. Ecological nodes are mainly distributed on the north and south sides of the main urban area. (2) From 2000 to 2018, the annual increase index (AI) of construction land decreased in the northeast and southeast directions but increased in the northwest and southwest directions, and in the northeast direction the value was always the highest. Except for the southwest direction, the average annual growth rate (AGR) of construction land in the other directions decreased. At a distance from the city center of 30 km, AI was relatively higher and was increasing, while AGR was declining. At a distance of 30–45 km, both AI and AGR were increasing, indicating that the focus of construction land was moving outwards. (3) From 2018 to 2030, under both natural development scenario and ecological security scenario, construction land would keep expanding, but the construction land area, proportion, AI, and AGR of the latter would both be smaller than the former, indicating that the ecological security pattern can effectively curb urban expansion. Because of a large amount area of ecological sources, the expansion of construction land in the southwest direction would be constrained, especially under the ecological security scenario. The methods and results of this study can provide theoretical and application references for urban planning and green development in metropolises.

Protection Effect and Vacancy of the Ecological Protection Redline: A Case Study in Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, China

The Ecological Protection Redline (EPR) is an innovative measure implemented in China to maintain the structural stability and functional security of the ecosystem. By prohibiting large-scale urban and industrial construction activities, EPR is regarded as the “lifeline” to ensure national ecological security. It is of great practical significance to scientifically evaluate the protection effect of EPR and identify the protection vacancies. However, current research has focused only on the protection effects of the EPR on ecosystem services (ESs), and the protection effect of the EPR on ecological connectivity remains poorly understood. Based on an evaluation of ES importance, the circuit model, and hotspot analysis, this paper identified the ecological security pattern in Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), analyzed the role of EPR in maintaining ES and ecological connectivity, and identified protection gaps. The results were as follows: (1) The ecological sources were mainly distributed in mountainous areas of the GBA. The ecological sources and ecological corridors constitute a circular ecological shelter surrounding the urban agglomeration of the GBA. (2) The EPR effectively protected water conservation, soil conservation, and biodiversity maintenance services, but the protection efficiency of carbon sequestration service and ecological connectivity were low. In particularly, EPR failed to continuously protect regional large-scale ecological corridors and some important stepping stones. (3) The protection gaps of carbon sequestration service and ecological connectivity in the study area reached 1099.80 km2 and 2175.77 km2, respectively, mainly distributed in Qingyuan, Yunfu, and Huizhou. In future EPR adjustments, important areas for carbon sequestration service and ecological connectivity maintenance should be included. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the protection effects of EPR on ecological structure and function, and it has produced significant insights into improvements of the EPR policy. In addition, this paper proposes that the scope of resistance surface should be extended, which would improve the rationality of the ecological corridor simulation.

Zoning of Ecological Restoration in the Qilian Mountain Area, China

Ecosystem restoration has been widely concerned with the damage and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Scientific and reasonable formulations of ecological restoration zoning is the basis for the formulation of an ecological restoration plan. In this study, a restoration zoning index system was proposed to comprehensively consider the ecological problems of ecosystems. The linear weighted function method was used to construct the ecological restoration index (ERI) as an important index of zoning. The research showed that: (1) the ecological restoration zones of the Qilian Mountains can be divided into eight basins, namely the headwaters of the Datong River Basin, the Danghe-Dahaerteng River Basin, the northern confluence area of the Qinghai Lake, the upper Shule River to middle Heihe River, the Oasis Agricultural Area in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountain, the Huangshui Basin Valley, Aksay (corridor region of the western Hexi Basin), and the northeastern Tsaidam Basin; (2) the restoration index of the eight ecological restoration zones of the Qilian Mountains was between 0.34–0.8, with an average of 0.61 (the smaller the index, the more prominent the comprehensive ecological problem representing the regional mountains, rivers, forests, cultivated lands, lakes, and grasslands, and thus the greater the need to implement comprehensive ecological protection and restoration projects); and (3) the ecological problems of different ecological zones are frequently numerous, and often show the phenomenon of multiple overlapping ecological problems in the same zone.

The Construction of Ecological Security Patterns in Coastal Areas Based on Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment-A Case Study of Jiaodong Peninsula, China

Increasing land utilization, population aggregation and strong land–sea interaction make coastal areas an ecologically fragile environment. The construction of an ecological security pattern is important for maintaining the function of the coastal ecosystem. This paper takes Jiaodong Peninsula in China, a hilly coastal area, as an example for evaluating landscape ecological risk within a comprehensive framework of “nature–neighborhood–landscape”, based on spatial principal component analysis, and it constructs the ecological security pattern based on the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR). The results showed that the overall level of ecological risk in the study area was medium. The connectivity between the areas of low landscape ecological risk was relatively low, and the high risk areas were concentrated in the north of the Peninsula. A total of 11 key ecological corridors of three types (water, green space and road corridors) and 105 potential corridors were constructed. According to the ecological network pattern, landscape ecological optimization suggestions were proposed: key corridors in the north and south of Jiaodong Peninsula should be connected; urban development should consider current ecological sources and corridors to prevent landscape fragmentation; and the ecological roles of potential corridors should be strengthened. This paper can provide a theoretical and practical basis for ecological planning and urban master planning in coastal areas in the future.

Identifying Key Sites of Green Infrastructure to Support Ecological Restoration in the Urban Agglomeration

The loss and fragmentation of natural space has placed tremendous pressure on green infrastructure (GI), especially in urban agglomeration areas. It is of great importance to identify key sites of GI, which are used to economically and efficiently restore urban ecological network. However, in the existing research, few scholars have explored the identification and application of GI key sites. Taking the Southern Jiangsu Urban Agglomeration as an example, based on the ecosystem service assessment and landscape connectivity analysis, we identified the multi-class key sites of GI in the study area by MSPA, InVEST model, MCR model, and Linkage mapper. The results showed that: (1) a total of 60 GI sources and 130 GI corridors were extracted. The ecological resources of the study area were densely distributed in the north and south and sparsely in the middle. (2) Three-hundred eighty GI key sites were identified, including 53 water ecological points, 251 ecological fracture points, and 76 ecological pinch points. The GI key sites we identified were large in number and widely distributed, yet were hardly included in the existing ecological protection policies. These key sites should be prioritized in GI planning and differentiated for management strategies, ensuring that limited land resources and public funds can be directed to where restoration is really needed. The present study provides land managers and urban planners with additional tools to better understand how to effectively restore and develop the ecosystems of urban agglomerations in the context of scarce land resources.

Linking Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and Circuit Theory to Identify Ecological Security Pattern in the Loess Plateau: Taking Shuozhou City as an Example

Located in an ecologically fragile area in China’s eastern part of the Loess Plateau, Shuozhou City has faced environmental challenges imposed by frequent urban expansion and mining activities in recent years. As ecological security patterns (ESP) identification and optimization are significant to regional biodiversity and ecosystem services, this study combined morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and circuit theory to construct and optimize regional ESP. Results show the number and area of ecological sources in the study area decreased from 21 to 20 between 2010 and 2017. The total area of ecological sources fell from 1923.35 km2 to 1869.37 km2, with their proportion in the study area dropped from 18.14% to 17.64%. From 2010 to 2017, the number of obstacles increases from 63 to 80, mainly consisting of farmland, unused land, transportation land, and construction land. The area of obstacles reached 10.17 km2 in 2017. A framework of “one protection area, two regulation areas, and three restoration areas” is proposed to optimize the ESP of the study zone. This study explored a combination of ESP analysis tools and focused on improving regional ecosystem service and biodiversity. It will support local urban planning and provide a reference for similar studies in resource-based cities.

Designing Ecological Security Patterns Based on the Framework of Ecological Quality and Ecological Sensitivity: A Case Study of Jianghan Plain, China

Researchers and managers of natural resource conservation have increasingly emphasized the importance of maintaining a connected network of important ecological patches to mitigate landscape fragmentation, reduce the decline of biodiversity, and sustain ecological services. This research aimed to guide landscape management and decision-making by developing an evaluation framework to construct ecological security patterns. Taking the Jianghan Plain as the study area, we identified key ecological sources by overlaying the spatial patterns of ecological quality (biodiversity, carbon storage, and water yield) and ecological sensitivity (habitat sensitivity, soil erosion sensitivity, and water sensitivity) using the Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model and the Chinese Soil Loss Equation Function. Ecological corridors were obtained by the least-cost path analysis method and circuit theory. A total of 48 ecological sources (3812.95 km2), primarily consisting of water area, forestland, and cropland, were identified. Ninety-one ecological corridors were derived, with a total length of 2036.28 km. Forty barriers and 40 pinch points with the highest improvement coefficient scores or priority scores were selected. There were 11 priority corridors with very high levels of connectivity improvement potential and conservation priority, occupying 16.15% of the total length of corridors. The overall potential for ecological connectivity is high on the Jianghan Plain. Our framework offers a valuable reference for constructing ecological security patterns and identifying sites for ecological restoration at the regional scale.

Construction and Optimization of an Urban Ecological Security Pattern Based on Habitat Quality Assessment and the Minimum Cumulative Resistance Model in Shenzhen City, China

The rapid development of urbanization has caused many ecological issues and greatly threatened the sustainable development of human society. The construction of ecological security patterns (ESPs) offers an effective way to balance ecological conservation and urbanization. This study aimed to take the highly urbanized city of Shenzhen, China, as a study area to construct an urban ESP and put forward suggestions for the urban development of ecological security. Ecological sources were identified through the Habitat Quality module in the InVEST model, and ecological corridors, strategic ecological nodes, and stepping-stone patches were extracted based on the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. These elements together constituted the ESP. In particular, with the results of the continuous decline in the overall habitat quality, this study identified ten ecological sources with superior habitat quality, mainly distributed in rural woodlands, in urban green land, and in forest park patches. An optimized pattern for Shenzhen City with one axis, three belts, and four zones is proposed, with the study area divided into an ecological preservation zone, a limited development zone, an optimized development zone, and a key development zone. Moreover, forty-five ecological corridors were extracted and graded into three levels, presenting a spatial pattern of one axis and three belts. The appropriate widths of these ecological corridors were suggested to be between 30 and 60 m in Shenzhen City. In addition, we identified twenty-five ecological nodes, sixteen ecological fracture points, and sixteen stepping stones to improve the maintenance and construction of the ecological corridor network. More generally, this study demonstrates a scientific approach to identifying ESPs based on habitat quality, and can serve as a reference for the planning of urban ecological function regionalization.

Ecological Security Pattern Construction in Karst Area Based on Ant Algorithm

Constructing the ecological security pattern is imperative to stabilize ecosystem services and sustainable development coordination of the social economy and ecology. This paper focuses on the Karst region in southeastern Yunnan, which is ecologically fragile. This paper selects the main types of ecosystem services and identifies the ecological source using hot spot analysis for Guangnan County. An inclusive consideration of the regional ecologic conditions and the rocky desertification formation mechanism was made. The resistance factor index system was developed to generate the basic resistance surface modified by the ecological sensitivity index. The Ant algorithm and Kernel density analysis were used to determine ecological corridor range and ecological restoration points that constructed the ecological security pattern of Guangnan County. The results demonstrated that, firstly, there were twenty-three sources in Guangnan County, with a total area of 1292.77 km², accounting for 16.74% of the total. The forests were the chief ecological sources distributed in the non-Karst area, where Bamei Town, Yangliujing Township and Nasa Town had the highest distribution. Secondly, the revised resistance value is similar to “Zhe (Zhetu Township)-Lian (Liancheng Town)-Yang (Yangliujing Township)-Ban (Bambang Township)”. The values were lower in the north and higher in the south, which is consistent with the regional distribution of Karst. Thirdly, the constructed ecological security pattern of the “Source-Corridor-Ecological restoration point” paradigm had twenty-three ecological corridors. The chief ecological and potential corridor areas were 804.95 km² and 621.2 km², respectively. There are thirty-eight ecological restoration points mainly distributed in the principal ecological corridors and play a vital role in maintaining the corridor connectivity between sources. The results provide guidance and theoretical basis for the ecological security patterns construction in Karst areas, regional ecologic security protection and sustainable development promotion.