Identifying ecologically valuable and sensitive areas: a case study analysis from China

Incorporating network topology and ecosystem services into the optimization of ecological network: A case study of the Yellow River Basin

Human activity-induced landscape fragmentation seriously affects regional connectivity and biodiversity and hinders human well-being and sustainable development. These effects can be mitigated by the construction of ecological networks (ENs), but building extensive ENs requires cross-regional planning and coordination. Since ecosystems in different regions provide varying benefits to humans, optimizing ENs based on the quality of ecosystem services (ESs) is an effective way to rapidly improve regional landscape connectivity. In this study, we constructed an EN in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) according to landscape ecology and complex network theory, examined the network topology, measured three ESs using the InVEST model, and optimized the EN based on the coupling of EN topology and ES quality. In the YRB, the biodiversity index and carbon storage capacity were relatively higher and invariable. However, the wind-breaking and sand-fixing index was poorer, but it increased by 146 % during the study period. The number of ecological patches was roughly 48, accounting for about 40 % of the YRB region. From 1995 to 2020, the average ecological resistance decreased by 29 %, and the average number of corridors was 99, but the average corridor length first increased and then decreased. The number and area of ecological pinch points and barriers changed significantly. The EN topology strongly correlated with biodiversity and wind-breaking and sand-fixing, but not with carbon storage. In the face of random attacks, the optimized EN demonstrated significantly greater connectivity robustness. Under deliberate attacks, it exhibited better resilience and buffering power when the percentage of attacking nodes is in the 30 %-80 % range. For the ecological patches within a certain range of the attacking node, appropriate development and planning can be carried out in the future, while for the patches outside the range, strict ecological protection measures need to be implemented. This study provides theoretical references for improving EN planning efficiency and promoting synergistic cooperation in the YRB.

The Effects of the Ecological Conservation Redline in China: A Case Study in Anji County

The Ecological Conservation Redline (ECR) of China plays an important role in avoiding ecological space occupancy and maintaining regional ecological security. Anji County in Zhejiang Province is one of the first regions to implement the ECR in China. This paper takes Anji County as an example to analyze the effects of ECR. To do this, we first set up two scenarios with the CLUE-S model: a normal land-use development scenario (NLDS) and an ECR implementation scenario (ECRS); then we compare the land use of 2010 and 2015 under NLDS and ECRS. Land use, ecosystem services value (ESV), landscape metrics, and ecological product outputs were compared between the entire county and the ECR areas. The results revealed the following: (1) From 2000 to 2015, the ecological land in Anji County decreased by 4.03%, while it decreased by 1.17% in the ECR areas. (2) In the ECR areas, there was less arable land and construction land of the ECRS than in the NLDS, which indicates the ECR impeded the expansion of construction land and arable land in the ECR areas. (3) The ECR areas account for 39% of Anji County but contribute more than 80% to the ESV of the whole county. During 2000–2015, the ESV of the entire county decreased while the ESV of the ECR areas increased. (4) From 2000 to 2015, whereas landscape fragmentation of the entire county increased, that of ECR areas decreased. (5) Since the ECR’s implementation, Anji County has vigorously developed the bamboo industry, ecological agriculture, the tourism industry, and achieved rapid economic development via industrial restructuring and transformation. On the whole, the ECR has neither adversely affected land development nor economic development but instead has promoted the optimization of the land’s spatial development pattern.

Delimitating the Ecological Spaces for Water Conservation Services in Jilin Province of China

Mastering the spatial distribution of water retention capacity and scientifically delineating the ecological space for water conservation are of great significance to the management of regional land and water resources. In this paper, a water conservation ecological spatial delimitation framework suitable for water-deficient areas was put forward. The water retention capacity of the study area in 1983, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2016 was evaluated by using the InVEST Water Yield model and water balance method, respectively. On this basis, a flexible inflection point model based on the contribution degree of functional units was established. Then the ecological space for water conservation was delimited. The framework was applied to the delimitation of the key water conservation areas in Jilin province, China. The results showed that: (1) the spatial distribution pattern of water conservation in Jilin province gradually decreased from east to west. The spatial difference was significant. The maximum value of water conservation in Jilin province was 730 mm. From 1983 to 2016, water conservation, which accounted for 75.71% of the area, showed an upward trend. The overall water retention capacity showed the characteristics of the overall increase and the local decline. (2) From the absolute amount of the effect of unit area change on water conservation, the intensity from the high to the low was forestland, cultivated land, grassland, unused land, buildings, and water. (3) The area of water conservation less than 474 mm accounted for more than 80% of the total study area. The overall water retention capacity was low. High importance ecological space area of water conservation was comprehensively defined as 36.97%, which was mainly distributed in the natural forest area of Changbai Mountain in the east and the south of Song Liao Plain. Therefore, this study provided a basic layout of relatively concentrated ecological spatial distribution for water conservation types at different levels in Jilin province. The study results and conclusions of this paper will provide a reference for water conservation assessment and the regional land’s natural resources management.

China's ecological conservation redline: A solution for future nature conservation

Globally, continuing environmental degradation is leading many countries to strengthen their systems of protected areas. However, this may not be sufficient to halt degradation and conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. To supplement its growing system of protected areas, the Chinese government is adopting a strategy of Ecological Conservation Redlines (ECRs). The ECRs define limits to human encroachment into ecologically sensitive and vulnerable areas and enforce strict conservation in order to guarantee national ecological security. ECRs are integrated in their design, are based on sound science, and provide a systemic management mechanism. ECR supports the formation of a comprehensive ecological conservation system that will lead to effective conservation for the most ecologically valuable and fragile ecosystems. The ECR approach seeks to improve China's ecological security and guide nature conservation in the future. It could also provide a valuable example of an effective approach for improving nature conservation worldwide.

An Accurate Matching Method for Projecting Vector Data into Surveillance Video to Monitor and Protect Cultivated Land

The integration of intelligent video surveillance and GIS (geograhical information system) data provides a new opportunity for monitoring and protecting cultivated land. For a GIS-based video monitoring system, the prerequisite is to align the GIS data with video image. However, existing methods or systems have their own shortcomings when implemented in monitoring cultivated land. To address this problem, this paper aims to propose an accurate matching method for projecting vector data into surveillance video, considering the topographic characteristics of cultivated land in plain area. Once an adequate number of control points are identified from 2D (two-dimensional) GIS data and the selected reference video image, the alignment of 2D GIS data and PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) video frames can be realized by automatic feature matching method. Based on the alignment results, we can easily identify the occurrence of farmland destruction by visually inspecting the image content covering the 2D vector area. Furthermore, a prototype of intelligent surveillance video system for cultivated land is constructed and several experiments are conducted to validate the proposed approach. Experimental results show that the proposed alignment methods can achieve a high accuracy and satisfy the requirements of cultivated land monitoring.

Spatial Patterns and Driving Forces of Conflicts among the Three Land Management Red Lines in China: A Case Study of the Wuhan Urban Development Area

The delimitation of three land management red lines (LMRLs), which refers to urban growth boundaries (UGBs), ecological protection redlines (EPRs), and basic farmland protection zones (BFPZs), has been regarded as a control method for promoting sustainable urban development in China. However, in many Chinese cities, conflicts extensively exist among the three LMRLs in terms of spatial partitioning. This study clarifies the connotation of conflicts among the three LMRLs. Moreover, a red line conflict index (RLCI) is established to characterize the intensity of conflicts among the three LMRLs. The Wuhan Urban Development Area (WUDA) is used for a case study, in which the spatial patterns of the three types of conflicts among the three LMRLs (i.e., conflicts between EPRs and BFPZs, EPRs and UGBs, and UGBs and BFPZs) are analyzed through numerous spatial statistical analysis methods (including spatial autocorrelation, urban-rural gradient, and landscape pattern analyses). In addition, the driving forces of these conflicts are identified from the perspectives of natural physics, socioeconomic development, neighborhood, policy and planning using three binary logistic regression models. Results show that the conflicts between EPRs and BFPZs, EPRs and UGBs, and UGBs and BFPZs are mainly distributed on the edge of the WUDA, inside Wuhan’s third circulation line, and at the urban–rural transition zone, respectively. The patch of conflict between BFPZs and UGBs has the lowest aggregation degree, the highest fragmentation degree, and the most complex shape. Logistic regression results show that the combination and relative importance of driving factors vary in the three types of conflicts among the three LMRLs. In the conflict between EPRs and BFPZs, the distance to city centers is the most important influencing factor, followed by the proportion of ecological land and elevation. In the conflict between UGBs and EPRs, the proportion of construction land, the distance to city centers, and whether the land unit is within the scope of a restricted development zone are the three most important factors. The proportion of construction land, the distances to the Yangtze and Han Rivers, and the proportion of cultivated land significantly influence the conflict between UGBs and BFPZs. This study aids in our understanding of the causes and mechanisms of conflicts among the three LMRLs, and provides important information for the “integration of multi-planning” and land management in Wuhan and similar cities.