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Introduction: Creating an ecological space network is essential for safeguarding the core structure of ecological space. Methods: Morphological spatial pattern analysis was used to locate ecological sources in the Kuye River Basin. Using the least cumulative resistance model and gravity model, the resistance surface, ecological corridor, and ecological space management network are determined. Results and discussion: The study revealed that in 2022, the predominant land use types in the Kuye River Basin were wood land and grassland, cultivated land, and construction land. MSPA model software identifies a substantial portion of the landscape pattern as consisting of core and marginal areas, which encompass 30324.05 hm² and 15088.24 hm². High ecological resistance surface factors dominate the socioeconomically vibrant zone and northern regions. Resistance values ranging from 0.02 to 0.87, and high and law resistance zones alternate. The minimal cumulative resistance approach found 171 ecological corridors. And gravity model using the interaction matrix of 19 primary ecological sources discovered 8 first-level ecological corridors with the highest interaction force. There are 137 core and 23 subsidiary ecological corridors with significant affects. Overlying the road factors and ecological corridors of national highways, provincial roads, railways, and high-speed roads creates a total of 38 ecological breakpoints, each characterized by specific barrier effects and legal ecological stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global ecological problems become increasingly prominent, the construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) has become particularly important for ensuring regional ecological security, coordinating social and economic development, and improving the livelihood and well-being of people. ESP construction based on source-resistance surface-corridor-node information has become the main research paradigm. In this study, the literature analysis method is employed to obtain relevant ESP research results systematically from the perspectives of conceptual connotations, construction methods, evaluations and regulations. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Over time, dynamic pattern construction has become a research hotspot; spatially, less attention has been given to areas with multi-scale and cross-administrative boundary. (2) The ESP construction method is relatively mature, but shortcomings remain, such as the neglect of small-scale but important ecological sources, insufficient consideration of species living habits, lack of research on corridor heterogeneity, and inadequate field surveys and visits. (3) Qualitative ESP evaluation focuses on analyzing the rationality and accuracy of the delineated ecological sources. In contrast, quantitative ESP evaluation focuses on the connectivity, accessibility and robustness of ecological network (EN), which has been more widely applied. Multilevel regulation can promote the implementation of ESP. Future research should focus on (1) selecting ecosystem services on the basis of local conditions and considering trade-offs and synergistic relationships, (2) deepening research on the spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem services and accurate construction of EN, and (3) introducing machine learning to achieve intelligent ESP construction. This paper provides directions for future research, outlines new ideas for the systematic and rigorous construction of ESP and promotes more in-depth and practical global ecological civilization construction.

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Ecological security pattern (ESP) can bridge the paradox between ecological conservation and socioeconomic development. Although various methods have been applied to establish ESP successfully, improving its scientificity and reliability for regional sustainability are still great challenges. Taking Harbin administrative region as the study area, this paper integrated the merits of the function-oriented method (assessing the importance of ecological services using the InVEST model) and the structure-oriented method (extracting the connectivity of landscapes based on the MSPA model) to improve the identification of ecological sources more scientifically. Night light data were used to modify the natural resistance surface to reveal the real natural and human disturbance for ES loss during species migration and ecological flows. Then, the ESP was established by combining the ecological nodes after extracting and grading the ecological corridors. The results showed that the individual ES performed with a high spatial heterogeneity and was highly correlated with land use patterns. The extremely important and slightly important were the dominant level types in the study area, and the proportion of extremely important declined greatly from 44.78% in 1980 to 30.14% in 2020. Core was the main landscape type with a proportion of 57.13% and mainly distributed in the Lesser Khingan Mountains and Zhangguangcai Mountains. More than 700 ecological corridors were extracted according to the MCR model and the important ecological corridors were selected based on the gravity model, with 86 ecological nodes obtained from the intersection points of ecological corridors. An ESP of "two zones, two barriers, one axis and one belt" was proposed, and relevant protection measures were put out for the sustainable development in the study area. The findings indicated that imposing ESP could form a stable secure frame for social economic development and ecological protection, avoiding irrational land use modes and excessive dispersion of landscapes. This study could provide valuable references for land use planning and the formulation of related ecological protection policies and regional sustainable development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The development process of ecological security patterns (ESP) is divided into three stages. • Building a dynamic pattern of multi-methods, multi-scales, and multi-goals is a vital measure to improve human well-being. • Evaluating and regulating ESP is key to sustaining and enhancing ecosystem sustainability and toughness. • High-level ESP construction focuses on the process, temporal scale, spatial scale, and green-gray corridor balance. As global ecological problems become increasingly prominent, the construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) has become particularly important for ensuring regional ecological security, coordinating social and economic development, and improving the livelihood and well-being of people. ESP construction based on source-resistance surface-corridor-node information has become the main research paradigm. In this study, the literature analysis method is employed to obtain relevant ESP research results systematically from the perspectives of conceptual connotations, construction methods, evaluations and regulations. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Over time, dynamic pattern construction has become a research hotspot; spatially, less attention has been given to areas with multi-scale and cross-administrative boundary. (2) The ESP construction method is relatively mature, but shortcomings remain, such as the neglect of small-scale but important ecological sources, insufficient consideration of species living habits, lack of research on corridor heterogeneity, and inadequate field surveys and visits. (3) Qualitative ESP evaluation focuses on analyzing the rationality and accuracy of the delineated ecological sources. In contrast, quantitative ESP evaluation focuses on the connectivity, accessibility and robustness of ecological network (EN), which has been more widely applied. Multilevel regulation can promote the implementation of ESP. Future research should focus on (1) selecting ecosystem services on the basis of local conditions and considering trade-offs and synergistic relationships, (2) deepening research on the spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem services and accurate construction of EN, and (3) introducing machine learning to achieve intelligent ESP construction. This paper provides directions for future research, outlines new ideas for the systematic and rigorous construction of ESP and promotes more in-depth and practical global ecological civilization construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background With the increasing fragmentation of landscape induced by rapid urbanization, the construction of ecological networks is of great significance to alleviate the degradation of urban habitats and protect natural environments. However, there is considerable uncertainty when constructing ecological networks, especially the different approaches to selecting ecological sources. We used the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen as a study area to construct and optimize ecological networks using a coupling approach. Ecological source areas were extracted using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the landscape index method. Ecological networks were constructed using the minimal cumulative resistance (MCR) model and the gravity model. Stepping stones and ecological fault points were added in corridors to optimize the ecological network. Results Ten core areas with maximum importance patch values were extracted by the landscape index method as ecological source areas according to MSPA, after which corridors between ecological sources were constructed based on the MCR model. The constructed ecological networks were optimized using 35 stepping stones and 17 ecological fault points. The optimized ecological networks included 11 important corridors, 34 general corridors, and seven potential corridors. The results of corridor landscape-type analysis showed that a suitable ecological corridor is 60 to 200 m wide. Conclusions Overall, our results imply that ecological source areas can be identified virtually, and that ecological networks can be significantly optimized by combining MSPA and MCR models. These results provide a methodological reference for constructing ecological networks, and they will be useful for urban planning and biodiversity protection in Shenzhen and other similar regions around the world.

Ecological security pattern (ESP) can bridge the paradox between ecological conservation and socioeconomic development. Although various methods have been applied to establish ESP successfully, improving its scientificity and reliability for regional sustainability are still great challenges. Taking Harbin administrative region as the study area, this paper integrated the merits of the function-oriented method (assessing the importance of ecological services using the InVEST model) and the structure-oriented method (extracting the connectivity of landscapes based on the MSPA model) to improve the identification of ecological sources more scientifically. Night light data were used to modify the natural resistance surface to reveal the real natural and human disturbance for ES loss during species migration and ecological flows. Then, the ESP was established by combining the ecological nodes after extracting and grading the ecological corridors. The results showed that the individual ES performed with a high spatial heterogeneity and was highly correlated with land use patterns. The extremely important and slightly important were the dominant level types in the study area, and the proportion of extremely important declined greatly from 44.78% in 1980 to 30.14% in 2020. Core was the main landscape type with a proportion of 57.13% and mainly distributed in the Lesser Khingan Mountains and Zhangguangcai Mountains. More than 700 ecological corridors were extracted according to the MCR model and the important ecological corridors were selected based on the gravity model, with 86 ecological nodes obtained from the intersection points of ecological corridors. An ESP of “two zones, two barriers, one axis and one belt” was proposed, and relevant protection measures were put out for the sustainable development in the study area. The findings indicated that imposing ESP could form a stable secure frame for social economic development and ecological protection, avoiding irrational land use modes and excessive dispersion of landscapes. This study could provide valuable references for land use planning and the formulation of related ecological protection policies and regional sustainable development strategies.

Background: With the increasing fragmentation of landscape induced by rapid urbanization, the construction of ecological networks is of great significance to alleviate the degradation of urban habitats and protect natural environments. However, there is considerable uncertainty when constructing ecological networks, especially the different approaches to selecting ecological sources. We used the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen as a study area to construct and optimize ecological networks using a coupling approach. Ecological source areas were extracted using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the landscape index method. Ecological networks were constructed using the minimal cumulative resistance (MCR) model and the gravity model. Stepping stones and ecological fault points were added in corridors to optimize the ecological network. Results: Ten core areas with maximum importance patch values were extracted by the landscape index method as ecological source areas according to MSPA, after which corridors between ecological sources were constructed based on the MCR model. The constructed ecological networks were optimized using 35 stepping stones and 17 ecological fault points. The optimized ecological networks included 11 important corridors, 34 general corridors, and seven potential corridors. The results of corridor landscape-type analysis showed that a suitable ecological corridor is 60 to 200 m wide. Conclusions: Overall, our results imply that ecological source areas can be identified virtually, and that ecological networks can be significantly optimized by combining MSPA and MCR models. These results provide a methodological reference for constructing ecological networks, and they will be useful for urban planning and biodiversity protection in Shenzhen and other similar regions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological network construction plays a key role in ecological restoration, which can effectively mitigate negative effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity. Here, we proposed an improved analytical framework for ecological network identification. Specifically, ecological sources were identified using a three-dimension indicator system in terms of form, quality and functions of habitats. Ecological resistance surfaces were determined based on the incorporation of points of interest data that could characterize human activities into habitat risk assessment (HRA) model, while ecological corridors were extracted using circuit theory approach. With Wuhan Metropolitan Area as a case, we explored the key points and structures of ecological network. Moreover, we compared the construction method of ecological resistance surface based on points of interest and HRA model with traditional methods that determined by land use types and by traditional HRA model, to validate the proposed framework. The results showed that the ecological source area of Wuhan Metropolitan Area was 15200 km 2 , the length of ecological corridor was 1956.68 km, and that there were 87 ecological "pinch points" and 67 ecological barrier points. Compared with traditional methods, the material circulation, network complexity, and ecological connectivity of the ecological network identified by the improved framework were significantly improved, with network closure, dot-line ratio, and network connectivity being increased by 61.5%, 28.1% and 28.7% on average. The identified ecological "pinch points" and barrier points could provide precise decision-making support for ecological restoration and conservation.

Construction of ecological network is important lor improving urban ecological environment under the scenarios of rapid urbanization. We extracted the core area with good connectivity as the ecological sources with the methods of morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape index with Guangzhou City as the study area. The ecological network was then constructed by minimal cumulative resistance (MCR) model and was quantitatively analyzed by gravity model and connectivity indices. Aiter that, an optimized ecological network was iinally constructed. The results showed that ten core patches could be used as ecological sources. In addition, eighteen important corridors as well as twenty-seven general corridors were identified, which were mainly distributed in the northeast part of the city. Five more ecological sources and thirteen more planning corridors were suggested under the optimized ecological network. Our results indicated that forests were the main composition of ecological corridors. The appropriate width for the important corridor and planning corridor was 60-100 m and 30-60 m, respectively. Our results provide scientific guidance lor designing urban ecological network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban expansion models are useful tools to understand urbanization process and have been given much attention. However, urban expansion is a complicated socio-economic phenomenon that is affected by complex and volatile factors involving in great uncertainties. Therefore, the accurate simulation of the urban expansion process remains challenging. In this paper, we make an attempt to solve such uncertainty through a reversal process and view urban expansion as a process wherein the urban landscape overcomes resistance from other landscapes. We developed an innovative approach derived from the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model that involved the introduction of a relative resistance factor for different source levels and the consideration of rigid constraints on urban expansion caused by ecological barriers. Using this approach, the urban expansion ecological resistance (UEER) model was created to describe ecological resistance surfaces suitable for simulating urban expansion and used to simulate urban expansion in Guangzhou. The study results demonstrate that the ecological resistance surface generated by the UEER model comprehensively reflects ecological resistance to urban expansion and indicates the spatial trends in urban expansion. The simulation results from the UEER-based model were more realistic and more accurately reflected ecological protection requirements than the conventional MCR-based model. These findings can enhance urban expansion simulation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban expansion is the spreading process of urban construction land overcoming ecological resistance. In this paper, we introduced relative resistance factors on different source levels in the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), and considered the inherent constraints and epitaxial ecological resistance on town expansion. Then, we constructed an improved minimal cumulative resistance (IMCR) for urban expansion simulation. The ecological resistance surface of Yuzhong county was formed to simulate the spatial distribution and boundary of town expansion to 2030. The results show: (1) the spatial difference of comprehensive ecological resistance in Yuzhong County is significant, which is decreasing from south to north. The urban expansion is affected by the ecological environment. In addition, the ecological constraints of urban expansion are higher in the areas with better ecological quality. (2) When the ecological constraints are high, the simulated area of urban expansion is smaller than the planned area. On the contrary, when the ecological constraints are low, the simulated area of urban expansion is larger than the planned area. The urban expansion boundary under the planning scenario is relatively straight, simple and rigid, and the town boundary under the ecological constraint scenario is a curve, complex and irregular. (3) The simulation results based on the IMCR model are more in line with reality and reflect the requirements of ecological protection. From the perspective of urban expansion scale and intensity control, the simulation results are more in line with actual needs and reflect the direction of policy regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of ecological network is important for improving urban ecological environment under the scenarios of rapid urbanization. We extracted the core area with good connectivity as the ecological sources with the methods of morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape index with Guangzhou City as the study area. The ecological network was then constructed by minimal cumulative resistance (MCR) model and was quantitatively analyzed by gravity model and connectivity indices. After that, an optimized ecological network was finally constructed. The results showed that ten core patches could be used as ecological sources. In addition, eighteen important corridors as well as twenty-seven general corridors were identified, which were mainly distributed in the northeast part of the city. Five more ecological sources and thirteen more planning corridors were suggested under the optimized ecological network. Our results indicated that forests were the main composition of ecological corridors. The appropriate width for the important corridor and planning corridor was 60-100 m and 30-60 m, respectively. Our results provide scientific guidance for designing urban ecological network.