Search Results (20)

Innovative solutions are needed for urban flooding exacerbated by climate change. In light of this, this study developed an integrated framework for urban wetland flood control that combines Morphospatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) modeling, and complex network theory for optimizing an ecological network of flood control and mitigation wetlands in Changchun, China. The results show that the optimized ecological network significantly improved connectivity and flood mitigation efficiency. The node degree increased from 2.737 to 3.433, and the average clustering coefficient exhibited an increase from 0.074 to 0.231, enhancing material flow efficiency. Robustness analysis revealed that the optimized network’s connectivity robustness improved by 12.6%, 18.4%, and 24.1% under random, malicious, and controlled attack scenarios, respectively. Additionally, ecological corridors with a width of 30–50 m were identified as the optimal range for water conveyance potential, effectively dispersing peak runoff and reducing flood risk. This study provides both a transferable methodology for flood-resilient planning and specific policy actions, including priority conservation of high-betweenness nodes and restoration of fragmented wetlands, offering practical solutions for high-density cities facing similar climate challenges. Full article

The rapid pace of urbanization is contributing to ecological degradation and poses a threat to regional ecological security. Addressing these issues requires effective strategies to mitigate existing environmental challenges. Ecological networks, as the spatial foundation for ecosystem services, play a critical role in reducing environmental degradation. By reconfiguring the spatial relationship between human activities and natural ecosystems, anthropogenic pressures on land can be alleviated. However, most current research focuses on administrative boundaries, which limits spatial continuity and regional coordination. Therefore, constructing ecological networks from a cross-regional perspective is essential for integrated ecological management. This study uses the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integration Demonstration Area as a case study. We construct a blue–green ecological network by applying ecological footprint analysis, Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), landscape connectivity assessments, the Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model, and gravity modeling. Practical strategies for integrating the ecological network into territorial spatial planning are also explored. The key findings are as follows: (1) The demonstration area contains 33 ecological source areas, including 20 primary sources located near administrative boundaries and central lakeshore wetlands. A total of 333 ecological corridors were identified. First-grade corridors are primarily located in rural areas, traversing agricultural land and water bodies. (2) We recommend corridor widths of 200 m for first-grade corridors, 60 m for second-grade corridors, and 30 m for third-grade corridors. These widths are based on species characteristics and land use types, and are found to be conducive to species migration and habitat connectivity. (3) We propose the development of tourism landscape zones from a cross-regional perspective, leveraging existing ecological and cultural resources. The multifunctionality of corridors is redefined through the integration of ecological and social values, enhancing their spatial implementation. This framework provides a practical reference for constructing cross-regional blue–green ecological networks and informs spatial planning efforts in other multi-jurisdictional areas. Full article

Urbanization has significantly impacted ecological connectivity, making the optimization of ecological networks (ENs) crucial. However, many existing strategies focus on overall network structure and overlook the spatial concentration of local ecological processes flow (EPF), limiting the effectiveness of ecological planning. This study proposes a novel EN optimization framework based on urban–rural gradient spatial zoning to enhance connectivity from the perspective of EPF. The framework divides areas outside the core urban zone (CUZ) into the urban fringe zone (UFZ), urban–rural interface zone (UIZ), and natural rural zone (NRZ), applying tailored optimization strategies in each zone. These strategies include increasing corridor redundancy, reducing corridor resistance, and expanding corridor width to alleviate EPF concentration. Using Jinan, a mega-city in China’s Yellow River Basin, as a case study, this study simulated EN changes over 20 years and validated the framework’s effectiveness. Optimization validation showed that increasing ecological land in low-flow corridors to 65% in the UIZ and expanding NRZ corridors to 5 km improved connectivity by 6.3%, addressing seven pinch points and three barrier points. This study highlights the importance of optimizing ENs via urban–rural zoning to support sustainable development and ecological protection policies. Full article

Conflicts between wildlife and humans are a major ecological issue. During migration, wildlife, especially wildebeest, often encounter significant environmental pressures from human activities. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to provide a concise, quantitative description of wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR). In this study, we identified changes in the location of the wildebeest population over time in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. We then used a K-means algorithm (R² = 0.926) to fit coordinates representing the changes in the location of the wildebeests to enable a quantitative representation of their migration routes. Subsequently, we developed an environmental stress model to assess the changes in environmental stresses faced by wildebeests along their migration routes. We proposed a model of “migratory ecological corridors and customized buffer zones” and determined the response coefficient T_res. We used the response coefficients T_res = 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12 as the critical values to categorize the areas along the routes into weak, medium, and strong response regions. Then, we set the width of the buffer zones on both sides of the routes as 5 km, 7 km, and 9 km, respectively, and evaluated the buffer effect. This type of model achieved a good effect of reducing the environmental pressure by 54.06%. The “Migratory Ecological Corridor and Customized Buffer Zone” model demonstrated a high degree of economic feasibility while showing good practicality in mitigating the environmental conflicts between humans and migratory wildlife. The variability in the environmental pressures across the region indicates that the Nairobi and Nakuru districts may be undergoing a particular stage of urbanization that unleashes potential threats to the migration of wildebeests. Further research is essential to assess the feasibility of larger buffer zones. Full article

Urban modernization and economic globalization have led to significant changes in traditional natural landscapes. The unregulated and large-scale expansion of rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna has resulted in water and scenic forests being replaced by rubber forests and the complex rainforest ecosystem being replaced by simple artificial forests. This has resulted in increasingly prominent ecological problems such as soil erosion, regional microclimate changes, and sharp declines in biodiversity. The ecological security pattern is an important way to protect regional ecological sustainability. Taking the tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna as an example, this study identified ecological sources through the evaluation of the importance of ecosystem services, constructed resistance surfaces through ecological sensitivity evaluation, and used circuit theory to simulate ecological processes in heterogeneous landscapes by calculating “electricity” or “resistance”, thereby identifying ecological corridors and key ecological nodes. The results identified 31 ecological source areas, 65 key ecological corridors, 7 potential ecological corridors, 37 ecological pinch points, and 99 ecological barriers. The overall distribution of ecological sources was scattered, with higher density in the northwest and southeast regions. Ecological corridors were distributed along high mountains, and both ecological sources and corridors were mainly composed of forest land. Based on circuit theory, this study filled the gap in the MCR model’s inability to identify the true width of corridors due to ignoring the randomness of biological migration. It determined the spatial range of ecological corridors and the specific locations of ecological nodes and barriers, providing a reference for solving ecological problems in Xishuangbanna, such as “rainforest fragmentation”. Full article

Building urban green ecological network systems and increasing urban and rural landscape connectivity are effective ways to improve urban biodiversity and landscape sustainability. The ecological sources in the main urban area of Qingdao City (Shandong, China) were identified based on morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) combined with a biodiversity conservation function assessment, with the ecological corridors established and the ecological network structure optimized. The results showed that (1) the study area lacked high-quality patches with strong landscape connectivity; (2) the potential green ecological network of the study area was composed of 38 ecological sources, 703 ecological corridors, and 284 ecological nodes, effectively connecting urban and suburban green spaces; (3) after optimization, the green ecological network contained a total of 223 important corridors and 61 key nodes, with significantly increased network connectivity; (4) the optimal ecological corridor width in Qingdao was determined to be 30 m. Our study provided important guidance for the construction of ecological security patterns and scientific evidence to support urban green space planning and sustainable development in Qingdao. Full article

The radiation range of the corridor effect holds great significance for the ecological restoration, planning, and sustainable development of river corridors. This study focuses on the Beijing plain section of the Yongding River, which has been cut off for half a century, and improves the research methodology. Utilizing land use data from 1967 and 1980, ArcGIS and Fragstats were employed to establish 5 km buffer zones on both sides of the Yongding River corridor. The buffer zone analysis method was then applied to investigate landscape pattern changes. Through SPSS correlation analysis and curve fitting, sensitive landscape indices were identified, and their change characteristics were analyzed to unveil the historical spatial radiation range and characteristics of the Yongding River corridor. The findings of this research are as follows: First, as the buffer width increases, the landscape pattern changes, showing a decrease in heterogeneity, an increase in aggregation and spread, and a good connection between dominant patches. Forest land exhibited higher levels of fragmentation and dispersion, cultivated land demonstrated improved dominance, and construction land became more regular and dispersed. Second, the spatial radiation range of the landscape level within the river corridor was approximately 4 km. The inflection point for the radiation range on forest land was found at 3.5–4 km, while for construction land, it occurred at 4.5 km. The outcomes of this study can be utilized to evaluate the impact of river corridors on landscape patterns in the period of good historical ecology. They also provide more targeted measures and scientific basis for landscape pattern protection and river ecological restoration planning after the restoration of water flow in the Yongding River plain. Full article

The counties have experienced urban expansion and landscape pattern fragmentation. As carriers of new urbanization, the balanced development between urban expansion and landscape connectivity in the counties needs to be emphasized. The uncontrolled expansion of land should be discouraged and planners need to clarify land use expansion patterns. Using Changsha County as the study area, the characteristics of the landscape pattern between 2000 and 2020 were analyzed. The morphological spatial pattern analysis and landscape connectivity method (CMSPACI), as well as the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, was used to construct the ecological network. We also explored the most appropriate corridor width using the buffer zone to guide future land use planning and ecological network planning. The results show that based on CMSPACI the total area of ecological sources identified was 304.91 km², encompassing a large area of forest parks. The total length of the 25 ecological corridors identified by the MCR model was 431.97 km. Ecological sources and corridors are missing in the central region; so, their pattern was optimized using landscape connectivity and the absence of location as selection criteria. The optimized network indices showed significant improvement. The width of the ecological corridors should be controlled in order to be in the range of 30 m to 50 m to maximize the effect of the corridors on species dispersal and migration. Our proposed research framework for the construction and optimization of EN in Changsha County can provide ideas to balance the contradictions between urban expansion and landscape connectivity in Changsha County. Full article

Fragments of woodland represent important natural and semi-natural elements that contribute to ecological stability and biodiversity in a landscape. In the Czech Republic, they are part of the Territorial System of Ecological Stability (TSES), which consists of bio-centers, bio-corridors, and interaction elements. The presence of fragments of woodland is of growing importance in the agricultural landscape, where they provide effective protection against soil erosion and serve as a refuge for many animals, whose presence is crucial in maintaining essential ecosystem functions. A functioning ecosystem is especially important in intensively farmed landscapes, which are exposed to frequent and heavy disturbance. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of certain habitat characteristics of fragments of woodland on the activity-density and species richness of selected groups of soil invertebrates (ground beetles, spiders, harvestmen, centipedes, millipedes, and isopods). The research was conducted in the agricultural landscape of South Moravia (Czech Republic) in the summers of 2016–2017, for which we used pitfall traps to collect soil invertebrates on preselected fragments of woodland. The results highlight a wide range of habitat preferences of individual groups of invertebrates, wherein it is not possible to clearly determine the most favorable environmental conditions for all organisms. Consequently, the priority should be to maintain the highest possible degree of heterogeneity among natural and semi-natural features, including with respect to their surrounding landscape. In addition, we found that due to their small size and width, fragments of woodland that are not included in the concept of bio-centers and bio-corridors can similarly support the activity-density and diversity of soil fauna. Full article

Habitat fragmentation has become an important factor in the reduction of biodiversity. Identifying and optimizing ecological networks (ENs) can help alleviate the negative impact of habitat fragmentation and improve regional biodiversity. Taolai River Basin is an inland river basin in Northwest China. Due to the impact of climate change and human activities, there are many ecological problems such as grassland degradation and shortage of water resources. It is urgent that we identify and optimize the EN. This study comprehensively uses morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), and circuit theory to identify ENs, evaluates ENs based on Spatial Syntax, and determines the protection priority of ENs, then diagnoses ecological “pinch points” and ecological obstacles by combining remote sensing and GIS spatial analysis methods. The results show that: (1) the ecological source area of the basin is 3061.63 km², with uneven spatial distribution, mainly distributed in the Qilian Mountains in the south of the basin; (2) there are 106 ecological corridors in the basin, with a total length of 2267.30 km and an average length of 21.38 km, which is not conducive to species migration; (3) the optimum widths of ecological corridors in the south, middle, and north of the basin are 100 m, 60 m, and 300 m, respectively; (4) the key areas of watershed ecological restoration include the “pinch area” between the southern core area and the central core area and 108 ecological barrier points; and (5) combined with the spatial characteristics of various key areas of ecological protection and restoration, the spatial pattern of “one core–four rings–five belts” of watershed EN construction is obtained. Full article

With the new round of western development being pushed forward and territorial spatial planning being put into place, northwest China’s urbanization rate has sped up. Urbanization will inevitably affect the city’s general landscape pattern and features, aggravating the landscape’s fragmentation and destroying the urban ecological environment. That threatens the well-being of the residents and the city’s biodiversity. Urban green space provides a habitat for the creatures in the city, and its connectivity provides corridors. Researchers and planners have developed green space networks to protect urban biodiversity and satisfy urban residents’ needs for recreation and ecologically friendly open space. This study uses RS, GIS, SeNtinel Application Platform (SNAP), and Conefor Sensinode. Applying the landscape connectivity index, least-cost path model, and corridor curvature analysis to identify potential recreation and biodiversity conservation corridors with a reasonable width, identifies good quality green space patches and corridors, or which ones need improvement. The results show that: (1) The patches selected by the possible connectivity index (PC) calculated with a threshold of 100 m in the urban area of Kashgar have higher recreational attributes. (2) There are 24 effective recreational corridors in Kashgar, with a total length of 43.44 km, and 53 effective biodiversity conservation corridors, a total of 78.23 km. Suppose recreational and ecological functions are considered to build a comprehensive green space network. The 50 m recreational corridor is mainly distributed in the center, and the 30 m biodiversity conservation corridor is primarily distributed on edge. (3) We can determine the location of the new green space suitable for protection or development by analyzing the corridor curvature. Through the constructed green space network, we can find that green space planning has severe fragmentation, unfair distribution, and other problems. Based on these issues, optimizing urban green space can promote the connectivity of urban green space. Furthermore, studying the width of corridors suitable for dense urban areas is conducive to protecting urban biodiversity and resident well-being. Full article

Urban heat islands (UHIs) constitute an important ecological problem in cities. Ecological space has a positive effect on UHI mitigation, which can be effectively organized in the form of ecological networks. In this study, the framework for structural UHI improvement based on ecological networks considering the source-corridor model is proposed to examine the spatial threshold of the thermal effect of ecological network factors. Additionally, the cooling mechanism of each constituent element in the ecological network context is further explored. The results demonstrate that (1) an obvious cold and heat island spatial aggregation distribution exists in the Xuzhou main urban area, and land of the same land use type exhibits the dual thermal environmental properties of cold and heat islands through its spatial distribution and characteristics. Ecological space is the main bearing area of cold islands. (2) The ecological network in the main urban area of Xuzhou city occurs at a moderately complex level, and the overall network efficiency is acceptable; the network connectivity is low, while the network loop distribution is uneven. (3) Ecological networks represent an effective spatial means to improve overall UHI patterns. The ecological source area cooling threshold is 300 m, and the optimal threshold is 100 m, while the ecological corridor width threshold is 500 m and 60 m, respectively. (4) Within the optimal threshold in the context of ecological networks, the temperature of ecological sources in category G land is influenced by NDBI and FVC; ecological corridors are mainly influenced by NDBI. The results can provide a quantitative basis for urban ecological network planning considering UHI improvement and a reference for urban thermal environment research within different ecological substrates and planning and control systems in other countries and regions worldwide. Full article

Artificial ecological corridors (AECs) are internationally approved ecological restoration and climate mitigation strategies. The width and recovery time indices of AECs directly affect the restoration efficiency of degraded soil nutrients. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and quantitative evaluation research on the construction factors of AECs from the perspective of soil fertility improvement. This research aimed to examine the critical ecological corridor construction factors affecting Mollisols’ eco-chemometrics and give a scientific scope. We collected 55 Mollisol samples at different restoration years (0–35 years) and different distances (0–280 m) from the AEC of the Ashi River, a typical Mollisol restoration area in Harbin, and the cold regions of China. We measured the distances, restoration years, soil thickness, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil total organic carbon (SOC), soil total organic matter (SOM), dry matter content (DMC), and the proportion of nitrogen (TN), phosphorus (TP) and potassium (TK). The results are as follows: (1) Within the AEC, there were significant differences in soil stoichiometric characteristics in different restoration years and locations; after restoration for 10–35 years, the soil stoichiometric characteristics reach or exceed the reference value of Mollisols. (2) It is feasible to restore large-scale degraded Mollisols through ecological corridors. In this recovery process, the soil nutrients first decreased, then increased, and finally reached and exceeded the reference value of normal Mollisols. (3) Soil nutrient accumulation was related to ecological corridor width and recovery time. The recommended unilateral width of the ecological corridor based on Mollisols’ CEC and SOC indices for restoration is 175–225 m, and the restoration period is 22.7–35 years based on Mollisols’ EC and SOC indices for restoration. This study demonstrated the change mechanism of Mollisols in AECs based on recovery time and location, and provided the basis for the Chinese government to formulate policies for Mollisol remediation. Full article

Crossing structures are widely accepted mitigation measures used to offset the impacts of roads in ecologically sensitive areas that serve as important animal corridors. However, altered interspecies interactions at crossing structures may reduce the potency of these structures for some species and groups. Anecdotes of predation events at crossing structures have necessitated the assessment of predator–prey interactions at crossing structures. We investigated the ‘prey-trap’ hypothesis at nine crossing structures on a highway in central India adjacent to a tiger reserve by comparing the geometric mean latencies between successive prey, predator and free-ranging dog camera trap capture events at the crossing structures. Among all interactions, prey–predator latencies were the shortest, and significantly lower than prey–dog and predator–prey latencies. Prey–predator sequences involving wild dogs had the shortest average latencies (65.6 ± 9.7 min). Prey–predator latencies decreased with increasing crossing structure width; however, these crossing structures are also the sites that are most frequently used by wildlife. Results indicate that the crossing structures presently do not act as ‘prey-traps’ from wild predators or free-ranging dogs. However, measures used to alleviate such prospects, such as heterogeneity in structure design and increase in vegetation cover near crossing structures, are recommended. Full article

Riparian Ecological Infrastructures are networks of natural and semi-natural riparian areas located in human-dominated landscapes, crucial in supporting processes that directly or indirectly benefit humans or enhance social welfare. In this study, we developed a novel multimetric index, termed Habitat Ecological Infrastructure’s Diversity Index (HEIDI), to quantify the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in supporting biodiversity, and related ecosystem services, in three managed landscapes: Intensive Agriculture, Extensive Agriculture, and Forest Production. Metrics describing the structure, composition, and management of riparian vegetation and associated habitats were used to derive the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in supporting three distinct biological dispersal groups: short-range dispersers (ants), medium-range dispersers (pollinators), and long-range dispersers (birds, bats, and non-flying small mammals). The composition of floristic resources, assessed by identifying trees and shrubs at the species and genus level, and herbaceous plants at the family level, was used as a proxy to evaluate the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in promoting seed dispersal and pollination ecosystem services provided by the three biological communities. Our research evidenced that Riparian Ecological Infrastructures located in the Forest Production and Intensive Agriculture landscapes exhibited the highest and lowest potential for biodiversity-related ecosystem services, respectively. The Forest Production landscape revealed higher suitability of forage resources for short- and medium-range dispersers and a higher landscape coverage by Riparian Ecological Infrastructures, resulting in more potential to create ecological corridors and to provide ecosystem services. The Riparian Ecological Infrastructures located in the Extensive Agriculture landscape seemed to be particularly relevant for supporting long-ranges dispersers, despite providing less habitat for the biological communities. Land-use systems in the proximity of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures should be sustainably managed to promote riparian vegetation composition and structural quality, as well as the riparian width, safeguarding biodiversity, and the sustainable provision of biodiversity-related ecosystem services. Full article