An integrated evaluation framework for Land-Space ecological restoration planning strategy making in rapidly developing area

Abstract

Ecological restoration is important to mitigate global ecological degradation. However, previous restoration, mainly targeting a single ecosystem or ecological problem at a single scale, couldn’t effectively solve systemic ecological problems, especially in rapidly developing areas. Land-Space Ecological Restoration (LSER) policy was proposed to change the situation that traditional ecological restoration was lack of overall planning and united goals. To integrate ecological restoration measures in different departments and scales in LSER practice and management, a multi-scale evaluation framework for LSER planning strategy making based on “P-S-R” perspective and landscape, ecological, GIS methods was proposed, and applied in Jiangsu Yangtze River Economic Belt in China. We took fishnet scale as data calculation unit, and town, county, regional scales as decision scale to formulate a hierarchical evaluation and decision making system. In study area, ecological engineering type (including 7 kinds of protection or restoration, and artificial or natural measures) at town level was identified, guided by county-level LSER zoning and grading obtained by normal cloud model evaluation method. At regional scale, an ecological network including 53 ecological sources, 95 corridors, 674 restoration points, and 80 footstones was constructed to determine regional restoration priority. Based on the research results, a decision-making system could be formed, with the regional ecological network as the decision-making basis for the overall restoration pattern, the county-level LSER classification as the standard for planning goals and task decomposition, and the township LSER project classification as the basis for the site selection of diverse ecological restoration projects. The proposed evaluation framework could integrate the data and decision-making process of ecological restoration measures at different scales, and assist regional ecological goal setting and space strategy making of LSER planning to achieve sustainable development goals.