Construction of ecological security pattern in the agro-pastoral ecotone based on surface humid index: A case study of Hangjin Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

Abstract

The construction of regional ecological security pattern can effectively protect regional ecological security and achieve regional sustainable development, which has become one of the key topics in landscape ecology. The construction of regional ecological security pattern is particularly important for the Inner Mongolia Plateau, which is characterized by relatively fragile ecological environment and single land cover type. Considering regional natural environment characteristics, five typical ecosystem services, such as food supply, carbon fixation and oxygen release, soil conservation, water yield and habitat conservation, were selected to assess the importance of natural habitats with Hangjin Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as a case study area. Based on comprehensive consideration of single ecosystem service quality and landscape multi-functionality, ecological sources were identified. The basic ecological resistance surface based on the land cover was revised by the surface humid index. The minimum cumulative resistance model was used to identify the ecological corridors, to construct the ecological security pattern of Hangjin Banner. The results showed that the ecological source of Hangjin Banner was 6781.70 km2, accounting for 35.9% of the whole area, which mainly located in the northern Hetao Plain and southern Ordos steppe zone. The total ecological corridor length of Hangjin Banner was 498.51 km, which was divided into two groups from north to south by Kubuqi Desert. Based on the arid and ecologically fragile characteristics in the agro-pastoral ecotone in northern China, this study constructed regional ecological security pattern to provide decision-making guidelines for local economic development and ecological conservation.