Identifying Key Areas of Green Space for Ecological Restoration Based on Ecological Security Patterns in Fujian Province, China

Abstract

Urban expansion has resulted in the fragmentation of green spaces. Based on the concept of a living community that integrates mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands, the extraction of key elements in green spaces of regional ecosystems provides core scientific support for the ecological restoration of territorial spaces. According to the ecological service function importance and ecological sensitivity, the ecological sources were identified in this study. Furthermore, we distinguished the ecological corridors using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model and identified the key areas of green spaces using the circuit theory model. The result showed that (1) 62 ecological sources were present with a total area of 4696 km2, of which green space accounted for 98.19%; meanwhile, 151 ecological corridors (optimal path) were densely distributed in the southwest region around the Daimao and Bopingling mountains. (2) The key areas of ecological restoration in the study area included 17 key ecological sources and 19 key ecological corridors. The area covered by ecological pinch points was 1327 km2, among which 77.54% of green space comprised forest area. The area of ecological barriers was 9647 km2, and the forest area still accounted for the highest proportion (63.92%). (3) Based on a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution of key areas of ecological restoration and green spaces, we formulated classified ecological restoration measures. The study findings are expected to provide a reference for planning the ecological restoration of territorial spaces.