Habitat Quality Model Research Articles

Study on the river habitat quality in Luanhe based on the eco-hydrodynamic model

Fishes are at the top of the aquatic food chain, are the best indicators of the health status of aquatic ecosystems and are the organisms most sensitive to changes in the aquatic ecological environment. Given the shortcomings of the commonly used river physical habitat models that only consider hydraulic factors, a two-dimensional (2D) eco-hydrodynamic model, containing eco-hydrological elements, was constructed using the identified driving forces of the ecological evolution of rivers. The main hydrological elements are water depth and flow velocity, while the main ecological elements are NH3-N, chemical oxygen demand, and sediments. Based on field survey data, relevant studies, and a comprehensive analysis of the natural geographical characteristics of the Luanhe River Basin, the dominant fish and plant species in the study area (the river section from the Daheiting-Taolinkou Reservoir to Luanxian Hydrological Station) were determined to be Cypriniformes and reed, respectively. The habitat suitability indices (HSIs) of various target species were determined using the model simulation method and the observational statistical method, and the river habitat quality model was constructed based on the 2D eco-hydrodynamic model. The spatial distribution and dynamic change process of the habitat quality of carp in the Qianxi section downstream of the Daheiting Reservoir and reed in the Qianxi section of the Luanhe River were obtained by calculation. Comparison with existing studies and ecological monitoring data shows that the model proposed in this paper is reliable and effective, which will help with the development of ecological protection and management efforts for rivers with not enough ecological monitoring data.

InVEST model analysis of the impacts of land use change on landscape pattern and habitat quality in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir area of the Yellow River basin, China

AbstractChanges in land use impact the landscape pattern and habitat quality (LPHQ) of ecosystems. Since 1999, the Grain‐for‐Green Program (GGP) has brought dramatic changes in land use in Western China. Although many studies have reported positive contributions of the GGP to sediment reduction, the effects of the GGP on LPHQ remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the spatiotemporal characteristics of LPHQ in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir Area in China (XRAC) before and after GGP implementation (in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020) using the InVEST habitat quality model. The results showed that: (1) From 1990 to 2020, the main land use changes in the XRAC were a 34.97% increase in forestland and a 37.56% decrease in farmland. The landscape pattern showed decreased fragmentation and tended toward aggregation, and forestland became the dominant land use type. (2) Habitat quality in the XRAC improved from 0.63 to 0.91 between 1990 and 2020. High‐quality habitat (0.80–1) was observed in 88.24% of the XRAC in 2020. The spatial distribution of habitat degradation decreased overall, with some localized increases; areas with high levels of habitat degradation shrank and aggregated with the concentration of human activities. (3) The spatiotemporal evolution of habitat quality was influenced by both natural factors and human activities; the short‐term improvement in habitat quality in the XRAC was significantly related to the increase in forestland area, decrease in farmland area, and increase in vegetation coverage. Our results provide evidence for assessing the ecological benefit of the GGP in the Yellow River basin.

Factors influencing coastal land cover change and corresponding impact on habitat quality in the North-western Coastline of Guinea-Bissau (NC-GB)

Coastal zones are transitional and inter-connected areas between marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Changes in coastal zones will inevitably have implications on coastal habitat quality which provide appropriate conditions for individual and population to live. Habitat quality is degraded either directly or indirectly as a result of land use increases and the intensification of natural hazards. Moreover, quantitative assessment studies to clarify the impact of coastal land cover change on habitat quality have rarely been implemented. Therefore, we first combined the Habitat Quality Model (HQM) with Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), to investigate the main factors influencing coastal habitat quality change and estimate the habitat degradation index over the four decades in the NC-GB. The results indicated that, between 1979 and 2020 a complicated series of land cover change occurred in the study area, affecting a total area of nearly 377 km2. All the coastal land cover displayed geomorphological alteration of 12.52% erosion, 39.61% accretion and moderate changes of 47.74%. The conversion of saltmarsh, coastal forest and mangroves into cultivated, residential and sand dune were the main responsible for coastal habitat quality change. Saltmarsh was the most degraded with 38% in 1979 to 51% in 2020, followed by coastal forests 25%–37% degraded. Mangroves showed significant improvement of 12%–5% degraded, respectively. The study concluded that anthropogenic factors were the main processes driving change in the quality of coastal habitats. Therefore, measures should be taken to control the two main land conversion such as cultivation and residential. These findings support the clear definition of priorities for sustainable coastal zone management, in order to decrease vulnerability and increase resilience of the coastal communities.

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Habitat Quality and Its Response of Landscape Dynamic in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China.

Habitat quality is an important indicator for assessing biodiversity and is critical to ecosystem processes. With urban development and construction in developing countries, habitat quality is increasingly influenced by landscape pattern changes. This has made habitat conservation to be an increasingly urgent issue. Despite the growing interest in this issue, studies that reveal the role of land use change in habitat degradation at multiple scales are still lacking. Therefore, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of habitat quality of the Three Gorges Reservoir area by the InVEST habitat quality model and demonstrated the responses of habitat quality to various landscape dynamics by correspondence analysis. The result showed that the habitat quality score of this area increased from 0.685 in 2000 to 0.739 in 2015 and presented a significant spatial heterogeneity. Habitat quality was significantly higher in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the reservoir area than in other regions. Meanwhile, habitat quality improved with altitude and slope, and increased for all altitude and slope zones. The habitat quality of >1000 m and >25° zone exceeds 0.8, while the habitat quality of <500 m and <15° zone is less than 0.6. Habitat quality significantly varied among landscape dynamics and was extremely sensitive to vegetation recovery and urban expansion. The vegetation restoration model of returning farmland to forest is difficult to sustain, so we suggest changing the vegetation recovery model to constructing complex vegetation community. This study helps us to better understand the effects of landscape pattern changes on habitat quality and can provide a scientific basis for formulating regional ecological conservation policies and sustainable use of land resources.

Effects of Land Use/Cover on Regional Habitat Quality under Different Geomorphic Types Based on InVEST Model

Research on habitat quality change is of great significance for regional ecological security. Analysis of spatiotemporal change of habitat quality based on different geomorphic types can restore the background of ecological environment in historical periods and provide scientific support for revealing the evolution law of regional ecological environment quality and ecological restoration. This study aimed to identify the change in habitat quality under different geomorphic types from 1995 to 2018. Based on DEM data, geomorphic types of different scales were divided. The InVEST habitat quality model was used to analyze the spatiotemporal change in habitat quality in individual land use types in the Altay region. The spatiotemporal changes and main influencing factors of habitat quality under the background of different geomorphic types were explored. Remote sensing data was used to analyze the land use/cover changes. Sixteen threat sources, their maximum distance of impact, mode of decay, and sensitivity to threats were also estimated for each land use type. The results showed that habitat quality decreased significantly in 2015, which was related to the rapid expansion of cultivated and construction land as threat sources, as well as the decrease of forestland and grassland as sensitive factors. However, habitat quality improved significantly in 2018, because of the implementation of ecological restoration policy in 2015. Affected by elevation and topographic relief, the geomorphic type with the best habitat quality index was the large undulating middle mountain (0.927) and the worst was the medium altitude platform (0.351). Woodland contributed the most to habitat quality in large undulating middle mountain (35.07), and bare rock gravel land contributed the most to medium altitude platform (127.68). Habitat quality of different geomorphic types showed obvious spatial aggregation, and from high altitude to low altitude showed a banded ladder-like distribution. Changes in habitat quality during the past three decades suggested that the conservation and restoration strategies applied in regional ecosystem were effective. On the basis of the analysis results, four types of zoning management schemes were divided, and the ecological management and conservation measures were put forward. Therefore, this study can help decision makers, especially regarding the lack of data on biodiversity.

生态脆弱区农村居民点布局优化对区域生态系统服务功能的影响——以四川省西昌市为例

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 生态脆弱区农村居民点布局优化对区域生态系统服务功能的影响——以四川省西昌市为例 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202107201956 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: “十三五”国家重点研发计划课题项目（2019YFD1100801） Impact of layout optimization of rural settlements in ecologically fragile areas on the regional ecosystem service function:a case study of Xichang City, Sichuan Province Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:我国是世界上生态脆弱区分布面积最大、类型最多、脆弱性表现最明显的国家之一。农村居民点作为生态脆弱区中主要人类活动区，成为导致生态脆弱区生态环境质量下降的重要干扰源。以四川省西昌市为例，分别利用InVEST模型中的生境质量评估模块、沉积物持留率分析模块、养分输出率分析模块评估了生态脆弱区农村居民点布局优化对区域生态系统服务功能的影响。研究结果表明：西昌市通过农村居民点布局优化，生境质量平均得分提高22.4%，土壤输出量下降4.6%，氮(N)、磷(P)输出量下降13.1%与8.2%，所以农村居民点布局优化有利于生态环境脆弱区生态系统服务功能的提升。农村居民点布局优化后，农村居民点数量与面积的减少，降低了森林火灾、土地开垦等植被破坏事件发生的频次，成为促使西昌市生境质量提升的主要原因；而农村居民点与农田面积下降，林地面积的增加是导致西昌市土壤输出量与N、P输出量下降的主要原因。农村居民点数量减少，可降低垃圾回收成本与污水处理成本，从而促使 N、P输出量进一步下降。 Abstract:China is one of the countries with the largest distribution area, the most types and the most obvious vulnerability of ecologically fragile areas in the world. As the main human activity area in the ecologically fragile area, the rural settlements have become an important source of interference that leads to the deterioration of the ecological environment. In this study, taking Xichang City, Sichuan Province as an example, the habitat quality model, sediment delivery ratio model, and nutrient delivery ratio model were used to evaluate the impact of layout optimization of rural settlements on the regional habitat quality, soil output and N-P output. The results indicate that the average score of habitat quality increased by 22.4%, soil output decreased by 4.6%, and N-P output decreased by 13.1% and 8.2% after layout optimization of rural settlements in the Xichang City. Therefore, layout optimization of rural settlements is beneficial to the improvement of the ecosystem service function in the Xichang City. After the layout optimization of rural settlements, the reduction in the number and area of rural settlements reduced the probability of forest fires, land reclamation and other vegetation destruction events, which become the main reason for the improvement of habitat quality. The decline in the area of rural settlements and farmland, and the increase in the area of woodland are the main reasons for the decline in soil output and N-P output. The decrease in the number of rural settlements will gradually reduce the cost of waste recycling and sewage treatment in rural areas, thereby further reducing the output of N-P. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

A scenario-based approach to tackle trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and land use pressure in Central Italy

Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULCC) are recognized among the main drivers affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services. Especially in areas with high biophysical and socioeconomic heterogeneity, the need to find optimal planning solutions to combine human and natural systems still remains an open issue. This study aims to investigate how different planning strategies affecting the spatial arrangement of LULCC can produce different impacts in terms of ecosystem conditions in the Lazio region, Central Italy. Starting from the same LULCC magnitude observed in the past through an inventory approach, three different future scenarios to 2030 were depicted by means of the InVEST tool Scenario Generator: the “Business as Usual” (BaU) and, alternatively, one avoiding changes within the “Natura 2000″ sites (N2K) and another within the regional most “Degraded Municipalities” (DM). The ecological impacts of these scenarios were then assessed using the InVEST Habitat Quality model, adopting Habitat Quality (HQ) as a proxy for biodiversity. In order to characterize LULCC impacts at multiple scales, the assessment was carried out both at the regional level and within distinct ecological units. Independently from the spatial arrangement of projected LULCC, HQ decreased under all three scenarios. Nonetheless, HQ values varied among scenarios, highlighting a strict relationship between the spatial arrangement and the ecological impact of LULCC. Compared to BaU, alternative scenarios, as well as their combination into a “Best Scenario”, reduced negative impacts on HQ. These results highlighted the weak sustainability of pursuing with past urban planning strategies, while allowed to foster innovative planning approaches to mitigate habitats loss and degradation. The proposed methodology was effective to localize the conservation priorities as well as ameliorating the reliability of planning strategies based on their ecological performance. Furthermore, it supports the resolution of planning conflicts between contrasting demands (e.g., urban expansion vs biodiversity conservation), thus enhancing simultaneous benefits for both nature and people.

Which impacts more seriously on natural habitat loss and degradation? Cropland expansion or urban expansion?

AbstractNatural habitat plays an important role in maintaining biodiversity. Both cropland expansion and urban expansion have an influence on natural habitat. However, it is not clear which one impacts more seriously on both the quantity and quality of natural habitat. This study compared the impacts of cropland expansion on the quantity and quality of natural habitat in China between 2000 and 2015 with the impacts of urban expansion. Map algebra in ArcGIS 10.6 was used to calculate the changes in the quantity of natural habitat, while the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade‐offs (InVEST) Habitat Quality model was used to assess the changes in its quality. The results indicated that cropland expansion led to a loss of 35,811 km2 of natural habitat, which was twelve‐times as much as that from urban expansion. Furthermore, the area of the heaviest habitat degradation due to cropland expansion was 9,530 km2, which was eight‐times as much as that due to urban expansion. Noticeably, the greatest impacts of cropland expansion on natural habitat mostly occurred in areas where the ecological environment is already vulnerable (namely, the resistance and resilience of ecosystems in response to external interference are weak), whereas the impacts of urban expansion were much less in these areas. This study highlights that the impacts of cropland expansion on both the natural habitat loss and degradation far exceeded the impacts of urban expansion. It is necessary to improve cropland protection policies to guarantee food security while ensuring little or no harm to natural habitat.

The Utilization of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to Map Habitat Quality in Turin (Italy)

The integration of ecosystem service mapping in decision-making is crucial to place effective urban design and sustainable planning solutions. Nonetheless, often ecosystem service maps are the product of different data inputs that influences the final modeling output thus affecting final decisions, especially when a finer and site-specific assessment is required to design practical and effective solutions. In this work, the city of Turin (Northwest Italy) was selected as a test site for an empirical experiment of ecosystem service mapping using the software Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST): two habitat quality models of the city were compared in a Geographic Information System environment, the first using the “traditional” sensitivity employed during the LIFE SAM4CP European research while the second using the natural difference vegetation index to re-assign the sensitivity scores. Results demonstrate that the integration of site-specific information in the habitat quality input model generates a different result, which is capable of differentiating all those dense built-up areas of the dense settlement system that provide ecosystem supporting functions at the city-level. These differences were analyzed to define new green hotspots in the compact city while furnishing a new perspective for sustainable city planning.

Evaluation of the Biodiversity Conservation Function in Liaohe Delta Wetland, Northeastern China

The scientific evaluation of the wetland biodiversity conservation function is the basis of balanced wetland protection and development. Our research sought to provide references for the protection of wetland ecological environments as well as the related planning and management policies. The study established a fitting model for evaluating the biodiversity conservation function in the Liaohe Delta, northeastern China. The new model, the Wetland Biodiversity Conservation Indicator (WBCI), was with four input factors, including the vegetation coverage (VC), habitat suitability index (HI), land use and land cover (LULC) index (LI), and threat factor index (TI) of the LULC type. The values assigned to HI and TI were based on Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) habitat quality models. The weights of all the factors in WBCI were valued with the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We evaluated the wetland biodiversity conservation function of Panjin, Liaohe Delta, China, by using the WBCI model based on Gaofen-1 (GF-1) satellite data in 2018, and the result was verified with InVEST and other models. It showed that the output map was similar to that of InVEST, with the higher-quality habitat including the wetland, tidal flat, water body, and forest, as well as the lower-quality land use types including the paddy field, crop field, construction land, and land used by traffic. The wetland biodiversity conservation function was better in areas less affected by human disturbance, with very abundant species and good-quality habitat. It was poor in areas impacted by more frequent human activities such as the land cultivation, housing, and traffic, which led to the landscape fragmentation. The WBCI model provided a more accurate reflection of the bird distribution than the InVEST model. The WBCI model was able to reflect the difference in quality of each habitat grade, in contrast to the net primary productivity (NPP) method and species distribution models (SDMs). The new model was, therefore, simpler and suitable in reflecting the quality of wetland biodiversity function in the Liaohe Delta.

Assessing the Impacts of Urban Expansion on Habitat Quality by Combining the Concepts of Land Use, Landscape, and Habitat in Two Urban Agglomerations in China

Understanding the spatiotemporal variability of habitat quality as a function of land-use changes is important for expanding scientific knowledge of ecological conservation. In this study, the impacts of land-use change on habitat quality were assessed in two urban agglomerations in China at different stages of development, namely (1) the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA), which has reached the middle and late stage of urbanization, and (2) the Golden Triangle of Southern Fujian (GTSF), which has reached the middle and early stage. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) habitat quality model was applied to determine the habitat quality and the degree of habitat degradation in these two agglomerations. Overall, the habitat quality in the YRDUA was found to be clearly inferior to that in the GTSF. In the GTSF, more than 65% of the habitat was of good or excellent quality, whereas in the YRDUA, less than 45% of the habitat reached this quality. By combining the concepts of land use, landscape, and habitat, the boundary of degradation and the general increase in habitat quality from 2000 to 2015 were found to be mainly related to the landform, the dominant landscape, and the concentration of non-habitat areas. Additionally, the type, distribution, and fragmentation of the dominant habitat were shown to play important roles in habitat quality. Moreover, changes in industrial composition over time were demonstrated to be critical drivers of changes in areas of construction land.

A Conceptual Approach to Modeling the Geospatial Impact of Typical Urban Threats on the Habitat Quality of River Corridors

While for most of a landscape, urbanization leads to a significant habitat loss, rivers in urban areas are usually maintained or developed for their drainage function. Rivers are often the most important biophysical and ecological connection of cities with their surrounding ecosystems, although usually heavily altered due to urban impacts. For the conservation of urban rivers as ecological corridors, it is important to assess the impact of typical urban threats on habitat quality. In this study, we used the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Trade-offs) habitat quality model to assess the individual and combined impacts of built-up areas, first- and second-order road and water pollution from urban drainage, and wastewater discharge on habitat quality within a 200 m wide river corridor. The Pochote River in León, Nicaragua, was used as a case study. Our results show the spatial distribution and magnitude of the individual threat impacts, as well as the respective contribution of each threat to the overall impact of urbanization on the habitat quality within the river corridor. While close to the city center, all threats almost equally contributed to severe habitat degradation, while further downstream, an individual threat influence became more distinct with only water pollution having a consistent negative impact. We concluded that the InVEST habitat quality model can be used to assess the impact of typical urban threats on habitat quality in river corridors at a high spatial resolution. The results can help to improve urban planning and development to improve habitat conservation along urban rivers.

Assessing and Modeling the Impacts of Wetland Land Cover Changes on Water Provision and Habitat Quality Ecosystem Services

Understanding the spatial–temporal dynamics of wetland land cover (LC) changes and their impacts on ecosystem services (ESs) is essential for wetland conservation and management. This study aimed at quantifying and predicting water provision and habitat quality ecosystem services and analyzing their response to LC changes using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. Firstly, LC maps were created for 1987, 1998, 2007, and 2017 using the index-based and supervised approach and were then used to predict LC changes for 2027 and 2047 using the cellular automata and Markov chain (CA–Markov) model. The Shadegan wetland, located in the southwest of Iran, was chosen as the case study. The results showed that, during the study period (1987–2017), the LC with major increasing area was bare land while the LC with major decreasing area was wetland vegetation. In addition, the wetland tended to be a fragmented mosaic with less connectivity. The results of ESs modeling showed that the highest and lowest water yield values, which were almost 68 × 106 m3 and 26 × 106 m3, were observed in 1998 and 2017, respectively. In the meantime, the area with high-quality habitats has reduced (by 33.58%) and has gradually been replaced by moderate- and low-quality habitats, and the same trend will continue in 2027 and 2047. Based on these results, we conclude that changes in wetland LCs have resulted in variations of the wetland ESs. This site-specific study of the InVEST water yield and habitat quality models enables us to explore the applicability of spatially explicit modeling and simulating of wetland ESs to improve wetland conservation and management. The findings on the spatial–temporal analysis of wetland LCs and ESs can promote wetlands decision-making processes and taking effective conservation actions.

The InVEST Habitat Quality Model Associated with Land Use/Cover Changes: A Qualitative Case Study of the Winike Watershed in the Omo-Gibe Basin, Southwest Ethiopia

The contribution of biodiversity to the global economy, human survival, and welfare has been increasing significantly, but the anthropogenic pressure as a threat to the pristine habitat has followed. This study aims to identify habitat suitability, analyze the change in habitat quality from 1988 to 2018, and to investigate the correlation between impact factors and habitat quality. The InVEST habitat quality model was used to analyze the spatiotemporal change in habitat quality in individual land-use types in the Winike watershed. Remote sensing data were used to analyze the land use/land cover changes. Nine threat sources, their maximum distance of impact, mode of decay, and sensitivity to threats were also estimated for each land-use cover type. The analysis illustrates that habitat degradation in the watershed was continuously increasing over the last three decades (1988 to 2018). Each threat impact factor and habitat sensitivity have increased for the last 30 years. The most contributing factor of habitat degradation was the 25.41% agricultural expansion in 2018. Population density, land-use intensity, elevation, and slope were significantly correlated with the distribution of habitat quality. Habitat quality degradation in the watershed during the past three decades suggested that the conservation strategies applied in the watershed ecosystem were not effective. Therefore, this study helps decision makers, particularly regarding the lack of data on biodiversity. It further looks into the conflict between economic development and conservation of biodiversity.

Impact of road transportation development on habitat quality in economically developed areas: A case study of Jiangsu Province, China

AbstractThe excessive expansion of road transportation often has an impact on the quality of regional habitats. This paper attempts to assess the impact of road transportation on regional habitat quality in economically developed areas. A kernel density analysis was used to characterise the road transportation development in Jiangsu Province from 2000 to 2015. An Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade‐offs (InVEST) habitat quality model was applied to assess changes in habitat quality. Furthermore, a fixed‐effect regression model was utilised to examine the impact of road transportation development in Jiangsu Province on habitat quality. The analysis indicates that the average kernel density of road transportation in the province increased from 0.109 to 0.551 km/km2 while the habitat quality decreased from 0.51 to 0.48. The development of road transportation in Jiangsu Province has had a serious negative impact on the quality of the habitat. For every 1‐ha increase in land area for road use, the habitat quality index will decrease by 0.066; for every 1 km/km2 increase in road transportation kernel density, the habitat quality index will decline by 0.121.

Assessing ecological risks caused by human activities in rapid urbanization coastal areas: Towards an integrated approach to determining key areas of terrestrial-oceanic ecosystems preservation and restoration

Rapid urbanization and industrialization in the coastal zone have caused increasingly serious impacts on coastal ecosystems. It is necessary to assess the ecological risk caused by human activities to determine key areas of terrestrial-oceanic ecosystems preservation and restoration to ensure sustainable ecological management in the coastal zone. Key areas of ecosystem preservation and restoration were studied through the assessment of the impacts of ecological pressure sources related to human activities from the perspective of terrestrial-oceanic ecosystems, using the habitat risk assessment (HRA) and habitat quality (HQ) models in the Chinese coastal zone. The results showed that the impact of human activities on the terrestrial ecosystems in the South of China was significantly lower than that in the North. An improvement rate of habitat quality was noticed only in the south and central coastal areas when further away from industrial land. Agricultural production, urban expansion, and industrial pollution had major negative impacts on the habitat quality of terrestrial ecosystems in the Chinese coastal zone, and also threatened the health of marine ecosystems. The ecological risks caused by human activities in the offshore areas of northern Shandong and eastern Jiangsu were relatively low. Mineral development in the north, excessive nitrogen and phosphorus emissions from agricultural production in the south, and port operations were important drivers of increased ecological risks in offshore areas. There were regional spatial differences in the key ecosystem preservation and restoration areas. The provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Liaoning, and Guangdong are key areas for strengthening the preservation and restoration of terrestrial-oceanic ecosystems. This study provides a reference for large-scale territorial spatial planning and ecosystems conservation.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of different types of payments for ecosystem services: A case in the urban wetland ecosystem

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have emerged as a popular conservation tool, yet evaluation among different PES programs strategies remains piecemeal. We prospectively compare cost-effectiveness of general PES, collective payments for ecosystem services (CPES) and the transition from PES to Land Purchases or Easements (LPE). We analyze the economic cost using statistics data and literature data, and analyze the transaction cost with the ordinal variable. We develop the Emergy Analysis method with the InVEST Habitat Quality model, and utilize it to analyze and map the ecological effectiveness. This paper gives an example to assessing the cost-effectiveness of different PES programs. Based on the analysis, LPE strategy led to improved ecological effectiveness, lower cost and greater cost-effectiveness. The collective PES has lower cost than general PES. However, they demonstrate equal ecological effectiveness. Based on these outcomes, we analyze the factors that influence PES programs’ cost-effectiveness, including collective or group, market-based mechanism, economic incentive, transaction cost, contract scale etc. We conclude that minimal number of intermediaries, community/collective support and involvement constitute the key factors in improving the cost-effectiveness of ecological programs. However, we acknowledge the need for further studies on the subject.

Integrating pedestrian-habitat models and network kernel density estimations to measure street pedestrian suitability

Pedestrian-oriented urban designs are sustainable from a mobility perspective, and could therefore be used to improve urban environments. This study proposes an analogy between the ecological idea of habitat and the pedestrian urban environment and introduces the concept of “pedestrian habitat quality”. We present a methodology based on this concept to measure pedestrian habitat suitability in an urban street network, combining network kernel density estimations with a habitat suitability model. The dimensions of proximity and walkability connectivity are first incorporated in the methodology through network kernel density estimations, and the micro physical environmental factors relevant for pedestrians are considered using a pedestrian habitat quality model. The final outcome of the methodology is an identification of priority streets for action in order to improve pedestrian mobility. The methodology was applied to Vitoria-Gasteiz, a medium-sized city in northern Spain. Our results for Vitoria-Gasteiz show that the streets with a greater potential for improvement are situated in the surroundings of the city centre and in industrial edges that serve as a link to residential zones. It has been demonstrated that the methodology could be a useful tool for urban and transport planners to identify priority streets on which to focus efforts for improving urban environments.

Integration of juvenile habitat quality and river connectivity models to understand and prioritise the management of barriers for Atlantic salmon populations across spatial scales

Diadromous fish populations are strongly affected by in-stream barriers that cause river network fragmentation, constraining productivity or preventing completion of their lifecycle. Removal or reduction of barrier impacts is a restoration measure associated with unambiguous benefits. Management of barriers is therefore often prioritised above other restoration actions. Barrier management is prioritised at local and national scales depending on funding. However, barrier prioritisation is potentially sub-optimal because existing tools do not consider habitat quality. Furthermore, effects of partial barriers (those passable under certain conditions) are uncertain, depending on location and potential cumulative effects.A framework is presented for assessing effects of impassable manmade barriers (IMBs) on longitudinal river network connectivity (percentage of upstream habitat accessible from the river mouth) for Atlantic salmon across spatial scales, using Scotland as an example. The framework integrates juvenile habitat quality and network connectivity models to (1) provide information necessary for local and national prioritisation of barriers, and (2) assess potential effects of passable manmade barriers (PMBs) within a sensitivity framework.If only IMBs are considered, high levels of longitudinal connectivity are observed across most of Scotland's rivers. Barrier prioritisation is sensitive to habitat weighting: not accounting for habitat quality can lead to over- or underestimating the importance of IMBs. Prioritisation is also highly sensitive to the passability of PMBs: if passability drops to <97% (combined up- and downstream passability), the mean effect of PMBs becomes greater than IMBs at the national level. Moreover, impacts on catchment connectivity, and thus production (number of juvenile salmon produced by the river), could be severe, suggesting a better understanding of the passability of PMBs is important for future management of migration barriers. The presented framework can be transferred to other catchments, regions, or countries where necessary data are available, making it a valuable tool to the broader restoration community.

Expert-based and correlative models to map habitat quality: Which gives better support to conservation planning?

Biodiversity loss and habitat degradation are big challenges to be tackled by conservation planning since their effects on both ecological and social-economic systems are remarkably detrimental. Efforts to limit anthropogenic impacts on species and habitats need to be assisted by tools for biodiversity monitoring. Effective monitoring tools could help bridge the gap between science and policy, better assess trade-offs between biodiversity and other services, and potentially reduce the associated social costs of conservation. Here, we assessed the feasibility of monitoring habitat quality for bird communities in Central Italy using the InVEST Habitat Quality model. InVEST was parameterized using outputs from species distribution models (SDMs) and expert-based models to explore their viability to support conservation planning. Our results highlight that InVEST parameterized by SDMs produced habitat quality maps that correlated highly with spatial patterns of observed species richness, while the expert-derived InVEST outcomes showed lower correlation. However, the latter approach proved useful as a first-line analysis to identify large-scale areas of conservation concern, where field data and modeling approaches such as SDMs are needed to assess fine-scale conservation value. We show SDM-informed habitat quality maps can accurately identify conservation priority areas, though their applicability is overall limited by data availability. On the other hand, expert-based habitat quality maps can be used as a surrogate approach for preliminary and/or exploratory studies, especially in contexts characterized by poor data availability/quality and budgetary constraints.