Landscape Connectivity Index Research Articles

Construction of urban-rural ecological networks with multi-scale nesting and composite functions based on the “red-green-blue” spatial perspective: A case study of Dali City, China

Urbanization has facilitated economic development while simultaneously resulting in various ecological issues. Constructing a multi-scale nested and composite functional urban-rural ecological network is crucial for improving ecological security. This study utilizes Dali City as a case study and employs methods including MSPA, circuit theory, and landscape connectivity index to develop the urban-rural habitat network, water green network, and recreation network, focusing on the " red-green-blue " spatial framework. An analysis of the spatial characteristics of source areas, corridors, ecological strategic points, and other spatial elements is conducted to establish a multi-level, multi-objective, and multifunctional composite urban-rural ecological network. The results show that: (1) 13 ecological source areas were identified in both the municipal and main urban areas, along with 22 ecological corridors in the municipal and 20 main urban areas. The distribution of ecological corridors was uniform across the study area. (2) The optimal width for the municipal biological corridor is 150 m, the main urban area should have a width of 90 m. The optimal width for rainwater corridors in municipal and main urban areas is 60 m. (3) The multi-scale nested ecological network identified 4 common ecological sources, 11 ecological corridors, 3 rainwater corridors, 6 wetland nodes, and 7 amusement nodes. Overall, the number of ecological nodes is limited, indicating a need for enhanced node construction. The research findings offer insights for developing ecological networks that integrate urban and rural functions, serving as a reference for ecological protection and restoration in pertinent regions.

Multi-Dimensional Landscape Connectivity Index for Prioritizing Forest Cover Change Scenarios: A Case Study of Southeast China

Predicting forest cover change (FCC) and screening development scenarios are crucial for ecological resilience. However, quantitative evaluations of prioritizing forest change scenarios are limited. Here, we took five shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) representing potential global changes, namely SSP1: sustainability, SSP2: middle of the road, SSP3: regional rivalry, SSP4: inequality, and SSP5: fossil-fueled development, which were constructed by integrated assessment and climate models. We modeled them with the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) and constructed a multi-dimensional landscape connectivity index (MLCI) employing forest landscape connectivity (FLC) indices to assess forest development in Fujian Province, Southeast China. The MLCI visualized by radar charts was based on five metrics, including forest patch size (class area (CA), number (patch density (PD), isolation (landscape division index (DIVISION), aggregation (mean nearest-neighbor index (ENN_MN), and connectance index, (CONNECT). The results indicate that FC will remain above 61.4% until 2030, with growth observed in SSP1 and SSP4. Particularly, FC in SSP4 substantially increased, converted from cropland (1140.809 km2) and grassland (645.741 km2). SSP4 has the largest MLCI values and demonstrates significant enhancements in forest landscape integrity, with CA, ENN_MN and CONNECT increasing greatly. Our study offers valuable approaches to and insights into forest protection and restoration.

Optimization of composite ecological network patterns in Anhui Province based on multi-functional coupling of ecology-climate-economy

Amidst global climate warming and rapid urbanization, ecological and environmental issues are becoming increasingly prominent. Constructing a multi-functional coupled ecological network pattern is essential for promoting the synergy among ecological protection, climate regulation, and economic development. This study focuses on Anhui Province, characterized by diverse topographical features. Utilizing “source and sink” theory, the study employs a combination of Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), landscape connectivity indices, local spatial autocorrelation, and circuit theory to construct single-factor networks for biodiversity conservation, thermal environment mitigation, and economic development. The analysis of spatial elements such as “source” areas, corridors, ecological strategic points, and ecological nodes led to the formation of an optimized multi-level, multi-functional composite ecological network pattern based on ecology, climate, and economy. The results indicate that: (1) Anhui Province has 14 ecological “source” landscapes and 31 ecological “sink” landscapes. There are 29 climate “source” landscapes and 21 climate “sink” landscapes. Additionally, there are 30 economic “source” landscapes and 22 economic “sink” landscapes. The biological migration corridors are primarily concentrated in Northern and Central Anhui Province, while climate corridors are distributed throughout the province. Economic corridors are relatively dense and dispersed across various cities in Anhui Province, showing a trend of expansion in all directions; (2) In the multi-level “source and sink” landscape network, the total length of economic corridors surpasses climate corridors, which in turn surpass biological migration corridors. In terms of total area, climate corridors exceed biological migration corridors, which surpass economic corridors. The optimal widths for first class and secondary corridors are outlined as follows: biological migration corridors at 1000 m and 6000 m, climate corridors at 2000 m and 6000 m, and economic corridors at 1000 m and 2000 m; (3) Overlaying the multi-objective corridors identified 228 ecological key points and 501 disturbance points. Approximately 7.52 % of the area in economic “source” locations should be allocated to ecological and climate corridors. (4) The proposed multi-functional composite ecological network optimization scheme identifies critical areas for the restoration of the multi-functional composite network. The lengths of the main corridors for biological migration, climate, and economy are 2130.20 km, 2606.14 km, and 1134.63 km respectively. The total area for core and critical restoration zones is 1166.42 km2 for ecology, 2999.95 km2 for climate, and 2902.11 km2 for economy. Constructing a multi-functional composite ecological network can effectively enhance regional ecosystem services, alleviate urban heat island effects, and promote sustainable regional economic development. This study addresses existing gaps in ecological network research and provides scientific basis and technical support for the coordinated optimization of ecological protection, climate regulation, and economic development in Anhui Province and globally.

A dataset of the ecological security patterns in the peripheral region of Poyang Lake from 2000 to 2020

With the continuous expansion of human activities, the habitats of many species are confronted with serious destruction and threats, leading to increasingly prominent ecological security issues. Therefore, it is crucial to establish an ecological security pattern that takes species habitats into consideration, so as to protect biodiversity and maintain ecological balance. Poyang Lake, as a paradise for wildlife, serves as the habitat and breeding ground for many bird species, fish, and other aquatic organisms. Taking the research scope of the peripheral region of Poyang Lake as an example, we produced the land use data for the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 on the basis of the Google Earth Engine platform and the random forest classification method. By integrating morphological spatial pattern analysis, landscape pattern indices, landscape connectivity indices, circuit theory, and long-term land use data, we developed a long-term ecological security pattern for the peripheral region of Poyang Lake from 2000 to 2020, which takes into accounts habitats for various species including fish and birds. This dataset contains various types of data, including innovative elements. In terms of data quality control and evaluation, strict quality control and evaluation processes were conducted on the data used and the predicted results, ensuring the accuracy and credibility of the data and providing effective data support and references for relevant research. The dataset not only comprises indicator data for constructing an ecological security pattern to protect species habitats but also includes historical and predicted ecological security pattern data for the peripheral region of Poyang Lake. It can provide important scientific data support and serve as references for future research on species protection and ecological security patterns in the peripheral region of the Poyang Lake.

Identification of ecological security patterns of alpine wetland grasslands based on landscape ecological risks: A study in Zoigê County

Climate change and human activities have increased ecological risks and degraded ecosystem functions in alpine wetland grassland regions, where ecological security remains largely unexplored. The construction of ecological security patterns (ESP) can help to synchronize regional ecological security and sustainable development and provide ideas to address these challenges. This article determines the current ESP of Zoigê County, China, by analyzing the spatial and temporal characteristics of landscape ecological risk (LER) and generating an ecological network by combining the InVEST model, the landscape connectivity index, and the circuit theory model. Management zoning and targeted conservation recommendations are proposed. The results indicate that the region has significant spatial heterogeneity in IER. Ecological risk exposure is increasing, with high values mainly concentrated in the central part of the region. Meanwhile, ecological protection areas were identified, which included 2578.44 km2 of ecological sources, 71 key ecological corridors, 25 potential ecological corridors, 4 river ecological corridors, 66 pinch points, and 58 barriers. This study provides a valuable reference for the ecological development of Zoigê County, as well as insights into the formation of ESP in other alpine wetland grassland regions.

Application of MSPA-MCR models to construct ecological security pattern in the basin: A case study of Dawen River basin

Building an ecological security pattern (ESP) can safeguard and improve the structure, functions and services of regional ecosystems. Furthermore, it is also one of the significant spatial methods to mitigate the conflict between ecological conservation and economic growth. Most previous researches on the construction of ESP have directly utilized extensive regions of forestland, grassland, water area or nature reserves as ecological sources (ESs) without weighing the habitat quality (HQ) and ecological protection red line (EPRL). The ES of the Dawen River basin (DRB) was identified through morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape connectivity index. By employing the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), the potential ecological corridor (EC) was identified, and its importance was evaluated by gravity model. Simultaneously, the spatial properties of HQ and ecological resistance (ER) were analyzed. Finally, this paper proposed an optimization strategy for ESP in accordance with the EPRL. The results indicate that: (1) The DRB contained 15 important ESs, mainly concentrated in water and mountain forest areas. (2) 105 ECs were extracted by MCR and gravity model, including 35 level 1 corridors and 70 level 2 corridors, which were primarily concentrated in the eastern region of the basin. (3) Based on the spatial characteristics of HQ and ER, as well as the EPRL in the research, the ESP of “one axis, two belts and five zones” in the DRB was constructed and control strategies were proposed. This research offers some reference for ecological environment protection and restoration and regional sustainable development in the Yellow River basin.

Analysis of Green Infrastructure Network Pattern Change in Zhengzhou Central City Based on Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis

Green infrastructure is generally regarded as an effective way to maintain regional ecological security, and its construction method plays an essential role in its function realization. In this study, the central urban area of Zhengzhou was taken as the research area. The land use type maps of the study area were obtained through the supervised classification of TM/ETM Remote sensing image data in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. The Green Infrastructure (GI) in the study area was obtained by Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) based on the landscape connectivity index and landscape map theory. The landscape connectivity of the core area was classified and quantitatively evaluated. Then, the potential ecological corridors were extracted and analyzed. The GI pattern change research based on MSPA, landscape connectivity, and map theory provided a new framework for analyzing GI pattern change. Finally, the spatial structure of green infrastructure planning in Zhengzhou central city is obtained, and the optimization strategy of network structure is proposed. The research results can provide references for the planning and optimization of GI networks in the study area and have particular reference significance for the planning and construction of GI networks in other areas.

Construction of Multi-Level Ecological Security Pattern for World Natural Heritage Sites from the Perspective of Coupling and Coordination between Humans and Nature: A Case Study of Shilin Yi Autonomous County, China

Building ecological networks (ENs) is an important means to guarantee regional ecological security and achieve sustainable urban development. Development of ENs usually occurs at the county- or urban-area-scale, and there is a lack of linkage between ENs at different levels. Based on the systematic analysis of local environmental characteristics and ecological mechanisms of action in karst areas, the ENs at the county and urban areas levels are combined to build an ecological security pattern (ESP) for Shilin Yi Autonomous County (SYAC), a World Natural Heritage site. The results show that there are 18 Ecological resources in SYAC, with a total area of 326.512 km2 and 29 ecological corridors. In the northern part of the county, an absence of ecological resources and corridors occurred due to the fragmentation of landscape patches and poor ecological service functionality. In this study, three new ecological resources and seven corridors were added in the northern part of the county according to the patch area and landscape connectivity index (PALCI) to balance the layout of ecological resources and corridors in SYAC and improve regional habitat quality. In addition, a total of eight cultural and natural resources were identified in the urban areas of SYAC, and ten cultural and natural landscape corridors were identified. By overlaying the ENs of the county and the urban areas, we identified 3.977 km2 of Material Exchange Conversion Zone, 12.6593 km2 of Priority Restoration Zone, and ten Ecological Stepping Stones. This work helps to establish the interface between the upper and lower levels of the network, and correct for deficiencies of conflicting ecological processes at different levels, and integrate existing green-space system planning research about karst terrains.

Optimization of landscape pattern in the main river basin of Liao River in China based on ecological network

As a mainstream method of landscape pattern optimization, the ecological network plays an important role in maintaining ecosystem stability, improving landscape connectivity, and promoting landscape sustainable development. Based on landscape connectivity index and morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), a comprehensive evaluation system of ecological patches was constructed in the main river basin of Liao River, and ecological sources were extracted. According to the habitat characteristics of the study area, the ecological cumulative resistance surface was constructed, and the ecological corridors and nodes were extracted by the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. The ecological network of the study area was comprehensively evaluated by using the network analysis method, and the importance level of the ecological corridor was divided by the gravity model, so as to put forward the optimization suggestions of the landscape pattern based on the ecological network. The results showed that the ecological network in the main river basin of Liao River is composed of 20 ecological sources, 108 ecological corridors, and 72 ecological nodes, with the distribution characteristics of dense east and sparse west. The main landscape components are cropland and woodland. The closure degree, line point rate, and connectivity index of the ecological network are 0.27, 1.50, and 0.51, respectively, and the cost ratio is 0.23. In the optimization of landscape pattern, priority should be given to the restoration of primary ecological sources and ecological corridors, followed by the ecological construction of secondary and tertiary ecological sources and ecological corridors, the rational use of engineering technology for habitat remodeling, and the adoption of the "patch-corridor-substrate" model to improve the stability and landscape connectivity of the regional ecosystem. The construction of ecological network in the main river basin of Liao River is of great significance to regional ecological security and biodiversity conservation, and provides data support for optimizing the landscape pattern of the basin and promoting regional sustainable development.

Identification of a wetland ecological network for urban heat island effect mitigation in Changchun, China

The rapid development of cities has led to severe fragmentation of wetland landscapes, destroying their ecological function in climate regulation. However, most studies on the climate regulation services of wetlands focused on isolated wetland units, ignoring the overall function of wetland networks. The climate regulation function of wetlands can be improved by integrating fragmented wetland resources and building a stable wetland network. A case study was carried out in Changchun City, China, to improve the method of identifying ecological networks by considering the network energy flows. First, morphological spatial pattern analysis and landscape connectivity index combined with the wetland cooling index were used to identify ecological sources with high cooling capacity, and an ecological resistance surface was constructed with surface temperature as the main factor. The minimum cumulative resistance model was then used to identify the ecological network, which was then optimized by integrating patches as stepping stones to form the optimized ecological network. Finally, the importance of ecological corridors was evaluated by identifying ventilation corridors and integrated with the complex network theory to determine the ecological network robustness. We found that the degree of fragmentation in the studied wetlands was relatively high, and that construction of an ecological network with patches as stepping stones can improve its robustness. Each component in the ecological network had a high potential to mitigate the urban heat island effect, which can be further promoted by ecological corridors with high ventilation potential. Mutations in ecological nodes that cause network robustness played a key role in maintaining ecological network stability. This improved methodology effectively improves the scientific and practical application of wetland networks to mitigate the urban heat island effect and provides regions facing the contradiction of rapid development and wetland protection with strategies to reduce the threat of this effect.

Improving the ecological network optimization with landscape connectivity: a case study of Neijiang City, Sichuan Province.

Rapid urbanization intensifies the fragmentation of landscape patches and affects the stability of ecosystems. The construction of an ecological network can effectively promote the connection of important ecological spaces and improve the landscape integrity. However, the landscape connectivity, directly affecting the stability of ecological network, was less considered in the ecological network construction of recent researches, which easily caused the instability of constructed ecological network. Therefore, this study introduced landscape connectivity index to establish a modified ecological network optimization method based on the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. The results showed that, compared with the traditional model, the modified model focused on the spatially detailed measurement of regional connectivity, and emphasized the impact of human disturbance on ecosystem stability at the landscape scale. The constructed corridors in the optimized ecological network of the modified model not only effectively improved the connection degree between important ecological sources but also avoided the areas with low landscape connectivity and high obstacles to ecological flow, especially in the counties of Zizhong, Dongxing, and Longchang within the focal study area. The ecological network established by the traditional model and modified model generated 19 and 20 ecological corridors with lengths of 334.49 km and 364.35 km, respectively, and the number of ecological nodes was 18 and 22. Evaluated by the Gravity method, the modified model identified the important ecological corridors in the ecological network, and the energy transfer efficiency of the network was improved. This study provided an effective way to improve the structural stability of ecological network construction and can provide scientific support for regional landscape pattern optimization and ecological security construction.

Construction and Optimization of an Ecological Network in the Yellow River Source Region Based on MSPA and MCR Modelling.

The source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) is an important water conservation and farming area in China. Under the dual influence of the natural environment and external pressure, ecological patches in the region are becoming increasingly fragmented, and landscape connectivity is continuously declining, which directly affect the landscape patch pattern and SRYR sustainable development. In the SRYR, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape index methods were used to extract ecologically important sources. Based on the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), Linkage Mapper was used to generate a potential corridor, and then potential stepped stone patches were identified and extracted by the gravity model and betweenness centrality to build an optimal SRYR ecological network. The distribution of patches in the core area of the SRYR was fragmented, accounting for 80.53% of the total grassland area. The 10 ecological sources based on the landscape connectivity index and 15 important corridors identified based on the MCR model were mainly distributed in the central and eastern regions of the SRYR. Through betweenness centrality, 10 stepped stone patches were added, and 45 planned ecological corridors were obtained to optimize the SRYR ecological network and enhance east and west connectivity. Our research results can provide an important reference for the protection of the SRYR ecosystem, and have important guiding significance and practical value for ecological network construction in ecologically fragmented areas.

Retracted: Construction of Ecological Network of Yangtze Huaihe River Diversion Project (Anhui) Based on Landscape Connectivity Index.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/9945687.].

A Dynamic Evaluation Method of Urban Ecological Networks Combining Graphab and the FLUS Model

Rapid urbanization has led to landscape fragmentation and habitat loss. As an organic structure integrating green space, an urban ecological network can effectively reduce ecological risks and protect biodiversity if its landscape connectivity is maintained. Chaoyang District in Beijing is facing the challenge of transformational development due to excessive urbanization. Taking this district as the study area, this study assessed the environmental impact of different development scenarios on landscape connectivity indices and explored the most relevant strategies for important green space patches by combining ecological network modeling (Graphab) and scenario simulation techniques (FLUS model). The results show that under the urban expansion scenario, the probability of connectivity (PC) decreases by 59.7%, while under the master plan scenario, it increases by 102.1%. Even under the ideal ecological scenario, the ecological network structure of the region faces structural problems. Patches and corridors with high delta probabilities of connectivity (dPC) are concentrated in the north, with no effective connection between the north and south. Finally, planning strategies and priorities for important patches under different urban development goals are proposed through a strategy matrix. Overall, this study proposes a framework for decision-makers to solve planning conflicts between urban expansion and biodiversity conservation, especially for cities in transition.

Construction of Urban Green Space Network in Kashgar City, China

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.

Rapid loss in landscape connectivity after the peace agreement in the Andes-Amazon region

There is a complex interplay of criminal groups’ control over land, illicit activities, and forest cover change in the Colombian Andes-Amazon region. This area is dealing with diverse forms of conflict and peace, directly impacting landscape connectivity. While many studies have documented rapid deforestation after the peace agreement in 2016, we know little about the effect of these socio-political changes on the state of landscape connectivity. We disentangle habitat from connected habitat in forest ecosystems using the Landsat archive and landscape connectivity indices. We find that in the Andes-Amazon region during 2000–2020, connected habitat loss reached 18%, while habitat loss was 13%. This result is worrisome because it indicates that well-connected patches are more fragmented and isolated, affecting the natural connections between the Andes and Amazon biogeographical regions and the movement ability of species. The Colombian government should conduct a strategic peacebuilding process incorporating structural changes that prevent the increase of large-scale extractive activities that are often illegal in the region. While finding a balance between extractive activities and conservation remains a big challenge, legal land tenure, census/taxation, and specific agreements with local actors can initially prevent deforestation. We discourage localized military actions and the return of aerial fumigation of coca fields, which rather than stop deforestation might exacerbate land cover change deeper into pristine forests. • De-escalation of conflict coincides with intra-annual deforestation dynamics in Colombia. • Connected habitat loss (18%) is higher than habitat available (13%) during 2000–2020. • Rapid fragmentation of well-connected forest patches can affect the biological connection between the Andes-Amazon biomes. • Reachable habitat for species is now less than the habitat available. • Conservation strategies should focus on developing agreements with local communities.

Construction of Ecological Network of Yangtze Huaihe River Diversion Project (Anhui) Based on Landscape Connectivity Index.

The interbasin water transfer project has realized the optimal allocation of water resources, improved economic benefits, improved people's life and welfare, and had an impact on the ecology. Taking Anhui Jianghuai water transfer project as an example, this study uses morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) to identify the core area, selects the patches in the core area, identifies the source according to the patch importance index, constructs the basic resistance surface according to the resistance factor, modifies the basic resistance surface by using the landscape connectivity index, and constructs the ecological corridor by combining the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model and the loop model (curve) to build the ecological network of the completed Huaihe River Water Transfer Project (Anhui). The results show that there are 83 sources, 197 potential ecological corridors, and 80 ecological nodes in the ecological network of Anhui Jianghuai project. Ecological network optimization strategies and protection suggestions are put forward for ecological sources, ecological corridors, and ecological nodes, respectively, so as to provide scientific reference and basis for the ecological environment protection and high-quality development of Anhui Jianghuai water transfer project.

Construction and optimization of ecological security pattern in Ebinur Lake Basin based on MSPA-MCR models

The ecological environment of inland river basins in arid zones is extremely fragile, and even small changes in the ecosystem may greatly influence the ecological protection of the basin. Most of the previous studies on the construction and optimization of ecological safety patterns, directly used large areas of water, grassland, and woodland as ecological source sites without considering the connectivity between landscapes. In this study, the large landscape connectivity index and the probability of connectivity values were used to determine the ecological source areas, taking landscape connectivity into account. Ebinur lake basin is an important barrier in northwest China. Taking Ebinur lake basin as a research object, the results show that: (1) there are 20 important ecological sources in the Ebinur Lake basin, mainly in the water and forest-grassland areas, including two waters ecological source areas in Ebinur Lake and Sayram Lake; (2) 190 ecological corridors were estimated by the minimum cumulative resistance model, and 59 level 1 ecological corridors were mainly located in the western part of Ebinur Lake, and 70 level 2 ecological corridors were also mainly located in the western part of Ebinur Lake by the gravity model after removing the redundant ecological corridors. (3) Based on hotspot and spatial directional analyses of ecological resistance and habitat quality, the ecological security pattern of 'four zones and two belts' was constructed. This can provide a reference for the protection and restoration of the ecological environment in the inland basin of the arid zone.

Construction of a Forest Ecological Network Based on the Forest Ecological Suitability Index and the Morphological Spatial Pattern Method: A Case Study of Jindong Forest Farm in Hunan Province

Human activities and climate change have resulted in an increasing fragmentation of forest landscapes, and the conflict between biodiversity protection and economic development has become more pronounced. The establishment of forest ecological networks can be a vital part of biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest development. Using Jindong Forest Farm as the study area, this study combines the forest ecological suitability index, morphological spatial pattern analysis, the area method, and the landscape connectivity index (PC, IIC). This will identify ecological source areas in the study area, extract ecological corridors using the minimum cumulative resistance model and the gravity model, and construct a forest ecological network with ecological source areas as points and ecological corridors as edges. This study identified 11 forest patches in highly suitable habitat regions as ecological source regions, and 54 potential corridors were extracted. The study’s results show that a careful analysis of the forest landscape’s ecological suitability and morphological spatial pattern provides a scientific method for the rational selection of ecological source regions and serves as a reference for protecting forest species diversity and sustainable forest development.

Assessment of landscape connectivity indices and habitat quality to identify essential habitat patches for Ovis orientalis × Ovis vignei (a case study: Varjin Protected Area, Tehran)

سابقه و هدف: ارتباطات سیمای سرزمین نقش بسیار مهمی در مدیریت منطقه های حفاظت شده دارد. در منطقه حفاظت شده ورجین گونه غالب قوچ و میش البرز مرکزی است که جمعیت آن در 20 سال گذشته به دلیل تخریب زیستگاه و تکه تکه شدن در حال کاهش بوده است. تاکنون مطالعات بسیاری در رابطه با ارزیابی اثرهای محیط زیستی توسعه نقاط شهری اطراف منطقه حفاظت شده ورجین صورت گرفته است، اما هیچ مطالعه ای در رابطه با وضعیت ارتباطات و کیفیت زیستگاه در این منطقه به صورت همزمان انجام نشده است. با توجه به موقعیت قرارگیری این منطقه حفاظت شده در البرز مرکزی، یکی از راهکارهای بسیار مهم در حفاظت زیستگاه های موردنظر، بررسی ارتباطات بین لکه های زیستگاهی و شناسایی کریدورهای جابجایی گونه است. هدف از پژوهش حاضر، تحلیل مسیرهای ارتباطی بین لکه های زیستگاه قوچ و میش در منطقه حفاظت شده ورجین و در نظرگیری کیفیت زیستگاه به عنوان یکی از عامل های تأثیرگذار بر حضور بیشتر گونه در لکه های منتخب است. با استفاده از این روش می توان لکه های زیستگاهی در منطقه را در راستای حفاظت بیشتر اولویت بندی نمود.مواد و روش ها: تصویرهای ماهواره ای لندست هفت و هشت مربوط به سال 1381 و 1397 به عنوان دو نقشه پایه و زمان حال برای استفاده در مدل کیفیت زیستگاه و تحلیل ارتباطات در این پژوهش انتخاب شد. برای بررسی سنجه ارتباطات زیستگاهی در دو مقیاس لندسکیپ و لکه نیز سنجه های dBC و dPC محاسبه شد. نرم افزار مورداستفاده برای این ارزیابی، نرم افزار Graphab بوده که با استفاده از نظریه گراف به صورت شبکه ای از گره ها و مسیرها، ارتباط بین لکه های زیستگاهی را با درنظرگیری آستانه وارد شده و برمبنای روش اقلیدسی محاسبه می کند. از سوی دیگر کیفیت زیستگاه با تأثیرگذاری عامل های انسانی روی کدهای زیستگاهی در دو بازه زمانی به عنوان خدمت اکوسیستمی منطقه حفاظت شده با استفاده از نرم افزار InVEST به دست آمد. درنهایت خروجی هردو نرم افزار وارد محیط ArcGIS 10.4 شده و با طبقه بندی نرمال، طبقات ارتباطات زیستگاهی و کیفیت زیستگاه به دست آمد.نتایج و بحث: نتایج نشانگر این امر است که سنجه dPC در بازهای بین 0 تا 796 / 0 و سنجه dBC در بازه 0 تا 11 + E 58 / 7 به دست آمده است. این مقادیر در محیط ArcGIS ، به 5 گروه متفاوت اهمیت تقسیم شدند و 23 لکه زیستگاهی هرکدام درجه متفاوتی از اهمیت را به خود اختصاص دادند. دو لکه یک و چهار در سمت راست منطقه حفاظت شده اهمیت بسیار زیادی در حفظ دو سنجه dBC و dPC دارند . همچنین خروجی مدل InVEST نشان می دهد کیفیت زیستگاه در نواحی شمال و شمال شرقی منطقه در طبقات کم و در جنوب منطقه نیز در طبقه بسیار کم قرارگرفته است. با اولویت بندی دو نقشه ارتباطات و کیفیت زیستگاه، لکه های زیستگاهی دارای اولویت حفاظت به دست آمد که لکه های سمت شرقی و جنوبی منطقه را تشکیل می دهند.نتیجه گیری: لکه هایی که ازلحاظ ارتباطات اهمیت ویژه ای داشته و همچنین دارای کیفیت زیستگاه بهتری نسبت به سایر لکه های دیگر است، در قسمت شرق و جنوب شرقی منطقه حفاظت شده ورجین قرار گرفت. این مطالعه با قدمی نوین و با استفاده از سنجه های ارتباطی در دو مقیاس لندسکیپ و لکه و با در نظرگیری خدمت اکوسیستمیِ کیفیت زیستگاه به شناسایی لکه های دارای اهمیت در طرح حفاظتی پرداخته و می تواند برای دیگرگونه های سنجه در مناطق حفاظت شده مورداستفاده قرارگیرد. به طورقطع با تغییر مقیاس مطالعه و در نظرگیری دو منطقه حفاظت شده لار و البرز مرکزی در دو سوی ورجین، نتایج مطالعات ارتباطات و درنهایت اولویت بندی تغییر خواهد کرد.