Potential Corridors Research Articles

Guiding sustainable urban development via a multi-level ecological framework integrating natural and social indicators

Establishing a sustainable landscape pattern to cope with worsening ecological problems is an internationally recognized practice. However, previous studies have not considered the joint supply equilibrium of ecosystem services (ESs) and coupling with social systems. In this study, we propose an ecological security pattern framework composed of multi-level ecological elements, based on ESs, human impacts, and improved connectivity. The ordered weighted averaging decision model was used to analyze the four types of ESs specified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and extract core patches. Based on potential corridors extracted by the minimum cumulative resistance model, ecological corridors were further classified by improved connectivity analysis coupled with the human modification index. The approach was tested using data from Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. The results show that the most service capabilities declined to varying degrees over the past 10 years. Forests, arable land, and grasslands had relatively high levels of comprehensive ecological services. Regulating services showed a significant decline in three or more land types. The principle of landscape ecology promotes the establishment of a buffer zone. In Dalian, the areas of the ecological core patch and buffer zone were 2,167.88 and 5,377.38 km2, respectively. The three levels of potential ecological corridors totaled 1079.78 km. The ecological elements and ESs assessment results obtained using the proposed method provide spatial guidance for ecological management, thereby ensuring the sustainable development of large cities.

A connectivity modeling and evaluating methodological framework in biodiversity hotspots based on naturalness and linking wilderness

AbstractWilderness is important for the maintenance of biodiversity, but human activities are increasingly fragmenting it. This situation has serious impacts on various ecological processes, especially in biodiversity hotspots. In previous studies, connectivity modeling is mostly focused on key species, but this approach is difficult to use in biodiversity hotspots. Therefore, it is more practical to focus on naturalness or wilderness. In this study, the Boolean tool and morphological analysis were used to extract landscape type core as wilderness core and Bridge as structural corridors. Then, connectivity analysis was used to extract the wilderness landscape source (WLS). Linkage mapper and Pinch‐point mapper were used to identify the potential corridors and analyze the Pinch‐Points in the corridor, and network connectivity indexes were used to evaluate the corridor network structure. Finally, wilderness core, WLS, structural corridor, and potential corridor are superimposed to get a wilderness network map. A method framework for comprehensive identification and evaluation of the wilderness network in biodiversity hotspots was proposed. Taking Nujiang Prefecture as an example, a wilderness network was constructed and evaluated based on naturalness and wilderness. The results show that human activity has a clear impact on connectivity and that wilderness networks have the potential to be an efficient alternative to habitat networks. In addition, the method framework has potential applicability to other biodiversity hotspots’ regions to reduce the impact of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity.

Research strategy for constructing a green infrastructure network based on spatial prioritization

ABSTRACT The destruction of the ecological system caused by urban expansion has led to the environmental deterioration, cities have become increasingly vulnerable. In this study, six districts and counties along the Yellow River in Zhengzhou were selected as the study area. First, green infrastructure elements were extracted by morphological spatial pattern analysis. Then, outside the urban areas, we used connectivity analysis to evaluate the importance of core areas, adopted minimum cumulative resistance model to extract potential corridors, and identified the important corridors by using the gravity model. Finally, in the urban areas, we set up an evaluation system to assess the demands for ecosystem services. The results showed that: (1) Seven landscape types of green infrastructure be identified in study area. (2) There are 17 vital cores, 136 potential corridors, and 24 vital corridors outside the urban areas. (3) The blocks with high demand for ecosystem services are mostly concentrated in the old blocks with dense populations and poor infrastructure, and there are 5 blocks with comprehensive high-demand. Based on identified importance for green infrastructure land space, and high-demand level for ecosystem services areas in this study, a green infrastructure net plan was proposed based on spatial conservation prioritisation.

Connecting protected areas in the North Mesopotamian steppes: can this ensure the survival of the Arabian Sand Gazelle (Gazella marica)?

The Arabian Sand Gazelle (Gazella marica Thomas, 1897) is endemic to the Middle East and its populations in South-eastern Anatolia in Turkey are in danger of extinction. Here, we focus on its protected habitats in the Mesopotamian steppes and examine how to create connectivity between habitats under changing climate conditions. We use ecological niche modelling for four time periods, as simulated in five General Circulation Models (GCMs), to assess the distributional shifts of G. marica over the decades and predict its future ecological connection effectivity based on a least-cost model. We suggest establishing three potential corridors between core protected areas. The findings indicate that there will be a southward and westward shift in the distribution of the species due to future climate change. Overall, the results of the GCMs suggest that climate change will trigger habitat loss for G. marica. Unless conservation measures take the forecasted changes in habitat into consideration, the extinction of this species will be unavoidable.

Green Infrastructure Network Identification at a Regional Scale: The Case of Nanjing Metropolitan Area, China

Clustered urban development has caused increasing fragmentation and islanding of regional ecological spaces. Creating a green infrastructure network (GIN) is a practical method of ensuring regional ecological security. This study proposed a method of GIN identification at the regional scale based on the Nanjing Metropolitan Area as an example. In this method, green hubs were identified using morphological spatial pattern analysis and connectivity indexes, green corridors were simulated based on the least-cost path model, and key optimization nodes were identified using circuit theory. The results indicated that green hubs covered an area of 5042.07 km2, of which, 15.40% were cross-border, and the potential corridors were distributed in a network, with the key ecological nodes primarily narrowly situated. By comparing the hubs with the statutory green space protection area and the urban ecological control line, the identification results were more than 70% accurate, showing that the results were valid and reliable. This method not only made the identification of regional GIN more practical and replicable but also further identified key areas that need priority protection. This study provides a method for constructing regional GIN and serves as a strong guide for ecological and development planning of other urban clustered areas.

Ecological Security and Ecosystem Quality: A Case Study of Xia-Zhang-Quan Metropolitan Area in China

Ecological security patterns are an effective tool by which to balance economic development with ecological protection. This study used the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model in conjunction with circuit theory to evaluate ecosystem quality from four dimensions: background conditions, topography, landscape structure, and ecological resistance. Our objective was to identify ecological “pinch points” in order to create an ecological security pattern that would be sustainable under a range of land use functions. We selected as the research target the Xia-Zhang-Quan metropolitan area in China due to the extensive soil erosion and general degradation of ecosystems caused by its rapid socio-economic development. Our analysis identified 17 ecological source sites covering 11,512 km2, which accounts for 45.36% of the total area. The inter-source corridor includes 31 key corridors and 10 potential corridors covering 3305 km. The average ecosystem quality of this area was estimated at 0.65 at an optimal granularity of 400 m. The distribution of resistance values in the study area was relatively concentrated with the land divided into an ecological buffer zone (34.6%), an environmentally sensitive zone (10.9%), and a blocking zone (9.2%). Our analysis also revealed various corridors based on the regional and functional characteristics of ecological elements and improvement strategies at the pinch points to help restore the function of ecological sources. Protection of these corridors will help to maintain regional ecological security patterns and optimize the structure of ecological spaces with the aim of achieving sustainable development.

The Construction of Urban Park Green Infrastructure Network Based on Genetic Algorithm

In order to build a scientific and reasonable urban park green infrastructure network. Genetic Tabu hybrid algorithm is introduced into the field of urban park green infrastructure network construction, using ENVI5.5, ArcGIS10.2, Conefor2.6, and other software to construct the comprehensive green infrastructure network model and corresponding algorithm of a city park and improve and compare the genetic algorithm and Tabu search algorithm. Firstly, the ecological sensitivity of urban parks was evaluated, and 58 ecological source patches with high ecological value were selected. With the help of GIS platform, 71 potential corridors are simulated and generated by using the minimum cost path model. Then, select the index that can evaluate the importance of source patches in the ecological network to determine the importance ranking of source patches. Finally, according to the principles of clustering and network connectivity, select the ecological source with high patch importance, analyze the potential ecological corridor and current corridor, and combine and screen the factors of green infrastructure network. The results show that a city park green infrastructure network composed of 38 ecological source patches and 19 corridors is finally formed. Genetic algorithm has a potential application prospect in the construction of urban park green infrastructure network. By introducing genetic Tabu hybrid algorithm into the field of urban park green infrastructure network construction, it will change the mode of traditional urban park green infrastructure network construction.

Analysis of Blue Infrastructure Network Pattern in the Hanjiang Ecological Economic Zone in China

As a crucial part of urban development, blue infrastructure (BI) provides multiecosystem services. Using the Hanjiang Ecological Economic Zone as the study area, the potential benefits of a BI network were constructed using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR) for three periods in order to assess network structure. The main conclusions are: (1) The total BI area of the study location increased at first and then decreased from 2010 to 2020, during which the area of the core and loop was continually rising while the islet and bridge were gradually dropping. These results reveal that landscape fragmentation was well controlled; (2) Both the Integral Index of Connectivity(IIC) and Probability of Connectivity(PC) of the landscape showed an increasing trend, but the integral connectivity level was still low; (3) The comprehensive resistance value decreased gradually from west to east. The potential corridors were concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang and extended upstream. The amount decreased first and then increased. (4) The structure of the BI network was simple first and then complex, which is in line with changes in the number of BI sources. Thus, changes in the BI network pattern are closely linked to the changes in the study area and the number of BI sources.

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.

A method of linking functional and structural connectivity analysis in urban green infrastructure network construction

Accelerated urbanization and population growth lead to the fragmentation of urban green space and loss of biodiversity. There are few studies on the integration of structural and functional connectivity to solve this problem. Our study aims to draw up a methodology to synthesize two methods of connectivity evaluation, accordingly, to construct an urban green infrastructure (UGI) network which is of great significance to maintain the stability of the urban ecosystem. Taking Beijing as a study area, we first used Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) to identify the source patches, then combined with the graph theory-based landscape metrics to discuss the effect of different diffusion distances on the regional landscape connectivity and classify the importance level of the source patches. Finally, we used both least-cost path (LCP) and circuit theory to construct network and identify pinch areas in corridors for network optimization. The results show that (1) the landscape connectivity of the study area is obviously polarized. Source patches in mountain and hilly areas have good ecological bases and large areas, and the density of corridors is relatively high, which makes a large contribution to the overall landscape connectivity; Source patches in plain areas are severely fragmented, and there are only a small number of potential corridors connecting urban areas and suburban areas. (2) The UGI network is composed of 70 source patches and 148 potential corridors. The diffusion distance that is most beneficial to improve landscape connectivity is 20–25 km. (3) 6 pinch areas that are of great significance for improving the connectivity of the landscape present the coexistence of high migration resistance and large optimization potential, and urgently need to be restored first. This study provides a method to combine the structural and the functional analysis to construct a UGI network and formulate more scientifical protection strategies for planning departments.

南方丘陵山区生态安全格局构建与优化修复——以瑞金市为例

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 南方丘陵山区生态安全格局构建与优化修复——以瑞金市为例 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202106061490 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金项目（41861036）；中国博士后科学基金面上一等资助项目（2018M630738）；江西省自然科学基金项目（20192BAB213023）；江西省教育厅科技项目（GJJ200504） Construction, optimization and restoration of ecological security pattern in the southern hilly and mountainous region of China: A case study in Ruijin City Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.41861036); the 63th Batch of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No.2018M630738); the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20192BAB213023); and the Science and Technology Project of Education Department of Jiangxi Province (GJJ200504) 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:构建科学合理的生态安全格局、落实生态保护修复与空间优化是促进区域生态系统健康运行和社会经济可持续发展的重要途径。以南方丘陵山区瑞金市为例，综合生态敏感性评价与最小阻力模型，解构瑞金市生态安全格局及其自然生态与社会经济特点，并提出生态保护修复与空间优化方案。结果显示：（1）瑞金市生态源地共有123.22km2，占总国土面积5%，主要为重要山林地和水域，环绕中部盆地呈卫星状分布；（2）潜在廊道119条，生态节点72个，在周边山地呈闭合网络状，但中部盆地廊道单一、节点密集，网络连通性较低；（3）瑞金市是典型的高原型阻力面，中部盆地城镇发展区、沟域经济延伸带、西部工矿挖采点生态阻力高、源地辐射弱，应生态预警与重点修复。瑞金市生态保护修复与空间优化应宏观统筹、分区推进、精细落实，划分生态修复核心区、生态监测预警区、生态保护缓冲区和生态保护重点区，明确空间管控原则、分区推进生态保护，围绕"源地-廊道-节点"落实生态修复。 Abstract:Establishing ecological security patterns, and implementing ecological restoration and spatial optimization are important ways to promote the health of regional ecosystems and the sustainable development of society and economy. Using Ruijin City, a southern hilly and mountainous region of China, as a case, this study demonstrated the regional ecological security patterns and the bio-physical and socio-economic characteristics through ecological sensitivity assessment and a least resistance model. Then the strategies for ecological restoration and spatial optimization were finally proposed. The results show that:(1) the identified ecological source areas in Ruijin City is 123.22km2, accounting for 5% of the total area. They are mainly composed of important mountainous forests and water bodies, and distributed around the central basin. (2) There are 119 potential corridors and 72 ecological nodes, which form a closed network in the surrounding mountains. However, the central basin only possesses a single corridor with dense nodes and low network connectivity. (3) The mountainous Ruijin City turns to be a typical plateau resistance surface. The urban areas under development in the central basin, the economic extension zone in the gully area, and the west mining areas, where the ecological resistance is extremely high while the radiation from the ecological source is weak, should be ecologically pre-warned and restored with priority. In terms of spatial optimization and ecological protection and restoration in Ruijin City, the work should be arranged macroscopically as a whole, propelled regionally and implemented meticulously. Moreover, the ecological restoration core area, the ecological monitoring and pre-warning area, the ecological protection buffer area, and the ecological protection key area should be classified with distinct principles for spatial regulation. Specific countermeasures for regional ecological protection and restoration should be based on the "source-corridor-node" pattern. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Optimization of Landscape Ecological Security Patterns and Planning in Low Hilly Areas —A Case Study of Beigong Town, Fengtai District, Beijing City, China

With the continuous expansion of mega-cities in China, the landscape pattern of the original urban-rural area is broken, resulting in serious fragmentation of landscape patches in the fringe area of the urban center and threatening urban ecological security. Therefore, how to consider the needs for construction and development based on securing ecological security patterns is a key consideration for the fringe areas of megacities. The study takes Beigong Town as the research object and uses the MSPA model analysis method to extract nine ecological source sites that are important for ecological network construction. Then, the study constructs a comprehensive ecological resistance surface based on the MCR minimum cumulative resistance model, generates minimum cost paths to simulate regional potential corridors, and constructs the ecological security pattern in Beigong Town. The study further combines the current situation of land use in Beigong Town to optimize the ecological safety pattern and proposes the planning control systems, which provides the basis for the next planning and construction.

Identifying the habitat suitability and built-in corridors for Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) movement in the northern highlands of Pakistan

Identifying habitat suitability and potential corridors are important tools for biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change. We modeled habitat suitability and simulated possible corridors for movement and gene flow among the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) population in the Northern Highlands of Pakistan (NHP). Results indicated that the areas of 13,923 km2 and 21,931 km2 suitable for the Asiatic black bear under current and future scenarios respectively. Under the future scenario, we found an area of 12,657 km2 (57.21%) as increase in suitable habitat (ISHf) and 4649 km2 (33.39%) area as a decrease in current suitable habitat (DSHc). Our model predicted that about >65% (9274 km2) of the current suitable habitat as a climate refugia which is projected from the center to southeast east and northwest of the NHP primarily in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK). The attitudinal range of refugia was projected from 688 m to 4483 m with >56% at the elevations between 2001 m to 3000 m. A very small portion of suitable habitats (current suitable habitat = 2.75%, future suitable habitat = 5.11%) were projected under the protected areas. Maps connecting suitable habitats identified different regions delineated as important for the dispersal of Asiatic black bears, which mainly distributed in the PAK and KPK. Our results help informs conservation strategies and management plans for mitigating the impacts of climate change on Asiatic black bears in the NHP.

The Construction of Ecological Security Patterns in Coastal Areas Based on Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment-A Case Study of Jiaodong Peninsula, China.

Increasing land utilization, population aggregation and strong land–sea interaction make coastal areas an ecologically fragile environment. The construction of an ecological security pattern is important for maintaining the function of the coastal ecosystem. This paper takes Jiaodong Peninsula in China, a hilly coastal area, as an example for evaluating landscape ecological risk within a comprehensive framework of “nature–neighborhood–landscape”, based on spatial principal component analysis, and it constructs the ecological security pattern based on the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR). The results showed that the overall level of ecological risk in the study area was medium. The connectivity between the areas of low landscape ecological risk was relatively low, and the high risk areas were concentrated in the north of the Peninsula. A total of 11 key ecological corridors of three types (water, green space and road corridors) and 105 potential corridors were constructed. According to the ecological network pattern, landscape ecological optimization suggestions were proposed: key corridors in the north and south of Jiaodong Peninsula should be connected; urban development should consider current ecological sources and corridors to prevent landscape fragmentation; and the ecological roles of potential corridors should be strengthened. This paper can provide a theoretical and practical basis for ecological planning and urban master planning in coastal areas in the future.

Modelling Multi-Species Connectivity at the Kafue-Zambezi Interface: Implications for Transboundary Carnivore Conservation

Linking wildlife areas with corridors facilitating species dispersal between core habitats is a key intervention to reduce the deleterious effects of population isolation. Large heterogeneous networks of areas managed for wildlife protection present site- and species-scale complexity underpinning the scope and performance of proposed corridors. In Southern Africa, the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area seeks to link Kafue National Park to a cluster of wildlife areas centered in Namibia and Botswana. To assess and identify potential linkages on the Zambian side, we generated a high-resolution land cover map and combined empirical occurrence data for Lions (Panthera leo), Leopards (Panthera pardus) and Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) to build habitat suitability maps. We then developed four connectivity models to map potential single and multi-species corridors between Kafue and the Zambezi River border with Namibia. Single and multi-species connectivity models selected corridors follow broadly similar pathways narrowing significantly in central-southern areas of the Kafue-Zambezi interface, indicating a potential connectivity bottleneck. Capturing the full extent of human disturbance and barriers to connectivity remains challenging, suggesting increased risk to corridor integrity than modelled here. Notwithstanding model limitations, these data provide important results for land use planners at the Kafue-Zambezi Interface, removing much speculations from existing connectivity narratives. Failure to control human disturbance and secure corridors will leave Kafue National Park, Zambia’s majority component in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, isolated.

Drivers of the evolution and amplitude of African Humid Periods

During orbital precession minima, the Sahara was humid and more vegetated, providing potential corridors for Hominins migration. Uncertainties remain over the climatic processes controlling the initiation, demise and amplitude of these African Humid Periods. Here we study these processes using a series of transient simulations of the penultimate deglaciation and Last Interglacial period, and compare the results with a transient simulation of the last deglaciation and Holocene. We find that the strengthening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at the end of deglacial millennial-scale events exerts a dominant control on the abrupt initiation of African Humid Periods as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation modulates the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. In addition, residual Northern Hemispheric ice-sheets can delay the peak of the African Humid Period. Through its impact on Northern Hemispheric ice-sheets disintegration and thus Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the larger rate of insolation increase during the penultimate compared to the last deglaciation can explain the earlier and more abrupt onset of the African Humid Period during the Last Interglacial period. Finally, we show that the mean climate state modulates precipitation variability, with higher variability under wetter background conditions.

The r package enerscape: A general energy landscape framework for terrestrial movement ecology

Abstract Ecological processes and biodiversity patterns are strongly affected by how animals move through the landscape. However, it remains challenging to predict animal movement and space use. Here we present our new r package enerscape to quantify and predict animal movement in real landscapes based on energy expenditure. enerscape integrates a general locomotory model for terrestrial animals with GIS tools in order to map energy costs of movement in a given environment, resulting in energy landscapes that reflect how energy expenditures may shape habitat use. enerscape only requires topographic data (elevation) and the body mass of the studied animal. To illustrate the potential of enerscape, we analyse the energy landscape for the Marsican bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in a protected area in central Italy in order to identify least‐cost paths and high‐connectivity areas with low energy costs of travel. enerscape allowed us to identify travel routes for the bear that minimize energy costs of movement and regions that have high landscape connectivity based on movement efficiency, highlighting potential corridors. It also identifies areas where high energy costs may prevent movement and dispersal, potentially exacerbating human–wildlife conflicts in the park. A major strength of enerscape is that it requires only widely available topographic and body size data. As such, enerscape permits a first cost‐effective way to estimate landscape use and movement corridors even when telemetry data are not readily available, such as for the example with the bear. enerscape is built in a modular way and other movement modes and ecosystem types can be implemented when appropriate locomotory models are available. In summary, enerscape is a new general tool that quantifies, using minimal and widely available data, the energy costs of moving through a landscape. This can clarify how and why animals move in real landscapes and inform practical conservation and restoration decisions.

Integrating morphological spatial pattern analysis and the minimal cumulative resistance model to optimize urban ecological networks: a case study in Shenzhen City, China

BackgroundWith the increasing fragmentation of landscape induced by rapid urbanization, the construction of ecological networks is of great significance to alleviate the degradation of urban habitats and protect natural environments. However, there is considerable uncertainty when constructing ecological networks, especially the different approaches to selecting ecological sources. We used the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen as a study area to construct and optimize ecological networks using a coupling approach. Ecological source areas were extracted using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the landscape index method. Ecological networks were constructed using the minimal cumulative resistance (MCR) model and the gravity model. Stepping stones and ecological fault points were added in corridors to optimize the ecological network.ResultsTen core areas with maximum importance patch values were extracted by the landscape index method as ecological source areas according to MSPA, after which corridors between ecological sources were constructed based on the MCR model. The constructed ecological networks were optimized using 35 stepping stones and 17 ecological fault points. The optimized ecological networks included 11 important corridors, 34 general corridors, and seven potential corridors. The results of corridor landscape-type analysis showed that a suitable ecological corridor is 60 to 200 m wide.ConclusionsOverall, our results imply that ecological source areas can be identified virtually, and that ecological networks can be significantly optimized by combining MSPA and MCR models. These results provide a methodological reference for constructing ecological networks, and they will be useful for urban planning and biodiversity protection in Shenzhen and other similar regions around the world.

The Potential Role of Drove Roads as Connecting Corridors for Birds between Natura 2000 Sites

Ecological connectivity among protected Natura 2000 sites is a priority for conservation in Europe due to the increasing pressure on biodiversity from human activities and climate change. Drove roads, the traditional paths used to move livestock through the territory, have been proposed as potential ecological corridors due to their large extent, continuous nature and centennial protection from ploughing and urbanization, which allows the persistence of some tree cover and natural habitats in them. Bird communities were sampled during the reproductive season along 19 drove road transects in agrarian landscapes between Natura 2000 sites, all of them around the conurbation of Madrid (Madrid Region, Spain). Bird community nestedness was assessed by NODF computation followed by significance estimation by aleatorization, and factors explaining species richness and bird abundance were analyzed through General Linear Models fitted with environmental variables measured on official vegetation maps and orthophotos. Bird communities in drove roads were significantly nested, showing high predictability in the order of species loss from better preserved sites to those under stronger environmental pressures. Accordingly, Poisson regression showed bird richness to decrease strongly with distance from the closest Natura 2000 site and to increase with forest cover at the landscape and at the drove road scales. Bird abundance increased strongly with distance from urban areas and motorways, and it was slightly higher in areas with more forest cover and in transects with less bare ground. These results, and the higher relevance detected for landscape scale variables (500 m around transects) than for those at the drove road (50 m) scale, show that (i) they can only play a secondary role as habitat for nesting birds but (ii) they may add to the Green Infrastructure strategy as facilitators or stepping stones for bird communities if the surrounding landscape is favorable for them.

A Framework for Optimizing Green Infrastructure Networks Based on Landscape Connectivity and Ecosystem Services

Optimizing the layout of green infrastructure (GI) is an effective way to alleviate the fragmentation of urban landscapes, coordinate the relationship between urban development and urban ecosystem services, and ensure the sustainable development of cities. This study provides a new technical framework for optimizing GI networks based on a case study of Kaifeng, an exemplar of many ancient cities along the Yellow River in China. To do this, we used a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) methodology and combined it with Procedure for mAthematical aNalysis of lanDscape evOlution and equilibRium scenarios Assessment (PANDORA) model to determine the hubs of the GI network. Then we employed a least-cost path approach to simulate potential corridors linking the hubs. We further identify the key ‘pinch points’ of the GI network that need priority protection based on circuit theory. Altogether, this framework takes patches that have a high level of ecosystem services and are more important in maintaining overall connectivity as hubs, thereby improving the accuracy of hub identification. Moreover, it establishes a direct connection between GI construction and ecosystem services, and improves biodiversity conservation by optimizing the network structure of GI. The results of the case study show that this framework is suitable for GI planning and construction, and can provide effective technical support for the formulation of urban sustainable development strategies.