Restoration Zone Research Articles

Longitudinal Dynamics of Hydrological Connectivity in the Yellow River Delta, China

River deltas are formed by the interaction of connecting water and sediment, and they are among the most economically and ecologically valuable ecosystems on Earth. Because of their special locations, together with direct and indirect human interference, river deltas are expected to be more vulnerable and fragmented. The increasing fragmentation of deltas is largely due to longitudinal hydrological connectivity disruption caused by human activities. However, the dynamics of longitudinal connectivity are unknown, especially in the Yellow River Delta (YRD), which has been subjected to heavy reclamation in recent years. In this study, we divided the whole YRD into three subregions, the erosion zone, the oilfield zone and the deposition zone, and then we used indicators to explore the spatiotemporal variation in hydrological connectivity on the whole scale and on the zonal scale of the delta during 1984-2018 in the YRD. We found that the variation in longitudinal hydrological connectivity was closely related to the geometry of the tidal channel networks, and that the changes in longitudinal hydrological connectivity varied with research scales. A weak increasing trend of connectivity was found on the whole scale of the delta during the past three decades. A decreasing trend of connectivity was found in both the erosion zone and the oilfield zone. In the deposition zone, however, the connectivity degree was enhanced. Furthermore, we also identified the key impaired area and relatively stable area of hydrological connectivity in the YRD and implied that the key impaired area may be a priority restoration zone of the impaired hydrological connectivity zone. Our study provides useful scientific guidance for the subsequent restoration of damaged wetlands.

Defining oyster resource zones across coastal Louisiana for restoration and aquaculture

Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are a critical ecological and commercial resource in the northern Gulf of Mexico facing changing environmental conditions from river management and climate change. In Louisiana, USA, development of restored reefs, and off-bottom aquaculture would benefit from the identification of locations supportive of sustainable oyster populations (i.e., metapopulations) and high consistent production. This study defines four oyster resource zones across coastal Louisiana based on environmental conditions known to affect oyster survival, growth, and reproduction. Daily data from 2015 to 2019 were interpolated to generate salinity and temperature profiles across Louisiana's estuaries, which were then used to classify zones based on monthly and annual salinity mean and variance. Zones were classified as supportive of (1) broodstock sanctuary reefs (i.e., support reproductive populations), (2) productive reefs during dry (salty) years, (3) productive reefs during wet (fresh) years, and (4) off-bottom aquaculture development. Of the 38,000 km2 investigated, over 11,000 km2 of potential oyster zone area was identified across the Louisiana coast. The Broodstock Sanctuary Zone was the smallest (∼540 km2), as salinity variance limited this zone in many areas, as it is driven largely by riverine inputs across many estuaries. Located up-estuary (Dry Restoration Zone) and down-estuary (Wet Restoration Zone) of the Broodstock Sanctuary Zone, Dry and Wet Restoration Zone areas covered ∼2400 km2 and ∼3900 km2, respectively. Mapped reefs in Louisiana currently exist largely within the Dry Restoration zones, suggesting a potential strategy to focus reef development in Wet Restoration zones to ensure reef network sustainability through years with high precipitation and river inflow. The off-bottom Aquaculture Zone was the largest (∼6400 km2) zone identified, with much of this area located more down-estuary and off-shore. Accounting for variable water quality conditions enables the development of a network of reefs resilient to environmental variability, and more stable areas for consistent off-bottom aquaculture production. Spatial planning and identification of oyster resource zones reduces focus on individual reef success and supports management of oyster metapopulation outcomes, while identifying zones supportive of off-bottom aquaculture.

Construction of ecological security patterns and ecological restoration zones in the city of Ningbo, China

Construction of ecological security patterns and ecological restoration zones in the city of Ningbo, China

Marine Spatial Planning Scheme evaluation based on the conflict analysis system - A case study in Xiamen, China

To achieve the ultimate goal of the coordination of the three elements: sea use activities, ecological environment, and marine economy, a Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) scheme requires regular evaluation and adjustments, given that one particular scheme may not take all elements into account. However, concrete evaluation methods were rarely studied, and there are few practical cases. In this study, a conflict analysis system consisting of three matrices was established to quantitatively evaluate the conflicts between the three elements. Combined with the assessment of the current status of certain sea area through the application of ArcGIS functions and tools, the major issues that certain scheme needs to address could be summarized. The conflict analysis system could also be applied to evaluate and compare different adjusted schemes under different scenarios, with the aim to determine one that can better promote coordination. The proposed method was applied in the Marine Functional Zoning (MFZ) of Xiamen, China, a precursor of MSP. The results showed that under the current MFZ scheme, conflicts among different sea use activities and conflicts between sea use activities and ecological environment were caused by the dense and diverse setting of functional zones, some overlaps, and the unsatisfying water quality, biological quality, and biodiversity. Also, the current MFZ scheme is too economically oriented to adequately balance the three elements. Based on the setting of different scenarios and evaluation of different adjusted schemes, the syncretic Scenario 4 can better meet the goal of coordination by avoiding overlaps and reducing the over-dense sea use activities, setting reserved areas and establishing restoration zones, as well as adjusting functional zones with greater economic stimulation to areas with lower pressure, etc. The application prospects and study limitations of the method were discussed in the last part. This study can provide great policy implications for Xiamen's future MFZ revision as well as a workable method for MSP scheme evaluation, adjustment, and development in other regions, which is of great significance and innovation to the sustainable management of coastal and marine areas.

Zoning of Ecological Restoration in the Qilian Mountain Area, China.

Ecosystem restoration has been widely concerned with the damage and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Scientific and reasonable formulations of ecological restoration zoning is the basis for the formulation of an ecological restoration plan. In this study, a restoration zoning index system was proposed to comprehensively consider the ecological problems of ecosystems. The linear weighted function method was used to construct the ecological restoration index (ERI) as an important index of zoning. The research showed that: (1) the ecological restoration zones of the Qilian Mountains can be divided into eight basins, namely the headwaters of the Datong River Basin, the Danghe-Dahaerteng River Basin, the northern confluence area of the Qinghai Lake, the upper Shule River to middle Heihe River, the Oasis Agricultural Area in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountain, the Huangshui Basin Valley, Aksay (corridor region of the western Hexi Basin), and the northeastern Tsaidam Basin; (2) the restoration index of the eight ecological restoration zones of the Qilian Mountains was between 0.34–0.8, with an average of 0.61 (the smaller the index, the more prominent the comprehensive ecological problem representing the regional mountains, rivers, forests, cultivated lands, lakes, and grasslands, and thus the greater the need to implement comprehensive ecological protection and restoration projects); and (3) the ecological problems of different ecological zones are frequently numerous, and often show the phenomenon of multiple overlapping ecological problems in the same zone.

Developing a nature recovery network using systematic conservation planning

AbstractConservation area networks in most countries are fragmented and inadequate. To tackle this in England, government policies are encouraging stakeholders to create local‐level nature recovery networks. Here, we describe work led by a wildlife organization that used the systematic conservation planning approach to identify a nature recovery network for three English counties and select focal areas within it where they will focus their work. The network was based on identifying core zones to maintain current biodiversity and recovery zones for habitat restoration, meeting area‐based targets for 50 priority habitat, landscape, landcover, and ecosystem service types. It included the existing designated sites for conservation, which cover 6.05% of the study site, and identified an additional 11.6% of land as core zones and 18% as recovery zones, reflecting the organization's call for 30% of England to be conserved and connected by 2030. We found that systematic conservation planning worked well in this context, identifying a connected, adequate, representative, and efficient network and producing transparent and repeatable results. The analysis also highlighted the pressing need for government agencies to provide national‐level guidance and datasets for setting targets and including species data in spatial planning, creating a national framework to inform local action.

Degraded forest lands and pine plantations in homogeneous ecological areas

Objectives: i) to determine the total degraded areas of EZ in the country, ii) estimate the priority degraded areas for restoration planting, and iii) assess the species and planted areas of the Pinus genus and whether these were within their natural distribution range.Design/methodology/approach: total EZ degradation surfaces and priority degraded areas for restoration plantings were determined with the Germplasm Movement Zones and Restoration Zones of the Comisión Nacional Forestal (NationalForestry Commission, CONAFOR), while planted surfaces were estimated from the CONAFOR records from 2016 to 2018.Results: on degradation, it was shown that three EZ had large areas, six EZ intermediate areas and 32 EZ small areas; two degradation types (III.C and III.D) were prioritized and viable for restoration plantings; four species (23 %) were established outside their natural distribution range while ten (59 %) were within it, three species were undefined.Study limitations/implications: for restoration of areas, it is necessary to avoid high initial plant mortality and poor growth.Findings/conclusions: the north of the country has larger areas with degradation,while the center, north and south have areas with medium and low degradation; planting species outside their distribution range leads to plant adaptation problems.

A Simple GIS-Based Tool for the Detection of Landslide-Prone Zones on a Coastal Slope in Scotland

Effective landslide detection is crucial to mitigate the negative impacts derived from the occurrence of these natural hazards. Research on landslide detection methods has been extensively undertaken. However, simplified methods for landslide detection requiring a minimum amount of data inputs are still lacking. Simple approaches for landslide detection should be particularly interesting for geographical areas with limited information or resources availability. The aim of this paper is to present a refined, simple, GIS-based tool for the detection of landslide-prone and slope restoration zones. The tool only requires a digital elevation model (DEM) dataset as input, it is interoperable at multiple spatial scales, and it can be implemented on any GIS platform. The tool was applied on a coastal slope prone to instability, located in Scotland, in order to verify the functionality of the tool. The results indicated that the proposed tool is able to detect both shallow and deeper landslides satisfactorily, suggesting that the spatial combination of steep and potentially wet soil zones is effective for detecting areas prone to slope failure.

Land evaluation and site assessment for the basic farmland protection in Lingyuan County, Northeast China

With respect to the stability and permanence of basic farmland, the LESA system provides a scientific theory and reference method for farmland protection. In this study, the land evaluation and site assessment (LESA) system, widely tested and applied for farmland protection in the U.S., was introduced in Lingyuan County, Northeast China. The research results showed that the LESA system had apparent advantages in fully evaluating farmland soil quality and site conditions and achieved scientific zoning protection for basic farmland. Six soil factors and five site condition factors were used to construct the land evaluation (LE) and site assessment (SA) subsystems, and the calculated ratio (6:4) of the LE and SA subsystems rationally indicated that LE was the superior subsystem and the essential basis for crop production and agriculture use, which also coincided with the practical characteristics of farmland utilization and protection in Lingyuan County. Four farmland protection and utilization zones were developed: the basic farmland zone, the potential basic farmland zone, the ecological restoration zone and the construction reservation zone. Finally, 60.35% of the farmland was demarcated as basic farmland area, which can not only guarantee farmland stability and permanence but also provide scientific guidance for construction occupation and ecological restoration. The abundant experience of LESA applications in U.S. counties provides a valuable reference for farmland protection in the counties of China.

Assessment of Ecological Vulnerability on Northern Sand Prevention Belt of China Based on the Ecological Pressure–Sensibility–Resilience Model

Quantitative assessment of ecological vulnerability is of great significance for ecological protection and restoration in ecologically vulnerable regions. Here, the ecological vulnerability of the northern sand prevention belt (NSPB) of China was assessed using an ecological pressure–sensibility–resilience model from 2000 to 2015. Results showed that the ecological vulnerability index (EVI) displayed low values in the eastern part and high values in the western part of the study region. The EVI ranged from 0.29 to 1.32 in 2000, with the mean value of 0.88, whereas it averaged 0.78 in 2015, ranging from 0.21 to 1.26. Decreasing EVI from 2000 to 2015 indicated that the ecological status has been improved. Moreover, the area proportion of moderately, heavily, and extremely ecological vulnerability levels occupied approximately 87% in both 2000 and 2015, indicating a high ecological vulnerability level. Furthermore, the change in area proportion of different ecological vulnerability levels were associated with the change in the spatial distribution of vegetation coverage, indicating that eco-environmental protection projects were indeed effective. These findings indicated that differential strategies in different restoration zones should be adopted, especially in the western parts of the study region, and eco-environmental protection projects should be reinforced to improve the ecological restoration.

Research on Landscape Pattern Construction and Ecological Restoration of Jiuquan City Based on Ecological Security Evaluation

Jiuquan City is a typical ecologically fragile area in the arid areas of Northwest China, and unreasonable human activities directly affect the regional ecological security. Scientifically, it is necessary to construct an ecological landscape pattern on the basis of ecological security evaluation. This paper selected evaluation factors based on the perspective of “environmental base and human interference”, used spatial principal component analysis (SPCA) to comprehensively evaluate the regional landscape ecological security, and used the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model to construct the regional ecological security pattern. The results show that the overall ecological security level of the study area is low, and the area with a moderate safety level and below is 122,100 km2, accounting for 72.57% of the total area of the study area. The total area of the identified ecological source area is 6683 km2, the spatial distribution is extremely uneven, and it is extremely concentrated in the southern region; 32 ecological corridors with a total length of 3817.8 km are identified, of which corridor NO. 1–4 run through the Qilian Mountains, 11 oasis areas, and 14 nature reserves. The length of ecological corridors is 1376.1 km, accounting for 36.04% of the total. Forty-two ecological nodes are identified, and the central corridor area is more distributed; four ecological restoration zones are divided, including an ecological conservation zone, ecological improvement zone, ecological control zone, and ecological restoration zone, with areas of 34,380.3 km2, 61,884.4 km2, 21,134.4 km2, and 50,648.3 km2, respectively. Through the delineation of the urban ecological network pattern composed of source areas, corridors, and nodes, as well as the delineation of ecological restoration zones, the ecological security level of the study area will be effectively improved. Furthermore, a new method of ecological restoration zoning will be used, hoping to provide a useful reference for improving the quality of the ecological environment in arid areas and optimizing the spatial pattern of the land.

The Roles of Risk Perceptions and Social Trust in Willingness to Pay for Wildlife Reintroduction

Economic valuation can aid decision-makers in justifying the costs of conservation programs like wildlife reintroductions. Factors like stakeholder trust and confidence in conservation professionals for their ability to manage risks may play important roles in determining how local residents support and value the conservation of reintroduced species. This study analyzed data collected from a household survey of residents near an elk restoration zone in East Tennessee and found their willingness to pay (WTP) for reintroduced elk conservation to be $45.53 per household. Moreover, WTP was positively related with trust and confidence in agency professionals, and negatively related with perceived risks associated with elk. WTP also varied according to resident dependence on land for income and demographic characteristics. Results shed light on the economic benefit of wildlife reintroduction programs and the importance of social-psychological factors such as risk perception, trust and confidence in enhancing support for conservation programs.

Risk perception, trust and support for wildlife reintroduction and conservation

SummaryWildlife reintroduction projects often face resistance from local residents who see potential conflicts with the species or lack trust or confidence in the agencies and professionals involved in reintroduction. Yet the linkages between trust, confidence, risk perceptions, attitudes towards the species and local support for its reintroduction are not well known. The Dual-Mode Model of Cooperation and Cognitive Hierarchy Model were theoretical frameworks used to shed light on these linkages by exploring the potential roles trust and confidence play as mediators between risk perceptions and attitudes towards, and support for, reintroduced elk in Tennessee (USA). A mail survey of 1005 residents living in the five-county area surrounding the North Cumberland Elk Restoration Zone assessed resident attitudes and risk perceptions towards the reintroduced elk, trust towards the managing wildlife agency and support for continued conservation efforts. A structural equation model revealed that trust and confidence play positive roles in mitigating risk perceptions and improving support for the reintroduction of elk. The findings confirm the roles public trust and confidence play in wildlife reintroductions and should help agencies work towards building local trust and confidence, minimizing risks, improving attitudes and increasing the chances for successful outcomes for the species and people.

基于地质灾害敏感性的生态安全格局关键区识别与修复——以济南市为例

区域生态安全格局构建对提升生态系统服务功能提供了重要路径，同时统筹各种生态要素进行生态保护与修复分区也是新时期做好生态修复的重要举措。以济南市为例，基于现状生态系统类型分布，聚焦生态本底和地质灾害敏感性的特征，基于形态学空间格局分析方法和自然保护区结合进行生态源地提取。采用夏季降水、植被覆盖度、坡度3个地质灾害敏感性因子修正基本生态阻力面。并采用最小成本路径方法（Least-Cost Path method，LCP）提取生态廊道，构建了市域的生态安全格局。采用电路理论进行生态关键区域（生态"夹点"和生态障碍点）的识别，进一步划分生态修复改善区，并对此提出针对性的生态保护修复策略和工程措施。研究表明：1）市域生态源地的个数为35个，面积为567.15 km²，主要类型为林地和草地。空间上主要分布南部山区。生态廊道818.42 km，平均廊道长度为12.99 km，廊道分布存在较为明显的空间分布差异性，整体呈现出"一屏、一带、三轴"的生态安全格局。2）识别的生态修复关键区包含生态"夹点"25处，历城区生态"夹点"分布最为密集。全市亟需修复的生态障碍点共34处，面积为6.90 km²，主要分布章丘区。生态改善区共识别2994.84 km²，近期亟需修复的面积为96.1 km²，主要分布在长清区、历城区、莱芜区。3）通过对比生态修复关键区和现状土地利用类型，因地适宜的制定了生态修复策略与工程措施布置指引方向。研究结果可为济南市国土空间生态修复规划提供一定的技术支撑，同时也可为其他地质灾害敏感性区域的生态修复规划提供指引。;Construction of a regional ecological security pattern provides an important path to enhance ecosystem service, while the coordination of various ecological elements for ecological protection and restoration zoning is also an important initiative for better ecological restoration in the new epoch. Taking Jinan city as a case study area, we focus on the basal characteristics of regional ecological environment and geohazard sensitivity based on the current spatial ecosystem distribution, the ecological source area was extracted based on Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and nature reserves. In addition, summer precipitation, vegetation coverage and slope three geohazard sensitivity factors were used to modify the basic ecological resistance surface, and the ecological corridors were identified using Least-Cost Path method (LCP), and as a result, the ecological security pattern of Jinan City was constructed. by the application of circuit theory, critical areas of ecological restoration (ecological pinch point and ecological barrier point) were identified and further demarcated into three different ecological restoration zones, for which targeted ecological protection and restoration strategies and engineering measures were proposed towards those restoration zones. Results indicate that there were 35 ecological sources and covered an area of 567.15 km², and the main ecosystem types were forestland and grassland. Those sources were mainly distributed in the southern mountainous. The ecological corridors with a total of 1548.36 km between them, and the average length of the corridor was 12.99 km. All of them constructed a one screen, one belt and three axes ecological security pattern. Key areas of ecosystem preservation and restoration were identified based on the circuit theory, including a total of 25 ecological pinch points, 34 ecological barrier points, and 6.90 km² of it, and the pinch and barrier points mainly distributed in the Licheng and Zhangqiu District, respectively. A total of 2994.84 km² of ecological improvement areas have been identified, with 96.1 km² in urgent need of restoration soon, mainly distributed in Changqing, Licheng and Laiwu District. Suggestions of restoration and direction of engineering measures were proposed, with a combination of the spatial ecological characteristics and land use types. The results of the study provide some technical supports for the territorial spatial planning and ecological protection and restoration in Jinan and also provide scientific guidance for other geohazard-sensitive areas.

목포 삼학도 공원 활성화를 위한 리모델링 계획

Samhakdo, a legendary island that is a tourist attraction of Mokpo, was reclaimed in the era of development and turned into a land. However, attempts to return this Samhakdo to the island begins with the efforts of citizens in the 21st century. The restoration project of Samhakdo is still underway, and parks and public buildings are being used in part. The purpose of this study was to present the improvement plan by reviewing the current status of use and spatial composition, including the restoration project currently underway, for Samhakdo Park. Established a remodeling plan to feel the meaning and value of Samhakdo's original restoration and to feel the island's originality. The target site is a neighborhood park facing the Mokpo Inner harbor, and covers an area of 454,850㎡. The basic direction for planning promotion is, 1) Samhakdo is a safe flower island with romantic blossoms, 2) Experience type park with theme enjoyed by 1-3 generations, both children and families. 3) It was suggested as the forest of future coexistence where nature and people coexist along the restored waterway and forest path. The planned site was largely divided into the existing park zone, which was made up of reclamation, and the original restoration zone of Samhakdo. The restored Samhakdo was designed by assigning a specialized theme based on local identity. Great Samhakdo organized a space with 'Crane Island Garden', middle Samhakdo with 'Flower Island Garden', and small Samhakdo with 'Dream Island Garden'. In addition, a symbolic zone at the entrance of the park and a coastal zone in Mokpo were established. Each zone planned and arranged small spaces and related facilities that could be interconnected while actively utilizing the characteristics. In particular, the plan to create an entrance bridge that changed the landfill embankment road leading to Samhakdo Park into a movable bridge and gave it a symbolic meaning and recognition of Samhakdo was highly regarded.It is expected that Samhakdo will return to the island of Mokpo through active promotion of the remodeling plan derived from the research results.

The effects of different types of vegetation restoration on wind erosion prevention: a case study in Yanchi

Improving wind erosion prevention in the key ecological zones of sand fixation are closely linked to human welfare in China and Northern Eurasia. In this research, we studied the sand transport rate (STT), soil water content (SWC), and retention rate of the wind erosion prevention services (RR) in five experimental zones in Yanchi Country, including bare sandy land (BL), and four restoration zones with different types of vegetation restoration approaches, including artificial restored grassland with low-coverage (AGL), artificial restored grassland with high-coverage (AGH), artificial shrub land (AS), and naturally restored grassland (NG). The results showed that: (1) From 2006 to 2018, the STTs of the four restoration zones were lower than those of BL, and those of the AS were much lower than those of AGL, AGH, and NG; (2) in the rainy season, the SWCs of AS, NG, AGH, AGL, and BL were 3.01%, 2.80%, 2.79%, 2.68%, and 2.41% respectively. In the dry season, the SWCs of NG, BL, AGH, AHL, and AS were 2.86%, 2.93%, 3.00%, 3.08%, and 3.20%, respectively. The differences in the SWCs between the two seasons of BL were the largest (0.52%), while those of NG were the lowest (0.06%); (3) the annual average RRs in AS, AGH, NG, and AGL were 74.41%, 69.41%, 69.28%, and 61.64%, respectively, while the annual change of the RR in the NG was the smallest. This study reveals the effects of different types of vegetation restoration on wind erosion prevention in Yanchi country, thereby providing a scientific basis for policymakers to engage in effective vegetation restoration and formulate ecological protection policies.

Coral Disease Causes, Consequences, and Risk within Coral Restoration.

As a result of increased reef degradation, restoration efforts are now being widely applied on coral reefs. However, outplanted coral survival in restoration zones varies substantially, and coral mortality can be a significant limitation to the success of restoration efforts. With reef restoration now occurring within, and adjacent to, nationally preserved and managed marine parks, the potential risks of mortality events and disease spread to adjacent marine populations need to be considered, particularly as these ecosystems continue to decline. We review the causes and consequences of coral mortality and disease outbreaks within the context of coral restoration, highlighting knowledge gaps in our understanding of the restored coral microbiome and discussing management practices for assessing coral disease. We identify the need for research efforts into monitoring and diagnostics of disease within coral restoration, as well as practices to mitigate and manage coral disease risks in restoration.

AHP APPROACH APPLIED TO MULTI-CRITERIA DECISIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL FRAGILITY MAPPING

Geographic Information System tools, combined with mathematical methods for complex geospatial scientific investigations, are essential for environmental zoning. Among these tools, environmental fragility models evaluate criteria related to the physical attributes of the landscape to ensure multi-disciplinarity of the information plans used in a study. However, questions are raised on the priority allotted to each criterion or environmental factor within a multi-criteria analysis model. In this sense, the analytic hierarchy process is another mathematical model that is used in decision theory, which sorts criteria hierarchically. This study aims to use the AHP method as a tool to support multi-criteria decision making as applied to environmental fragility mapping, using the Jequitinhonha River Basin, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as a case study. The application of the AHP method provided a hierarchy of five important environmental criteria for the environmental fragility mapping. The use of AHP allowed the modeling of empirical evaluations in mathematically consistent results, to provide better conciseness in geospatial processes. Therefore, it is an adequate method to minimize subjectivity in environmental and territorial planning. It can also help the management of priority zones for conservation, preservation, or ecological restoration.

Optimized allocation of forest restoration zones to minimize soil losses in watersheds

Increase of water erosion is one of the main problems in watersheds all over the world and directly affects soil and water resources, causing economic and environmental losses. We proposed a combination of Genetic Algorithm and Erosion/Deposition modelling to allocate vegetation zones in order to reduce soil losses within watersheds. In this study, we have used Unit Stream Power Based Erosion Deposition (USPED) model to predict the spatial distribution of erosion and sediment deposition. Based on USPED estimates, Genetic Algorithm optimize site as well size of forest restoration zones in order to reduce soil losses. Proposed approach considered watershed entirely, in a cell-level optimization, to find the best possible arrangement of forest zones. For initial scenario, soil loss estimate was 2.045,55 ton. ha−1. year−1 and after optimization we achieved 52% reduction. Optimized forest zones formed connected and compacted patches, which enable field implementation. Methodology is also applicable to other watersheds around world.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of ecological security pattern of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration based on LUCC simulation

• LUCC simulation and ecological security prediction were combined. • Three development scenarios were simulated for the PRD urban agglomeration in 2025. • Spatial autocorrelation analysis was applied to examine the regional ES pattern. • Eco-functional zones was proposed to optimize the ES pattern of the PRD. In the past four decades, China has achieved tremendous economic success, but it has also faced serious ecological security (ES) problems. The land use/cover change (LUCC) plays a decisive role in the issue of ES. LUCC and ES evaluation were combined by predicting the change in land use and simulating ES pattern. Taking the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD) as the study area, the temporal changes of land use were predicted by the CA-Markov model, and the land use pattern in three different scenarios in 2025 was simulated. Based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model, the ES evaluation of the PRD in 2005, 2010 and 2015 was carried out, and the safety level dropped from 75.39% to 66.67% in this period. Spatial autocorrelation analysis was performed by the GeoDA to reflect the dynamic of ES pattern of the PRD, which suggested that there is greater heterogeneity within the PRD, and the homogenous sub-region continues to increase. Through change the transition probability among different land use types, three scenarios were set: Inertial development, Over expansion, and Ecological protection scenario, which showed that the expansion of construction land (accounting for 18.58%, 20.12% and 17.93% respectively) must occupy agricultural and forest lands and lead to decrease on ES level, the safety level are accounting for 79.07%, 78.30% and 79.95% in the three scenarios respectively. The ES pattern of the PRD was described, the central sub-region of the PRD with high urbanization have relative low ES, and the periphery sub-regions with good ecological order have high ES level, there are more than 63.59% and less than 4.06% of unsafety level of Dongguan and Zhaoqing respectively, which are both the representative city of these two sub-regions. Based on the spatial-temporal dynamic of urban ES, the optimized ES pattern of the PRD was proposed, three eco-functional zones were determined: ecological conservation zone, living environment guarantee zone and ecological restoration zone. The eco-functional zones have defined the leading ecological functions of each sub-region and could gradually improve the integrity and connectivity of the entire ecosystem of the PRD, which provides valuable knowledge for understanding and planning regional city management.