Construction and Optimization Strategy of County Ecological Infrastructure Network Based on MCR and Gravity Model—A Case Study of Langzhong County in Sichuan Province

Abstract

Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, there is a passive adaptation state shown in urban and rural ecological spaces. Due to the shrinking of ecological patches and the fracture of corridors, problems such as the obstruction of ecological processes, the decline of ecosystem services, and the loss of biodiversity occur. Considering that county ecological space is the key level to undertake provincial ecological security patterns and implement ecological demonstration projects, the construction of a county ecological infrastructure (EI) network is beneficial to the protection of regional ecological security, the improvement of the structures and functions of farmland ecosystems, and the enhancement of the quality of human settlements. In this study, taking Langzhong County in Sichuan Province as an example, a method path for an EI network construction was explored, and an optimization strategy for ecological patterns was proposed. Firstly, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and a patch importance index were employed to identify ecological sources. Secondly, by constructing a landscape resistance surface and adopting a minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, potential EI corridor paths were extracted. Thirdly, the interaction force values between ecological sources were calculated with a gravity model and important ecological corridors were identified for priority protection and restoration. Finally, an EI corridor network was optimized by combining network structure indexes (α, β, and γ) with the field situation, and stepping stone patches and ecological breakpoints were identified. Based on the analysis results, an ecological protection pattern, which involved three vertical and two horizontal ecological belts, four ecological control zones, and six clusters of EI networks in Langzhong County, was put forward, aiming at protecting 50 ecological sources, repairing 105 ecological corridors of different grades, adding 9 stepping stone patches near long-distance corridors and 15 at the intersection of ecological corridors, and repairing 18 ecological breakpoints. This study has guiding significance for the optimization of county ecological patterns, the construction of farmland forest belts, and site selection of ecological restoration projects.

Evolution of long-term ecological security pattern of island city and its influencing factors—a case study in Pingtan Island

“…It also directly reflects the recent changes in EEQ in study area, identifying areas with high stability and habitat quality. In terms of corridor simulation, while most studies used the MCR model (Wei and Halike, 2022;Wei and Zhu, 2022;Feng and Zhao, 2023) to extract potential ecological infrastructure corridor paths, the MCR model overlooks the randomness of biological movement and fails to identify potential corridors and key ecological nodes (Nie and Shi, 2021). The ecological corridors constructed through circuit theory in this study are more characteristic of biological features and can be graded according to the results of the Centrality Mapper module.…”

Assessment of Yellow River Region Cultural Heritage Value and Corridor Construction across Urban Scales: A Case Study in Shaanxi, China

“…In the current research, there is a predominant focus on the classification of ecological corridors [15][16][17], while the classification of cultural heritage corridors remains relatively underexplored. Certain scholars have employed spatial syntax techniques for heritage corridor classification, wherein the corridor's grade correlates positively with its level of connectivity [18].…”

“…First, the existing research has primarily focused on the categorization of ecological corridors [15][16][17] while ignoring the classification of heritage corridors. Certain studies have proposed a hierarchical classification of heritage corridors based on the level of connectivity [18,19] or the suitability of heritage distribution and corridor construction [20].…”

Construction and Optimization of Ecological Security Pattern Network Based on the Supply–Demand Ratio of Ecosystem Services: A Study from Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle, China

“…The corridors were classified into two categories: primary and common, based on the gravitational value between ESAs. [48] Graph theory…”