Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Ecological Connectivity in the Ethnic Areas, Sichuan Province, China

Abstract

With ongoing economic and social development, natural habitats are becoming increasingly fragmented, blocking habitat connections and reducing landscape connectivity. The study of changes in ecological connectivity can provide valuable information for habitat and landscape restoration, which are necessary for sustainable regional development. Despite the growing interest in this issue, studies that reveal the change in ecological connectivity in the compounded areas of ecological vulnerability and deep poverty are still lacking. In this paper, one of the most underdeveloped and ecologically fragile southwestern ethnic regions of China, the Sanzhou region of Sichuan Province, was the study area. Based on a vector map of current land-use status and vector data on ecosystem factors and nature reserves in 2010 and 2015, the change in ecological connectivity was analyzed using the minimum cumulative resistance model using GIS spatial analysis method. Firstly, ecological sources were identified based on the distribution of ecological functional areas. Secondly, the ecological resistance surface based on ecosystem service value is revised by integrating the three dimensions of topography and hydrology, ecological environment and development, and utilization intensity. Finally, the ecological connectivity of ethnic areas in southwest China in 2010 and 2015 was compared and analyzed through the perspective of ecological resistance. The results show that: (1) From 2010 to 2015, the overall ecological connectivity decreased. (2) There were six areas of high ecological resistance featuring human activity and ecological degradation: the Anning River Valley in Liangshan Prefecture, Ganzi, Dege and Luho counties in Ganzi Prefecture, and Ruoergai and Hongyuan counties in Aba Prefecture. (3) Low ecological resistance areas were more numerous and widely distributed, forming an ecological protection barrier for the three autonomous prefectures, and regulating and protecting their natural environments. It is necessary to maintain and strengthen this protection; accordingly, measures are proposed to improve ecological connectivity. This study provides a reference for achieving ecological security and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in this region.

Watershed Horizontal Ecological Compensation Policy and Green Ecological City Development: Spatial and Mechanism Assessment

“…Ecological compensation aims to protect the ecological environment and to promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature [16,17]. Ecological compensation includes several aspects: first, economic compensation for the protection (restoration) or destruction of the ecological environment [18]; second, internalization of external ecological benefits and costs [19]; third, protection of ecosystems and environments for individuals or regions [20]; and fourth, making protective investments in areas or objects of great ecological value [21].…”

Study on Livelihood Resilience of Rural Residents under the Rural Revitalization Strategy in Ethnic Areas of Western Sichuan, China

“…The western Sichuan ethnic region is located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, and it has become one of the largest areas of concentrated and deep poverty in China. This is due to the limitations of geography, regional culture, and transport bar-riers, which have led to the disadvantaged position of farming households in terms of social networks, employment opportunities, and economic resources, and have made their livelihoods more susceptible to instability and vulnerability [43,44]. In recent years, the rural residents' livelihoods based on rural natural resources have shown instability to the external environment due to the impacts of global climate extremes and the restructuring of the urban-rural spatial structure.…”

Spatial Patterns of Natural Protected Areas and Construction of Protected Area Groups in Guangdong Province

“…Fragmentation refers to the process by which a large continuous distribution of natural habitat is separated into many smaller patches by other unsuitable habitats under the influence of human activities and natural disturbances [ 11 , 12 ]. The multiple negative impacts of the fragmentation process, such as the reduction of natural habitat area, the reduction of connectivity between habitat patches, and the continuous decline of habitat quality, will pose serious challenges to human well-being and regional sustainable development [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Initially, a density-dependent reproduction and survival simulation model was developed, and it was concluded that the degree of fragmentation of nature reserves was positively correlated with the species extinction probability [ 16 ].…”