Construction of Ecological Security Pattern of Urban Agglomeration Based on Multi-Scale Ecological Corridor Networks

Abstract

The construction of an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an effective approach to addressing ecological concerns in urban agglomerations. However, previous research has often overlooked the ecological characteristics at different spatial scales, making it difficult to effectively tackle environmental issues. This study focuses on the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban agglomeration (CZXUA) to construct an ESP from 2 scales: the urban agglomeration and the metropolitan area. First, ecological sources at different scales were identified and optimized using morphological spatial pattern analysis, ecosystem service supply assessment, landscape connectivity evaluation, and ecological demand intensity analysis. Next, spatial principal component analysis was employed to analyze resistance factors across different spatial scales, enabling the construction of a multi-scale landscape resistance surface. Finally, multi-scale ecological corridors were extracted using circuit theory, and the ecological corridors passing through the central urban area were optimized. As a result, 176 ecological sources, 337 ecological corridors, 60 ecological pinch points, and 30 ecological barrier points were identified, forming the overall ESP for the CZXUA. Furthermore, an ecological protection and optimization pattern, described as “One River, Seven Waters, One Heart, and Eight Wedges”, was proposed based on the ESP. This pattern highlights pivotal areas for ecological protection and restoration within the national land space. This study provides a comprehensive example of constructing a multi-scale ecological corridor network and identifying critical areas for ecological protection and restoration. The findings can serve as a reference for special ecological protection planning in urban agglomerations.