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Constructing an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an effective measure to solve current regional ecological problems, alleviate the contradiction between rapid urbanization and ecological protection, and provide an important spatial path for effective management of regional ecosystems. This study integrated the importance of ecosystem services, ecological sensitivity, landscape connectivity, and ecological resistance, and constructed ESP in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain using analytical hierarchy process (AHP), minimum cumulative model (MCR), and gravity model. A total of 13 ecological sources, 52 ecological corridors (22 first-level corridors, 9 s-level corridors, and 21 third-level corridors), and 201 ecological nodes were identified. The ecological sources were mainly distributed around the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, and the ecological corridors showed a circular distribution, while the ecological nodes were mainly distributed at the intersection of several ecological corridors. In addition, the built-up land in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain increased by 40% in the past 20 years, posing a serious threat to ecological sources and corridors, especially ecological sources adjacent to cities such as Beijing, Jinan, and Qingdao, as well as ecological corridors crossing urban areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Zhengzhou. The methodological system of regional ESP constructed in this study can provide theoretical foundations and methodological support for the construction of ESP and the implementation of ecological protection in other regions. more...

The intensity of human pressure (HP) has an important impact on the biodiversity and ecosystem services of nature reserves (NRs), and the conflict and the coordination between NRs and human activities are now key issues to solve in the construction of NR systems. This study improved and applied a human footprint (HF) model that considers population density, land use, night light, grazing intensity, and road construction as indicators of human activity to evaluate the effectiveness of NRs in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in mitigating HP from 2000 to 2020. The results indicated that during this period, the average HP in the national NRs of the plateau increased from 1.47646 to 1.76687, where values were generally high in the east and low in the west. The average value in wetland NRs was the largest and had the smallest growth rate, while that in desert NRs was the smallest and had the largest growth rate. From 2000 to 2020, the average HP in the core areas, buffer areas, and experimental areas of the NRs increased by 0.12969, 0.29909, and 0.44244, respectively. It is a challenge for the Chinese government to strengthen the ability of NRs to mitigate HP on the wetland reserves and experimental zones in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau region. more...

In the last few decades, land use/land cover (LULC) has changed significantly under the influence of local planning and policy implementation, and this has had a profound impact on the regional ecological environment. By taking the Hengduan Mountain region as the study area, this study considered the demands of various commodities and services and applied the CLUMondo model to predict the trajectory of change in the land system for the years 2010–2030. The results indicate that the forest system expands significantly in this time, while the grassland and cropland systems are projected to develop intensively under the three scenarios. The high demand for livestock products is the main cause of the intensification of the grassland system under the TREND scenario, the demand for forests leads to the expansion of the forest land system under the FOREST scenario, and the significant intensification of the cropland system under the CONSERVATION scenario is closely related to an increase in the area of ecological land. The results of this study can provide a scientific reference for the optimal management of land systems in other mountainous areas. more...

Long-term intensive land use/cover changes (LUCCs) of the Yellow River Delta (YRD) have been happening since the 1960s. The land use patterns of the LUCCs are crucial for bio-diversity conservation and/or sustainable development. This study quantified patterns of the LUCCs, explored the systematic transitions, and identified wetland change trajectory for the period 1976–2014 in the YRD. Landsat imageries of 1976, 1984, 1995, 2006, and 2014 were used to derive nine land use classes. Post classification change detection analysis based on enhanced transition matrix was applied to identify land use dynamics and trajectory of wetland change. The five cartographic outputs for changes in land use underlined major decreases in natural wetland areas and increases in artificial wetland and non-wetland, especially aquafarms, salt pans and construction lands. The systematic transitions in the YRD were wetland degradation, wetland artificialization, and urbanization. Wetland change trajectory results demonstrated that the main wetland changes were wetland degradation and wetland artificialization. Coastline change is the subordinate reason for natural wetland degradation in comparison with human activities. The results of this study allowed for an improvement in the understanding of the LUCC processes and enabled researchers and planners to focus on the most important signals of systematic landscape transitions while also allowing for a better understanding of the proximate causes of changes. more...