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• Landscape fragmentation and connectivity of the Bogda forest, China, were assessed. • Connectivity was high for long but low for short/medium distance dispersal species. • Out of 196 habitat patches, two identified as integral for overall connectivity. • Integral patches and small patches (dispersal 'stepping-stones') to be prioritized. Habitat fragmentation hinders the dispersal of species and reduces the range of suitable habitat, thereby threatening the conservation of biodiversity. Even in protected areas, an assessment of the landscape connectivity of suitable habitat for species is still essential. In this paper, we investigated the overall forest connectivity, and determined patch characteristics and their role in species dispersion for species with different dispersal abilities in the World Natural Heritage Site of Bogda, Xinjiang, China. In our study site, the overall landscape connectivity was low for species with short- and medium-distance (≤500 m) dispersal, but high for species with long-distance (>500 m) dispersal abilities. We ranked the importance of patches according to their role in maintaining overall connectivity. Two patches were identified as being the most important: one mainly provided habitat area and fluxes (i.e., the flow of species into and out of the area) for species, while the other acted as a 'stepping-stone' for dispersal and provided fluxes. All species could use smaller patches (≤50 ha) as stepping-stones, and some of these patches could provide special environmental conditions for endemic species with short- and medium-distance dispersal abilities. Our study offers a way to prioritize the conservation of patches in a forest network for biodiversity and ecosystem health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The construction land and farmland in Jinghe County has changed dramatically. • The farmland increased significantly and expanded along with a "triangle" three sides. • The biodiversity of farmland decreased, while the fragmentation degree of forest land increased. • Human factors are the main driving force of landscape pattern change in Jinghe County. The eco-environment of the arid area is constantly fragile global-wide. The study on the spatial and temporal variation of its landscape pattern can quickly identify the driving factors, which is an effective analysis method of ecological conservation in the arid area. In this study, Jinghe County, Xinjiang, in Northwestern China, is chosen as a case study of understanding the major driving force of the oasis landscape. Landsat satellite images of 1994, 2007, and 2017 are used as the basic data sources for analysis. The moving window method, transition matrix, and factor analysis are selected as the main technical means for this paper to reveal the temporal and spatial variation of landscape pattern in Jinghe County, and to quantitatively describe its driving factors. The results of the analysis show that: (1) The landscape pattern of Jinghe County has changed dramatically, especially the construction land and farmland. Both show an increase of 351.29% and 269.01% respectively between 1994 and 2017. Farmland increased the most, with the proportion of 6.45% in Jinghe County, and expanded along with the "triangle" three sides. The area of forest land increased slightly, the area of grassland and unused land decreased, and the area of water did not change significantly. (2) The dominant obvious regional differences of landscape types in Jinghe County are mainly manifested in farmland and forest land. Taking the unused land as the boundary, the biodiversity of farmland decreased, and the aggregation degree deepened, while the fragmentation degree of forest land increased. (3) The spatial–temporal variation of landscape patterns in Jinghe County is the result of the combination of natural and human factors, but the correlation between human factors and the change of landscape area is significantly greater than that of natural factors. Thus, human factors are the main driving force of landscape pattern change in Jinghe County. The scientific management and planning of the intensity of human activities in Jinghe County should be the focus of ecological environment restoration and protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]