Ecological security pattern construction using landscape ecological quality: A case study of Yanchi County, northern China

Ecological security patterns are paramount to the advancement of an ecological civilization in China, aiming to enhance the stability and service functions of ecosystems to achieve sustainable regional development. However, current regional ecological protection efforts have not been effectively integrated into the regional development planning of ecological security pattern. This study systematically assessed the effectiveness of ecological protection projects in Yanchi County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, through the evaluation of landscape ecological quality. Based on the evaluation results of landscape ecological quality, this study used morphological pattern analysis (MSPA), minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, and gravity model together to construct the ecological security pattern of Yanchi County. The findings revealed that from 1990 to 2020, with the implementation of ecological protection projects started from 2000, the landscape stability of Yanchi County first decreased and then increased, and the intensity of landscape disturbance first intensified but then decreased, indicating an improvement in the landscape ecological quality and a significant enhancement of the ecological environment in Yanchi County. The ecological security pattern of Yanchi County consisted of 10 ecological sources, 10 ecological source points, 23 ecological corridors, and 27 ecological nodes. The ecological security pattern of Yanchi County exhibited distinct spatial variations, with stronger ecological security observed in the southern part than in northern part of the county. The ecological sources were denser in the southern part than in the northern part of the county, and accordingly, the length of ecological corridors was shorter and denser in the southern than that in the northern part of the county. Based on the spatial distribution of landscape ecological quality and the characteristics of ecological security pattern of Yanchi County in 2020, we suggested Yanchi County to build four zones to optimize the ecological security pattern construction: the Haba Lake ecological conservation zone, the urban ecological planning zone, the ecological environment restoration zone, and the ecological security improvement zone. This study can provide essential guidance for the construction of ecological security pattern in farming-pastoral areas both in China and worldwide.