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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Ecosystem Restoration
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1463683

Identification of Key Areas for Territorial Ecological Restoration: Focusing on Ecological Security and Restoration Potential

Provisionally accepted
Xiaoyuan Dong Xiaoyuan Dong *DeZe Xu DeZe Xu Foyou Sun Foyou Sun *Sen Du Sen Du *
  • School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Implementing Territorial Ecological Restoration is a crucial approach to achieving ecological stability and regional sustainable development, and it also serves as an important measure for promoting the coordinated development of socio-economic and ecological environments in the Yellow River Basin. However, effective identification of key areas for Territorial Ecological Restoration remains challenging in planning ecological restoration projects. This study adopts a holistic sustainable development perspective, taking Linxia Prefecture, an ecologically vulnerable area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin, as an example. By identifying structural elements of the Ecological Security Pattern and assessing the Ecological Restoration Potential, key areas for Territorial Ecological Restoration have been determined. The findings indicated that (1) 13 ecological patches were identified in total, predominantly distributed in the southwest and central regions of Linxia Prefecture. 25 ecological corridors were identified, demonstrating a high level of spatial coherence in terms of significance and connectivity, establishing a closely integrated ecological security network primarily in the southwest of Linxia Prefecture. (2) Thirteen ecological pinch points and seventeen ecological barrier points have been identified, concentrated in the central and southwestern regions of Linxia Prefecture. (3) Based on the characteristics and urgency of key areas for Territorial Ecological Restoration, they are classified and graded as 'point-line-surface' and 'primary-very important-important.' The primary restoration areas of the point type are mainly located in the central part of Linxia Prefecture, while the primary restoration areas of the line and plane types are mainly in the southwestern part of Linxia Prefecture. The findings of this study can provide viable regional sustainable development plans for land management and spatial planning.

    Keywords: Territorial Ecological Restoration, Ecological Restoration Potential, Ecological security pattern, Potential similar habitat method, Ecologically fragile areas in the YRB

    Received: 12 Jul 2024; Accepted: 16 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Dong, Xu, Sun and Du. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xiaoyuan Dong, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China
    Foyou Sun, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China
    Sen Du, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.