About the Journal
In Memory of Professor Jerzy Radecki
Ownership and Management Statement
Editorial Office
Editorial Board
Scope
Impact Factor
Indexed by
Journal Impact Factor contributing items
Publication Frequency
Revenue Sources & Business Model
Contact
Subscription
Current issue
Online first
Instructions for Authors
Copyright & Licensing
Publication Fees
Editorial policies
Publication Policy Overview
Peer Review Policy
Research Ethics and Malpractice Policy
Plagiarism Policy
Conflict of Interest Policy
Open Access Policy
Instructions for Reviewers
Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies Policy
Advertising Policy
Direct Marketing & Manuscript Solicitation
Digital Archiving and Preservation Policy
CrossMark, Correction, and Retraction Policy
Archive
Publication Fees
Copyright & Licensing
Editorial policies
Publication Policy Overview
Peer Review Policy
Research Ethics and Malpractice Policy
Plagiarism Policy
Conflict of Interest Policy
Open Access Policy
Instructions for Reviewers
Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies Policy
Advertising Policy
Direct Marketing & Manuscript Solicitation
Digital Archiving and Preservation Policy
CrossMark, Correction, and Retraction Policy
eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Construction and Evaluation of Ecological
Security Patterns Using the PLUS Model and
Circuit Theory: A Case Study of Liuzhou, China
1
College of Tourism and Landscape Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
Submission date: 2024-09-13
Final revision date: 2025-04-04
Acceptance date: 2025-04-13
Online publication date: 2025-06-18
Corresponding author
Hui Liu
College of Tourism and Landscape Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, No. 319, Yanshan Street, Yanshan District, Guilin , 514000, Guilin, China
College of Tourism and Landscape Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, No. 319, Yanshan Street, Yanshan District, Guilin , 514000, Guilin, China
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The efficacy of scientific ecological restoration in territorial spaces hinges on the accurate
identification of ecological restoration zones. Regional ecological security patterns were established
using the Patch-Generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) Model and Circuit Theory. The research
findings are as follows: (1) By 2030, construction land will expand by 12.07%, while cultivated land
and water bodies will decline by 0.42% and 1.23%, respectively. Woodland areas are anticipated to
increase by 0.38%, thereby mitigating landscape fragmentation. (2) 13,994.62 km² of ecological sources
(60.29% of the study area) were identified, predominantly woodlands and water bodies, critical for
regional ecological stability. (3) 29 ecological corridors (1,740.55 km) were identified, with 15 strategic
corridors constituting 47.58% of the network. Key restoration areas included 112 ecological pinch points,
168 barriers, and 129 breakpoints. Tailored restoration measures are recommended based on
geographical characteristics and land use types. This study provides spatial guidelines for territorial
ecological conservation and restoration strategies.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
REFERENCES (55)
1.
BHATTI U.A., NIZAMANI M.M., MENGXING H. Climate change threatens Pakistan's snow leopards. Science, 377 (6606), 585, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1126/scienc....
2.
BHATTI U.A., MARJAN S., WAHID A., SYAM M.S., HUANG M., TANG H., HASNAIN A. The effects of socioeconomic factors on particulate matter concentration in China's: New evidence from spatial econometric model. Journal of Cleaner Production, 417 (12), 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
3.
BHATTI U.A., ZEESHAN Z., NIZAMANI M.M., BAZAI S., YU Z., YUAN L. Assessing the change of ambient air quality patterns in Jiangsu Province of China pre-to post-COVID-19. Chemosphere, 288 (Pt 2), 132569, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chem....
4.
BHATTI U.A., WU G., BAZAI S.U., ALI NAWAZ S., BARYALAI M., BHATTI M.A., HASNAIN A., NIZAMANI M.M. A Pre- to Post-COVID-19 Change of Air Quality Patterns in Anhui Province Using Path Analysis and Regression. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 31 (5), 4029, 2022. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes....
5.
WEI Q., HALIKE A., YAO K., CHEN L., BALATI M. Construction and optimization of ecological security pattern in Ebinur Lake Basin based on MSPA-MCR models. Ecological Indicators, 138, 108857, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
6.
WANG X., WAN R., PAN P. Construction and adjustment of ecological security pattern based on MSPA-MCR Model in Taihu Lake Basin. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 42 (5), 1968, 2022. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb20....
7.
OPDAM P., STEINGRÖVER E., ROOIJ S.V. Ecological networks: A spatial concept for multi-actor planning of sustainable landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 75 (3), 322, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
8.
FORMAN R.T.T. Some General-Principals of Landscape and Regional Ecology. Landscape Ecology, 10 (3), 133, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF0013....
9.
YU K. Security patterns and surface model in landscape ecological planning. Landscape and Urban Planning, 36 (1), 1, 1996. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-....
10.
PENG J., YANG Y., LIU Y., HU Y.N., DU Y., MEERSMANS J., QIU S. Linking ecosystem services and circuit theory to identify ecological security patterns. Science of the Total Environment, 644, 781, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scit....
11.
MA J.F., LI L., JIAO L.M., ZHU H.H., LIU C.C., LI F., LI P. Identifying Ecological Security Patterns Considering the Stability of Ecological Sources in Ecologically Fragile Areas. Land, 13 (2), 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13....
12.
BRAAKER S., MORETTI M., BOESCH R., GHAZOUL J., OBRIST M.K., BONTADINA F. Assessing habitat connectivity for ground-dwelling animals in an urban environment. Ecological Applications, 24 (7), 1583, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-108....
13.
VOGT P., RIITTERS K.H., ESTREGUIL C., KOZAK J., WADE T.G. Mapping spatial patterns with morphological image processing. Landscape Ecology, 22 (2), 171, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980....
14.
YANG S., SU H. Multi-Scenario Simulation of Ecosystem Service Values in the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration, China. Sustainability, 14 (14), 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1414....
15.
YE H., YANG Z.P., XU X.L. Ecological Corridors Analysis Based on MSPA and MCR Model-A Case Study of the Tomur World Natural Heritage Region. Sustainability, 12 (3), 959, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1203....
16.
LIQUETE C., KLEESCHULTE S., DIGE G., MAES J., GRIZZETTI B., OLAH B., ZULIAN G. Mapping green infrastructure based on ecosystem services and ecological networks: A Pan-European case study. Environmental Science & Policy, 54, 268, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envs....
17.
CARLIER J., MORAN J. Landscape typology and ecological connectivity assessment to inform Greenway design. Science of the Total Environment, 651, 3241, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scit....
18.
HU C., ZHANG S. Strategies for water security and aquatic ecosystem restoration in the Yangtze River economic belt. Strategic Study of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 24 (1), 166, 2022. https://doi.org/10.15302/J-SSC....
19.
SPEAR S.F., BALKENHOL N., FORTIN M.J., MCRAE B.H., SCRIBNER K. Use of resistance surfaces for landscape genetic studies: considerations for parameterization and analysis. Molecular Ecology, 19 (17), 3576, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365....
20.
HAIJIAN F., ZHONGXUE Z. Spatial differentiation of urban agricultural ecosystem services-A case study of Xi'an metropolitan zone. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture, 22 (3), 333, 2014. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1....
21.
ZHANG L.Q., PENG J., LIU Y.X., WU J.S. Coupling ecosystem services supply and human ecological demand to identify landscape ecological security pattern: A case study in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China. Urban Ecosystems, 20 (3), 701, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252....
22.
ZOU C., TANG X., TAN Q., FENG H., GUO H., MEI J. Constructing Ecological Networks for Mountainous Urban Areas Based on Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and Minimum Cumulative Resistance Models: A Case Study of Yongtai County. Sustainability, 16 (13), 5559, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1613....
23.
ZHANG S.H., JIANG H.L., YU H.L., FENG X.H., FAN M.X. Construction of landscape ecological network based on MCR risk assessment Model: A case study of Liaoning Province, China. Ecological Indicators, 166, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
24.
QIU X., HE W., ZHENG S. Research on ecological network identification in rare animal habitats based on the MaxEnt model and ant colony algorithm: a case study of Giant Panda National Park, China. Biodiversity and Conservation, 33 (11), 3207, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531....
25.
FENG M., ZHAO W.M., ZHANG T. Construction and Optimization Strategy of County Ecological Infrastructure Network Based on MCR and Gravity Model-A Case Study of Langzhong County in Sichuan Province. Sustainability, 15 (11), 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1511....
26.
HUANG K.X., PENG L., WANG X.H., DENG W. Integrating circuit theory and landscape pattern index to identify and optimize ecological networks: a case study of the Sichuan Basin, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29 (44), 66874, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356....
27.
DICKSON B.G., ALBANO C.M., ANANTHARAMAN R., BEIER P., FARGIONE J., GRAVES T.A., GRAY M.E., HALL K.R., LAWLER J.J., LEONARD P.B., LITTLEFIELD C.E., MCCLURE M.L., NOVEMBRE J., SCHLOSS C.A., SCHUMAKER N.H., SHAH V.B., THEOBALD D.M. Circuit-theory applications to connectivity science and conservation. Conservation Biology, 33 (2), 239, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.1....
28.
PELLETIER D., CLARK M., ANDERSON M.G., RAYFIELD B., WULDER M.A., CARDILLE J.A. Applying Circuit Theory for Corridor Expansion and Management at Regional Scales: Tiling, Pinch Points, and Omnidirectional Connectivity. PLos One, 9 (1), 2014. https://doi.org/10.1371/journa....
29.
XU X.L., WANG S.Y., RONG W.Z. Construction of ecological network in Suzhou based on the PLUS and MSPA models. Ecological Indicators, 154, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
30.
LIU D.Y., ZHENG X.Q., WANG H.B. Land-use Simulation and Decision-Support system (LandSDS): Seamlessly integrating system dynamics, agent-based model, and cellular automata. Ecological Modelling, 417, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
31.
KAMUSOKO C., GAMBA J. Simulating Urban Growth Using a Random Forest-Cellular Automata (RF-CA) Model. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 4 (2), 447, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi40....
32.
SIDDIQUE M.A., WANG Y., XU N.H., ULLAH N., ZENG P. The Spatiotemporal Implications of Urbanization for Urban Heat Islands in Beijing: A Predictive Approach Based on CA-Markov Modeling (2004-2050). Remote Sensing, 13 (22), 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs1322....
33.
ZHANG Y., YU P.H., TIAN Y.S., CHEN H.T., CHEN Y.Y. Exploring the impact of integrated spatial function zones on land use dynamics and ecosystem services tradeoffs based on a future land use simulation (FLUS) model. Ecological Indicators, 150, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
34.
WANG Q., WANG H.J. An integrated approach of logistic-MCE-CA-Markov to predict the land use structure and their micro-spatial characteristics analysis in Wuhan metropolitan area, Central China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29 (20), 30054, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356....
35.
DENG Z.W., QUAN B., ZHANG H.B., XIE H.Q., ZHOU Z. Scenario Simulation of Land Use and Cover under Safeguarding Ecological Security: A Case Study of Chang-Zhu-Tan Metropolitan Area, China. Forests, 14 (11), 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14112....
36.
LIANG X., GUAN Q.F., CLARKE K.C., LIU S.S., WANG B.Y., YAO Y. Understanding the drivers of sustainable land expansion using a patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model: A case study in Wuhan, China. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 85, 101569, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comp....
37.
ZHOU Y., CHANG J., FENG S.S. Effects of urban growth boundaries on urban spatial structural and ecological functional optimization in the Jining Metropolitan Area, China. Land Use Policy, 117 (2), 106113, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
38.
XIE L., WANG H.W., XIE P., LIU S.H. How to design an ecological restoration project in fragile inland basins: A case study in arid regions of China. Global Ecology and Conservation, 39, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecc....
39.
GAO L.A., TAO F., LIU R.R., WANG Z.L., LENG H.J., ZHOU T. Multi-scenario simulation and ecological risk analysis of land use based on the PLUS model: A case study of Nanjing. Sustainable Cities and Society, 85, 104055, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.....
40.
GONG J., LIU D.Q., ZHANG J.X., XIE Y.C., CAO E.J., LI H.Y. Tradeoffs/synergies of multiple ecosystem services based on land use simulation in a mountain-basin area, western China. Ecological Indicators, 99, 283, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
41.
PONTIUS R.G., BOERSMA W., CASTELLA J.C., CLARKE K., DE NIJS T., DIETZEL C., DUAN Z., FOTSING E., GOLDSTEIN N., KOK K., KOOMEN E., LIPPITT C.D., MCCONNELL W., SOOD A.M., PIJANOWSKI B., PITHADIA S., SWEENEY S., TRUNG T.N., VELDKAMP A.T., VERBURG P.H. Comparing the input, output, and validation maps for several models of land change. Annals of Regional Science, 42 (1), 11, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168....
42.
SHI Q., GU C.J., XIAO C. Multiple scenarios analysis on land use simulation by coupling socioeconomic and ecological sustainability in Shanghai, China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 95 (2), 104578, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.....
43.
LIN J., QIU S., TAN X., ZHUANG Y. Measuring the relationship between morphological spatial pattern of green space and urban heat island using machine learning methods. Building and Environment, 228, 109910, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buil....
44.
VAN SCHALKWYK J., PRYKE J.S., SAMWAYS M.J., GAIGHER R. Corridor width determines strength of edge influence on arthropods in conservation corridors. Landscape Ecology, 35 (5), 1175, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980....
45.
MCRAE B.H., DICKSON B.G., KEITT T.H., SHAH V.B. Using circuit theory to model connectivity in ecology, evolution and conservation. Ecology, 89 (10), 2712, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1890/07-186....
46.
CHEN X., KANG B., LI M., DU Z., ZHANG L., LI H. Identification of priority areas for territorial ecological conservation and restoration based on ecological networks: A case study of Tianjin City, China. Ecological Indicators, 146 (4), 109809, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
47.
GAO M., HU Y., BAI Y. Construction of ecological security pattern in national land space from the perspective of the community of life in mountain, water, forest, field, lake and grass: A case study in Guangxi Hechi, China. Ecological Indicators, 139 (7), 108867, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
48.
LI Q., ZHOU Y., YI S.Q. An integrated approach to constructing ecological security patterns and identifying ecological restoration and protection areas: A case study of Jingmen, China. Ecological Indicators, 137, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
49.
KONG F.H., YIN H.W., NAKAGOSHI N., ZONG Y.G. Urban green space network development for biodiversity conservation: Identification based on graph theory and gravity modeling. Landscape and Urban Planning, 95 (1-2), 16, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
50.
GURRUTXAGA M., RUBIO L., SAURA S. Key connectors in protected forest area networks and the impact of highways: A transnational case study from the Cantabrian Range to the Western Alps (SW Europe). Landscape and Urban Planning, 101 (4), 310, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
51.
NIE W., SHI Y., SIAW M.J., YANG F., WU R., WU X., ZHENG X., BAO Z. Constructing and optimizing ecological network at county and town Scale: The case of Anji County, China. Ecological Indicators, 132, 108294, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
52.
IGNATIEVA M., STEWART G.H., MEURK C.D. Planning and design of ecological networks in urban areas. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 7 (1), 172011, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355....
53.
MEI S. Coupling Coordination of Multi-Dimensional Urbanization and Ecological Security in Karst Landscapes: A Case Study of the Yunnan-Guizhou Region, China. Sustainability, 16 (15), 6629, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1615....
54.
PENG J., PAN Y.J., LIU Y.X., ZHAO H.J., WANG Y.L. Linking ecological degradation risk to identify ecological security patterns in a rapidly urbanizing landscape. Habitat International, 71, 110, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habi....
55.
ZENG Y.W., KOH L.P., WILCOVE D.S. Gains in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services from the expansion of the planet's protected areas. Science Advances, 8 (22), 2022. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv....
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
