IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i4p668-d1617755.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhancing Ecological Network Connectivity Through Urban–Rural Gradient Zoning Optimization of Ecological Process Flow

Author

Listed:
  • Yougui Feng

    (School of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China
    Wuhan Kedao Geographic Information Engineering Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430080, China
    First author.)

  • Fengxiang Jin

    (School of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China
    School of Geodesy and Geomatics, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China)

  • Qi Wang

    (School of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Zhe Zhang

    (School of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Yingjun Sun

    (School of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Fang Wang

    (School of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

Abstract

Urbanization has significantly impacted ecological connectivity, making the optimization of ecological networks (ENs) crucial. However, many existing strategies focus on overall network structure and overlook the spatial concentration of local ecological processes flow (EPF), limiting the effectiveness of ecological planning. This study proposes a novel EN optimization framework based on urban–rural gradient spatial zoning to enhance connectivity from the perspective of EPF. The framework divides areas outside the core urban zone (CUZ) into the urban fringe zone (UFZ), urban–rural interface zone (UIZ), and natural rural zone (NRZ), applying tailored optimization strategies in each zone. These strategies include increasing corridor redundancy, reducing corridor resistance, and expanding corridor width to alleviate EPF concentration. Using Jinan, a mega-city in China’s Yellow River Basin, as a case study, this study simulated EN changes over 20 years and validated the framework’s effectiveness. Optimization validation showed that increasing ecological land in low-flow corridors to 65% in the UIZ and expanding NRZ corridors to 5 km improved connectivity by 6.3%, addressing seven pinch points and three barrier points. This study highlights the importance of optimizing ENs via urban–rural zoning to support sustainable development and ecological protection policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Yougui Feng & Fengxiang Jin & Qi Wang & Zhe Zhang & Yingjun Sun & Fang Wang, 2025. "Enhancing Ecological Network Connectivity Through Urban–Rural Gradient Zoning Optimization of Ecological Process Flow," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:4:p:668-:d:1617755
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/4/668/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/4/668/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhao, Xiaoqing & Xu, Yifei & Pu, Junwei & Tao, Junyi & Chen, Yanjun & Huang, Pei & Shi, Xinyu & Ran, Yuju & Gu, Zexian, 2024. "Achieving the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services through zoning regulation based on land use thresholds," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    2. Men, Dan & Pan, Jinghu, 2023. "Ecological network identification and connectivity robustness evaluation in the Yellow River Basin under a multi-scenario simulation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 482(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wei, Zhongyong & Liu, Tao & Liang, Huaixiang & Zhang, Zhe & Wang, Chunhui & Lv, Yadong & Sun, Jizhe & Wang, Qi, 2024. "Uncovering the impacts of LUCC on ecological connectivity in suburban open-pit mining concentration areas: A pattern collection of changing relationships between ecological resistance and ecological n," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 496(C).
    2. Pan, Huanhuan & Du, Ziqiang & Wu, Zhitao & Zhang, Hong & Ma, Keming, 2024. "Building ecosystem services-based ecological networks in energy and chemical industry areas," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 498(C).
    3. Wenhao Cheng & Caihong Ma & Tongsheng Li & Yuanyuan Liu, 2024. "Construction of Ecological Security Patterns and Evaluation of Ecological Network Stability under Multi-Scenario Simulation: A Case Study in Desert–Oasis Area of the Yellow River Basin, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-19, July.
    4. Haoran Fan & Qi Si & Wenming Dong & Gang Lu & Xinping Liu, 2023. "Land Use Change and Landscape Ecological Risk Prediction in Urumqi under the Shared Socio-Economic Pathways and the Representative Concentration Pathways (SSP-RCP) Scenarios," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-21, September.
    5. Wenhao Cheng & Caihong Ma, 2024. "Construction and Evaluation of Urban Green Infrastructure in Ecologically Vulnerable Areas Based on Multi-Scale and Multi-Objective Approaches: Taking the Four-Lake Hydrographic Network in the Upper Y," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-18, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:4:p:668-:d:1617755. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.