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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (10): 2054-2064.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.642

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Ecological security pattern and optimization in the Hexi region under a “core-potential” dual-source framework

MA Huifang(), WANG E, WANG Yanli, SUN Zhuona, ZHAO Runfang, ZHANG Jun()   

  1. College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
  • Received:2025-10-18 Revised:2025-11-12 Online:2026-10-25 Published:2026-10-26
  • Contact: ZHANG Jun E-mail:mhf13309381493@163.com;zhangjun@gsau.edu.cn

Abstract:

The Hexi region is a typical, ecologically fragile zone in China’s arid northwest. The ecological security of this region is vital to regional and national ecological defense systems. To address increasing ecological challenges and ensure regional ecological security, this study proposes an integrated ecological security framework for the Hexi region that follows a stepwise approach: “current status assessment—problem diagnosis—source (patch) restoration—regional planning”. For status identification, this paper utilized land use data from 2000, 2010, 2020, and 2022, and employed morphological spatial pattern analysis to identify ecological source areas. These data were combined with four-phase habitat quality data, nature reserve analysis, and landscape connectivity analysis to identify stable core and high-potential ecological source areas. Subsequently, an ecological resistance surface was constructed using a composite index method. Then, circuit theory was applied to extract ecological corridors and key nodes. For problem diagnosis, this study addressed prominent ecological issues in the Hexi region through the examination of six key indicators: Water conservation, soil salinization, normalized vegetation index, soil retention capacity, land desertification, and windbreak sand fixation. Using a natural breakpoint method, the severity of each issue was graded, with spatial quantification focused on the most critical levels (third, fourth, and fifth levels). The priority remediation areas were precisely identified, providing a basis for subsequent ecological governance. Regarding source area (patch) restoration, this study addressed ecological source fragmentation by categorizing core and high-potential ecological habitats into conservation zones and restoration zones based on their clustering characteristics. This enabled the precise, localized deployment of conservation and restoration actions. For regional planning, this study systematically integrated ecological source areas, corridors, pinch points, barriers, and protection-restoration zones, highlighting both disturbance resistance and network connectivity to formulate a “four zones and three belts” ecological security pattern. Finally, practical ecological protection and restoration measures were proposed based on the distribution of ecological issues in the Hexi region. Several key findings were identified. (1) The Hexi region contains 14 core ecological sources, covering 11941.29 km2 (4.82% of the region’s area), and mainly comprised grasslands in the Qilian Mountains; 40 core ecological corridors, 19 ecological pinch points, and 33 ecological barrier points were identified. (2) There were 19 high-potential ecological source areas covering 25259.22 km2 (10.20% of the region’s area), connected by 55 high-potential ecological corridors, 21 ecological pinch points, and 36 ecological barrier points. (3) Restoration zones in Minqin County, Jinchuan District, Dunhuang City, and Jinta County face the most numerous and severe ecological challenges, necessitating greater intensity of all ecological remediation measures. (4) The closure rate, line-point ratio, and connectivity index of the optimized ecological security network were improved by 41.79%, 24.17%, and 23.08%, respectively, indicating enhanced ecological connectivity and a more stable ecological security network. (5) By integrating regional characteristics and policy implementation feasibility, a “four zones and three belts” ecological security framework was established. Overall, our study provides a scientific foundation and practical reference for ecological security research in arid regions.

Key words: Hexi region, MSPA model, ecological source areas, ecological security pattern, network optimisation