Identifying Ecological Security Patterns Based on Ecosystem Service Supply and Demand Using Remote Sensing Products (Case Study: The Fujian Delta Urban Agglomeration, China)

Xiaonan Niu, Huan Ni (), Qun Ma, Shangxiao Wang and Leli Zong
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Xiaonan Niu: Nanjing Center, China Geological Survey, Nanjing 210016, China
Huan Ni: School of Remote Sensing & Geomatics Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Qun Ma: School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
Shangxiao Wang: Nanjing Center, China Geological Survey, Nanjing 210016, China
Leli Zong: Nanjing Center, China Geological Survey, Nanjing 210016, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-23

Abstract: As the global population increases and cities expand, increasing social needs and ecosystem degradation generally coexist, especially in China’s urban agglomerations. Identifying ecological security patterns (ESPs) for urban agglomerations serves as an effective way to sustain regional ecological security and promote harmonious ecological conservation and economic development. Focusing on the Fujian Delta Urban Agglomeration (FDUA) as an example, this study aims to present a framework for linking the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) to identify ESPs in 2020. First, the ecological sources are delimited by coupling the supply and demand of four critical ESs (carbon storage, water provision, grain production, and outdoor recreation). Afterward, the resistance coefficient is modified using nighttime light intensity data and the ecological risk index, the second of which combines the effects of the soil erosion sensitivity index, the geological disaster risk index, and the land desertification risk index. Then, ecological corridors are determined by employing the minimum cumulative resistance method. With the integration of ecological sources and corridors, the ESPs of the FDUA can be identified. The results show a distinct supply–demand mismatch for ESs, with supply exhibiting an upward gradient from coastal cities to inland mountain cities and demand showing the opposite trend. The ESPs consist of 8359 km 2 of ecological sources that are predominantly forests, 171 ecological corridors with a total length of 789.04 km, 34 pinch points, 26 barriers, and 48 break points. This paper presents a realizable approach for constructing ESPs for urban agglomerations, which will help decision makers optimize ecological sources and ecological protection policies.

Keywords: ecological security pattern; ecosystem services supply and demand; ecological sources; ecological corridor; fujian delta urban agglomeration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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