Evaluation and Construction of Regional Ecological Network Based on Multi-Objective Optimization: A Perspective of Mountains–Rivers–Forests–Farmlands–Lakes–Grasslands Life Community Concept in China

Abstract

Landscape degradation and habitat fragmentation are some of the most urgent environmental problems associated with human development and regional integrated planning. Regional ecological network planning involves connecting high-quality habitats and reducing the negative impact of landscape fragmentation on the remaining natural patches through structural and functional connectivity. The concept of “mountains–rivers–forests–farmlands–lakes–grasslands life community”, as a system concept to solve the whole problem of regional ecological network in China, associates all natural ecological factors and ecological relations through a systematic pattern, emphasizing the systematicness and integrality of ecological environment protection. This study, based on the progress of the study of “mountains–rivers–forests–farmlands–lakes–grasslands life community” and ecological network, clarifies the intrinsic connection and systemic relationship between humans and natural resources, and it clarifies the importance of multi-objective ecological network construction for the integrated development of resources in the whole region. Taking the Taishan area as the study subject, the ecological network construction approach of “risk assessment–source identification–corridor extraction–node selection” was constructed from three objectives—ecological systemic structure, ecological process integrity and ecological service efficiency—based on morphological spatial pattern analysis, minimum cumulative resistance model, gravity model and other modeling methods. The findings of this study can provide the evidence and clarification for the construction of a regional ecological network in China.