Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Ecological Networks in Nature Conservation from 1990 to 2020

Abstract

As a nature-based solution to land-use sustainability, ecological networks (ENs) have received substantial attention from researchers, planners, and decision-makers worldwide. To portray the global research on ENs in nature conservation during the period of 1990–2020, 1371 papers in 53 subject categories were reviewed with bibliometric methods and CiteSpace. The results showed a successive growth of publications at an annually averaged rate of 18.9% during the past three decades. Co-citation analysis indicated that the most popular topic was connectivity, on which the studies concentrated on quantifying connectivity, identifying priority areas, and integrating conservation planning. A recent hotspot is to study the landscape fragmentation effects on natural habitats or biodiversity under land-use changes in urbanized areas. Multidisciplinary approaches have been increasingly used to tackle more complex interplays among economic, social, ecological, and cultural factors, with the aim of alleviating ecological service losses attributed to human activities. Spatiotemporal dynamics and participatory design of ENs at different scales have become an emerging trend. In order to address increasing pressures on biodiversity or landscape connectivity brought about by land use and climate change, it is suggested to develop more research on the evaluation and management of the resilience of ENs.