Delimitation of ecological corridors in a highly urbanizing region based on circuit theory and MSPA

Habitat fragmentation, a contributor to biodiversity degradation in urbanized regions, will result from rapid urbanization. Due to the low quality of habitats and the complexity of land use in high-density cities, traditional ecological corridor development approaches may not be viable for urban contexts. Furthermore, unlike other ecological corridors, the width of urban ecological corridors is not fixed due to very constrained land use and a high density of structures in urbanized areas. However, we discovered few studies on how to build urban ecological corridors in densely populated areas. Aside from that, earlier studies primarily concentrated on identifying potential paths for ecological corridors, with the spatial range of ecological corridors typically being determined subjectively. The goal of this research was to develop an integrated approach for determining the suitable areas of ecological corridors in a rapidly urbanizing region. Firstly, key species for urban ecological corridors were identified and Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) was applied to identify core areas and established corridors in the city, which was then integrated with NDVI and InVEST to construct resistance surfaces. Potential corridor paths were identified and graded for importance by Linkage Mapper. Finally, our research established a metric and indicators system, four indicators were set in this framework: the suitable width for animal migration, the maximum cost-weighted distances animals can migrate, areas with high mobility potential, and areas with greatest restoration opportunities. A total of 33 urban ecological sources and 63 ecological corridors were identified. The corridor is only 10 m wide at its narrowest point and 100 m at its widest point. Delimiting the appropriate areas of ecological corridors can provide spatial guidance for the implementation of corridors and ensuring ecological security in densely populated areas.