The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan City

Taiyuan City in the eastern Loess Plateau has experienced severe ecological problems caused by urban expansion. For cities undergoing rapid urbanization, building an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an effective means to improve urban resilience. Here, geographic information systems (GIS) were u...

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Main Authors: Qiong Qiao, Zhilei Zhen, Liming Liu, Pingping Luo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/6/1523
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author Qiong Qiao
Zhilei Zhen
Liming Liu
Pingping Luo
author_facet Qiong Qiao
Zhilei Zhen
Liming Liu
Pingping Luo
author_sort Qiong Qiao
collection DOAJ
description Taiyuan City in the eastern Loess Plateau has experienced severe ecological problems caused by urban expansion. For cities undergoing rapid urbanization, building an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an effective means to improve urban resilience. Here, geographic information systems (GIS) were used to analyze, manipulate, and visualize urban ecological multi-source information and remote sensing (RS) for the history of land use/land-cover (LULC) changes and the structure of the urban ecological system. Four important ecosystem service functions were estimated: soil conservation, habitat quality, water yield, and carbon storage. The minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model was combined with the circuit theory method to determine the ecological corridors, pinch points, and barrier points. Our results showed that: (1) from 1980 to 2020, Taiyuan’s built-up area showed increased construction land and enhanced landscape fragmentation. The decline in cultivated land was mainly attributed to construction land. During the period from 2000 to 2010, a greater amount of land was changed in Taiyuan than in other periods; (2) The ecosystem service evaluation based on the LULC in 2020 revealed that the central urban area was lower than the other areas; (3) 38 ecological source sites were identified, accounting for 16% of the total study area. An area of 106 km<sup>2</sup> was allocated to construct 79 ecological corridors. We identified 31 ecological pinch points and 6 ecological barrier points; (4) an ESP optimization governance model of “two rings, four zones, and nine corridors” was proposed. Our study provides theoretical guidance for sustainable development and ecological design in Taiyuan City and other regions.
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spelling doaj.art-d2421ac1284d46b3992d21c7c04d709f2023-11-17T13:38:16ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922023-03-01156152310.3390/rs15061523The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan CityQiong Qiao0Zhilei Zhen1Liming Liu2Pingping Luo3College of Urban and Rural Construction, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Urban and Rural Construction, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaKey Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region, Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, ChinaTaiyuan City in the eastern Loess Plateau has experienced severe ecological problems caused by urban expansion. For cities undergoing rapid urbanization, building an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an effective means to improve urban resilience. Here, geographic information systems (GIS) were used to analyze, manipulate, and visualize urban ecological multi-source information and remote sensing (RS) for the history of land use/land-cover (LULC) changes and the structure of the urban ecological system. Four important ecosystem service functions were estimated: soil conservation, habitat quality, water yield, and carbon storage. The minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model was combined with the circuit theory method to determine the ecological corridors, pinch points, and barrier points. Our results showed that: (1) from 1980 to 2020, Taiyuan’s built-up area showed increased construction land and enhanced landscape fragmentation. The decline in cultivated land was mainly attributed to construction land. During the period from 2000 to 2010, a greater amount of land was changed in Taiyuan than in other periods; (2) The ecosystem service evaluation based on the LULC in 2020 revealed that the central urban area was lower than the other areas; (3) 38 ecological source sites were identified, accounting for 16% of the total study area. An area of 106 km<sup>2</sup> was allocated to construct 79 ecological corridors. We identified 31 ecological pinch points and 6 ecological barrier points; (4) an ESP optimization governance model of “two rings, four zones, and nine corridors” was proposed. Our study provides theoretical guidance for sustainable development and ecological design in Taiyuan City and other regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/6/1523Taiyuanremote sensingland usegeographic information systemecological security pattern
spellingShingle Qiong Qiao
Zhilei Zhen
Liming Liu
Pingping Luo
The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan City
Remote Sensing
Taiyuan
remote sensing
land use
geographic information system
ecological security pattern
title The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan City
title_full The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan City
title_fullStr The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan City
title_full_unstemmed The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan City
title_short The Construction of Ecological Security Pattern under Rapid Urbanization in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Taiyuan City
title_sort construction of ecological security pattern under rapid urbanization in the loess plateau a case study of taiyuan city
topic Taiyuan
remote sensing
land use
geographic information system
ecological security pattern
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/6/1523
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