Ecological restoration zoning based on ecological risk and resilience assessment: A case study of Jiaozuo City

Urbanization has increasingly disrupted natural ecosystems, leading to various environmental problems and slowing sustainable economic and social development. Ecological restoration zoning is key to efficient restoration efforts and helps balance economic growth with ecological protection. This study develops an ecological risk evaluation system, constructs an ecological security pattern, and identifies urban construction space to guide the ecological restoration zoning of Jiaozuo City. The goal is to create a scientific and practical zoning program. The findings are as follows: (1) Ecological risk in the study area is characterized by a distribution of ‘low risk in the northern mountains and southern mudflats and high risk in the central plains’, whereas ecological resilience is characterized by ‘high risk in the northern mountains and southern mudflats and low risk in the central plains’. (2) The construction of the ecological security pattern led to the identification of 57 ecological source areas, 164 ecological corridors, 254 ecological pinch points, and 36 ecological barrier points. (3) This study divides the area into five ecological restoration zones: key protection, priority restoration, general management, moderate utilization, and urban ecological restoration zones. Each zone requires specific restoration strategies for efficient ecological recovery. This study provides a foundation for ecological protection, spatial planning, and green development in Jiaozuo City. This study also provides a new perspective and framework for ecological restoration zoning research.