Identification of intercity ecological synergy regions and measurement of the corresponding policy network structure: A network analysis perspective

The development and governance of modern cities have gradually broken through the boundaries of administrative units. In recent times, with intercity ecological space becoming the focus of a series of development and conservation actions, identifying the intercity ecological synergy regions (maintaining connectivity within the ecological space to ensure the continuity of species migration and landscape) and realizing its collaborative governance has become extremely important to maintain sustainable regional development. Cross-border ecological governance involves many actors and forms a complex relationship network. At present, there are few quantitative evaluation methods for this problem, which limits our ability to manage the ecological space between cities. This paper uses the network method to establish and analyze the related ecological and policy networks in Shenzhen. The study results show that the ecological synergy regions are locally concentrated along the fringes of Shenzhen City, and the links between different levels of actors in the policy network are relatively weak. The action objects of ecological governance designated by different cities form convergence or divergence patterns, making it challenging to organize spatially integrated actions among different cities. Finally, suggestions for structural optimization are proposed concerning the policy network associated with the ecological synergy regions from the aspects of spatial implementation pathways and planning strategies.