Construction of ecological security pattern based on InVEST-Conefor-MCRM: A case study of Xinjiang, China

Constructing ecological security patterns (ESP) effectively maintains ecosystems' green, healthy, and sustainable development. The InVEST model and Conefor software were utilized in this study to pinpoint ecological sources (eco-sources) through a blend of landscape connectivity and the importance of ecosystem services (IES); the ecological resistance surface was constructed by synthesizing the gravity model and minimum cumulative resistance model (MCRM), extracted ecological corridors (eco-corridors) and nodes. Ultimately, the research in this study built the ESP for Xinjiang. The findings showed that: (1) 14 eco-sources were identified in Xinjiang, spanning an area of 2.13 × 105 km2; 32 eco-corridors were extracted, including 9 important and 23 general eco-corridors, comprising a total length of 1.26 × 104 km; identified 46 ecological nodes(eco-nodes); (2) the size of important and more important patches of ecosystem services in Xinjiang was 2.82 × 105 km2, which accounted for a relatively small size, and the value of ecosystem services was generally average. The overall level of landscape connectivity in the primary eco-sources was high, but the spatial distribution was uneven; (3) the ecological resistance values in Xinjiang vary significantly, with high-level resistance surfaces primarily located in the Junggar Basin and Tarim Basin and low-level resistance covering most of Xinjiang's natural ecological reserves and other areas. The study's findings can provide some references for constructing ESP at the provincial scale and in arid and semiarid regions and for planning spatial ecological restoration in Xinjiang.