Construction of an ecological security pattern in mountainous city: a case study of Chongqing city, China

Constructing ecological security pattern (ESP) is a crucial approach to guarantee the healthy operation of ecosystems and regional ecological security. Taking Chongqing for example, we conducted an evaluation of Chongqing's ecological significance. Subsequently, areas of high ecological importance and nature-protected were regarded as ecological sources. A resistance surface of representative mountain animals was constructed by screening 6 factors in terms of natural environmental conditions and the intensity of human activity interference. By calculating the cost of species movement between different ecological sources, the ecological corridors were determined to construct a comprehensive regional ESP. The results show that (1) The ecological sources area of Chongqing spans 30,751.11km², the proportion of area is 37.32%, predominantly enriched within the mountainous forested lands in the northeast and southeast of Chongqing; (2) A total of 138 ecological nodes and 73 ecological corridors were built, comprising 58 land corridors and 14 river corridors; (3) The ESP of Chongqing exhibits the characteristics of "three belts, four barriers, multiple corridors, and multiple nodes." The results can give decision support for improving ecological functions in Chongqing.