Ecological Network Optimization and Security Pattern Development for Kunming’s Main Urban Area Using the MSPA-MCR Model

Rapid urbanization has greatly altered urban ecological spaces and habitat quality functions, threatening regional biodiversity and the sustainability of landscapes. Therefore, constructing a comprehensive ecological network and ecological safety patterns is crucial for ecosystem management and regional development. However, simple quantification of ecological networks fails to meet the construction needs of ecological safety patterns, and most studies focus solely on network quantification analysis, thus overlooking the importance of spatial analysis. This study proposes a method of ecological network quantification assessment combined with hotspot analysis and coupled with standard deviational ellipse spatial analysis, which not only satisfies quantitative analysis but also adds spatial analysis methods, facilitating a more comprehensive construction of safety patterns. Firstly, through morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape connectivity indices, ecological source areas in the main urban area of Kunming were identified, integrating various resistance factors and corrective factors to construct an ecological resistance surface. The minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model was used to identify potential ecological corridors, and their importance was evaluated using the gravity model, thus establishing an ecological network. Secondly, based on network structure indices, the ecological network was assessed and optimized. On this basis, combined with hotspot analysis coupled with standard deviational ellipse spatial analysis, an ecological safety pattern was constructed. The results show the following: the core area of the study region is 2402.28 km2, accounting for 52.07% of the total area; there are 13 ecological source areas, totaling 2102.89 km2, accounting for 45.58% of the total area; there are 178 potential ecological corridors, including 15 level-one ecological corridors and 19 level-two ecological corridors; and 103 ecological nodes, 70 “stepping stones”, and 48 ecological breakpoints were identified. In terms of ecological network optimization, six new ecological source areas were added, covering an area of 16.22 km2, and the potential ecological corridors increased to 324, including 11 new level two ecological corridors, 51 new ecological nodes, 15 “stepping stones”, and 24 major ecological breakpoints. After optimization, the network closure index (α), network connectivity index (β), and network connectivity rate index (γ) improved by 15.16%, 24.56%, and 17.79%, respectively. Based on the network structure quantitative analysis and hotspot analysis coupled with the standard deviational ellipse’s spatial analysis, a “one axis, two belts, five zones” ecological safety pattern was constructed.