Integrative analysis of ecosystem health, ecosystem services and species habitat suitability can enhance the spatial configuration of protected areas

• A multidimensional framework was developed to identify priority protected areas. • Protected areas identified under fixed and reconfigured expansion modes were systematically compared. • Proposing a strategy to balance ecological priorities with practical constraints for future protected areas planning. Optimizing and expanding protected areas (PAs) is a key strategy to address ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. However, existing PAs often suffer from narrowly defined conservation targets, and the ongoing debate over whether existing PAs should be incorporated into future planning, which limits theoretical support for decision-making. Using the Qinling-Daba Mountains as a case study, this study constructed a multidimensional framework for identifying priority PAs by integrating ecosystem health (EH), ecosystem services (ES), and species habitat suitability (SHS) as conservation targets. Furthermore, fixed expansion (incorporating existing PAs) and reconfiguration expansion modes (ignoring existing PAs) were systematically compared. The results revealed that priority PAs under both modes were mainly concentrated in central-northern Qinling, the Longmen-Min-Motian Mountains, and the eastern Daba-Shennongjia linkage. Compared with the fixed mode, the reconfiguration mode yields a more continuous configuration, a lower share of non-ecological land, higher connectivity, and higher overall protection efficiency. However, in a few subranges, the fixed mode achieves higher local protection efficiency. These findings highlight the critical influence of expansion modes on conservation outcomes, which offers differentiated and scientific support for multidimensional conservation planning.