Assessment of Landscape Connectivity Loss and Identification of Restoration Priorities in Forest Fire-Affected Areas: A Case Study of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea

The 2025 large-scale forest fire in North Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongbuk) caused habitat fragmentation and disrupted ecological networks. This study quantitatively assessed both structural and functional connectivity loss and derived scientifically grounded restoration priorities. Fire intensity was assessed using Sentinel-2-based dNBR, and connectivity changes before and after the fire were analyzed by integrating MSPA (Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis) and Omniscape (circuit theory-based model). MSPA captured extreme fragmentation, showing an 84% reduction in core habitats and a 976% increase in isolated patches, but failed to reflect functional movement flows. Omniscape approximated this using circuit theory, quantifying a 60% loss in cumulative current flow within the fire boundary and confirming that structural disconnection led to functional connectivity collapse. The restoration priority assessment (53 patches), based on source–sink theory, identified 14 high-priority patches (66% of total area). These patches were characterized by their adjacency to undamaged external cores, which serve as potential population sources for post-restoration recolonization. Notably, the top-priority areas were identified as key connection points within the national ecological corridor where Juwangsan National Park, the Nakdong Ridge, and Grade 1 Ecological Natural Areas overlap. This study demonstrated that integrating MSPA with Omniscape can simultaneously quantify both morphological fragmentation and functional disconnection caused by forest fires. This framework suggests that restoration planning should consider connectivity with broader ecological networks, in addition to recovering lost habitat area.