Land Use Optimization for Multi-Dimensional Ecosystem Service Deficit Areas with Disrupted Spatial Connectivity on the Northern Slopes of the Tianshan Mountains

Optimizing spatial land-use configurations is a critical pathway toward achieving spatially balanced ecosystem service values (ESVs) in arid regions. Based on multi-source geospatial data from 1980 to 2025, this study constructs a comprehensive ‘value accounting–attribution diagnosis–multi–objective optimization’ framework. This framework integrates dynamic equivalent factors, driving factor analysis, hot and cold spot analysis, and the ESCI-FLUS model to conduct land-use optimization analysis. The empirical findings reveal that: (1) Exhibiting pronounced asymmetric polarization, ESV dynamics are primarily driven by nighttime lights and surface runoff, reflecting the intricate coupling mechanisms of vulnerable human–earth systems in arid regions. (2) ESV degradation zones are densely clustered along oasis–desert ecotones and urban peripheries; through the topological intersection of significant cold spots across four ecosystem services, this study successfully isolates multidimensional ecological deficit zones totaling 35,034 km2. (3) Spatial reconfiguration under the dual constraints of zero expansion in construction land and ESCI enforcement induces an 11.63% reduction in landscape connectivity alongside a 41.17% contraction in the maximum patch size within deficit areas. By dismantling the contiguous agglomeration of low-value patches and restricting the spatial pathways of ecological risk transmission.