Research on the identification and optimization of land-sea ecological corridors based on the assessment of ecological functions in coastal zones

The coastal zone serves as a critical interface between land and sea, impacted so often by human activities. Recognizing and enhancing the ecological corridors is crucial for the safeguarding and restoring the connectivity and integrity of the ecosystems, especially for ecological exchanges between terrestrial and marine environments, as well as the development of regional ecological network, the protection and restoration of key ecological nodes. This study, based on the framework of the process of “ecological sources identification and construction of resistance surfaces-extraction of ecological corridor, analysis of factors affecting pinch points and obstacles”, taking Luoyuan Bay coastal zone as study area. It identifies the corridors of land-sea connectivity based on the coastal ecological functions, and pinpoints ecological pinch points, obstacles and key nodes using the Linkage Mapper model and Electric Circuit theory. Then the study analyses the factors influencing these nodes and proposes corridor optimization strategies. Results show that: (1)the presence of 25 ecological corridors, 14 potential ecological pinch points and obstacles, 6 key land-sea connectivity nodes in the area; (2)ecological corridors are mostly distributed in the connection of ecological source patches, and ecological pinch points and obstacles typically found in areas of high ecological resistance within the corridors; (3)human activity is a more significant driver affecting key ecological nodes though natural factors also play a role with limited interaction between the two; (4)the “point-line-plane” optimization strategy is more effective in establishing an ecological network pattern in the coastal zone. Overall, this study can promote connectivity and integrity of ecological source patches in Luoyuan Bay and stability of the ecosystem.