Delineating an Integrated Ecological and Cultural Corridor Network: A Case Study in Beijing, China

Abstract

This study shows that an integrated ecological and cultural corridor network can help guide city development strategies to better preserve ecological and cultural assets. Traditionally, protection zones and suitable development areas are often identified by separately considering natural elements of the ecosystem and elements of cultural significance. To achieve the purpose of cohesively protecting areas of ecological and/or cultural significance, we have developed a corridor-based spatial framework by integrating ecological and cultural assets. Ecological sources are identified by combining protection prioritization, nature reserves, and water bodies. Ecological corridors are delineated by using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model on a resistance surface constructed from land-use data to connect ecological sources. Ecologically important areas are then delineated by creating a 5-km buffer zone from ecological sources and ecological corridors. Cultural corridors are historical routes and rivers surrounded by abundant cultural nodes. Like ecologically important areas, culturally important areas are delineated by creating a 5-km buffer zone from cultural corridors. Comprehensive regions are the overlap of ecologically and culturally important areas. Finally, the integrated network connects all comprehensive regions following ecological corridors and cultural corridors in such a way that the largest number of ecological sources and cultural nodes are reached. We applied this framework in Beijing, China, and the results show that there are 2011 km2 of ecological sources, 30 ecological corridors, 423 cultural nodes, seven cultural corridors, and 10 comprehensive regions covering 2916 km2 in the integrated network. The framework adds new insights to the methodology of considering ecological and cultural assets together in developing protection and development strategies.

Articulation of the cross-boundary effects of China’s ecological conservation redline program: A perspective on the ecological security network and ecological radiation

“…Through integrating ECR into ecological network construction, this study developed an ecological network system that prioritized the positive effect factors of ECR areas. Compared with the research reported by Li et al (2021), the coverage of ecological corridors in the present study was greater, and ecological flows between patches in the southeast corner of Beijing were identified. The ecological flow between the ECR areas in Beijing was greater in the north-south direction than in the east-west direction.…”

Construction of Ecological and Recreation Patterns in Rural Landscape Space: A Case Study of the Dujiangyan Irrigation District in Chengdu, China

“…Secondly, based on the data of land-use types, roads, water systems, landform and geomorphic conditions, the ecological and recreational resistance surfaces are constructed, respectively, and the resistance surfaces integrating multiple elements can make the expression of ecological process closer to the real space [34]. Finally, the ecological and recreational corridors are identified based on the MCR model, and the comprehensive expression of spatial development, protection and utilization is realized by the compound landscape corridor [35] (Figure 1).…”

“…The resistance surface refers to the carrier of the obstructed degree of species migration in the corridor, and its construction principle is constructed by calculating the cost of material flow, energy flow and information flow spreading among different landscape patches under the action of various resistance elements [29]. Relevant studies usually adopt land-use type data and set different resistance coefficients for different land-use types, such as forestland, water systems and other green space resistance coefficients, which take the minimum value, and construction land and other land-use types, which take the maximum value [34,35]. Therefore, the method of using land-use type as a dominant factor in the resistance surface, and using road classification, water and terrain factors as auxiliary correction, was completed by referencing the relevant literature to determine the assignment of elements.…”

Establishing and Optimizing the Ecological Security Pattern in Shaanxi Province (China) for Ecological Restoration of Land Space

“…As the wide distribution of ancient roads is a characteristic of the Shaanxi Province, appropriate connections with ecological corridors ought to be taken into account when developing and constructing cultural corridors. At present, although there is no systematic methodological framework for combining an ecological corridor with a cultural corridor [37], some researchers have made useful explorations into the construction of integrated ecological and cultural corridors or traditional settlements [18,37,38]. Yu et al (2009) proposed a cultural heritage security pattern based on cultural heritage protection and recreation in Beijing [34].…”