Urban expansion is leading to the loss and fragmentation of habitats, which poses a threat to wildlife. People are hopeful that, through scientific urban planning and the adoption of innovative models for human communities, such a situation can be improved. Thus, a case study was carried out in Nanning City, China, to extract habitats, build an ecological resistance surface, and construct a habitat connectivity network (HCN). To simulate changes to unused land in the future, we put forth the A (the parcel is divided into strips), B (the parcel is divided into two strips), C (the central area of the parcel is planned as a quadrangle), and D (opposite to Scenario C, the peripheral area is green space) scenarios of human communities that guarantee a 30% ratio of green space, and established the corresponding HCNs. The results indicate that: (1) Currently, the habitats cover approximately 153.24 km² (34.08%) of the entire study area. The ecological corridors in this region amount to a total of 5337, and the topological indicators and robustness indicate a strong stability of the current HCN. (2) With urban expansion, once continuous habitats are being fragmented into smaller green spaces, it is estimated that the habitats will shrink by 64.60 km². The topological indicators and robustness reveal that the stability of the HCNs becomes lower as well. Multiple scenario simulations demonstrated that Scenario D is better than Scenarios B and C, while Scenario A performed the worst. (3) Furthermore, we observed a stronger negative impact of urban expansion on local connectivity. This indicates that the influence of urban expansion on the local HCNs is often more pronounced and may even be destructive. Our findings can advise urban planners on decisions to minimize the impact of urban expansion on wildlife.

The construction of the Pinglu Canal has significantly promoted economic development in southwestern Guangxi but it has also posed serious threats to wildlife habitat connectivity in the region. During the construction process, changes in land use types have led to habitat fragmentation, triggering a series of negative ecological effects, such as the “ecological island effect” and “edge effect”. This study uses the MaxEnt model to identify habitats for 11 wildlife species within the study area, categorized into terrestrial mammals, amphibians and reptiles, forest birds, and water birds, thereby constructing a multi-species habitat connectivity network (MHCN). Through complex network analysis, we assess habitat connectivity before and after the canal’s construction, as well as after implementing habitat optimization strategies. The results indicate that, following the completion of the Pinglu Canal, the wildlife habitat area decreased by 516.47 square kilometers, accounting for 5.79% of the total area, and the number of wildlife migration corridors decreased from 279 to 223, with a total decline of 56. Moreover, the average degree and clustering coefficient of habitat connectivity networks for various species showed a downward trend, while the average path length increased, indicating intensified habitat fragmentation and a growing threat to biodiversity in the region. In response, an ecological restoration strategy is proposed, which involves creating new habitats at key ecological “pinch points” and “barrier points,” increasing habitat area by 28.13% and the number of migration corridors by 33.41%, significantly enhancing the network’s robustness and connectivity. This research provides important references for biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration in the region.

Identifying and protecting key sites of ecological assets and improving spatial connectivity and accessibility are important measures taken to protect ecological diversity. This study takes Guangxi as the research area. Based on the gross ecosystem product (GEP), the ecological source is identified, and the initial ecological network (EN) is constructed by identifying the ecological corridor with the minimum cumulative resistance model. The internal defects of the initial ecological network are extracted using the circuit theory, the priority areas for restoration and protection with clear spatial positions are determined according to the complex network analysis, and the network’s performance before and after optimization is comprehensively evaluated. The results show that 456 initial ecological sources and 1219 ecological corridors have been identified, forming the initial ecological network of Guangxi. Based on the circuit theory, 168 ecological barriers, 83 ecological pinch points, and 71 ecological stepping stones were extracted for network optimization. After optimizing the ecological network, there are 778 ecological sources with a total area of 73,950.56 km² and 2078 ecological corridors with a total length of 23,922.07 km. The GEP of the optimized structure is 13.33% higher than that of the non-optimized structure. The priority areas for protection are distributed in a large area, and the attached GEP reaches USD 118 billion, accounting for 72% of the total GEP attached to the optimized ecological source area. The priority areas for restoration are scattered in small patches, with a GEP of USD 19.27 billion. The robustness and connectivity of the optimized ecological network have been improved obviously. This study attempts to identify key sites of ecological assets and the priority regions for restoration and conservation using genuine geographical location and reference materials for regional ecological network optimization and implementation.

Urbanization presents significant challenges to biodiversity but also offers opportunities for its protection and development. While uncontrolled urban expansion has a destructive impact on biodiversity, effective urban planning can play a positive role in protecting and maintaining urban biodiversity. The positive role of human factors, such as urban planning, can protect and maintain the healthy development of urban biodiversity. This study conducted an in-depth analysis of the evolution of various wildlife migration corridors throughout the full-cycle construction of Xiong’an New Area (Xiong’an) in China, revealing the impact of urbanization on these networks. Habitats for species like Sus scrofa, Bufo gargarizans, and Parus minor have notably increased. Between 2016 and 2023, Sus scrofa habitats grew from 35 to 44, large-toed frog habitats from 24 to 35, and Chinese tit habitats remained stable. By the planning phase, Sus scrofa habitats expanded to 87, large-toed frog habitats to 97, and Chinese tit habitats to 58. Habitat areas also grew significantly, especially for Sus scrofa, which increased from 2873.84 hectares in 2016 to 7527.97 hectares in the planning phase. Large-toed frog habitats grew from 2136.86 hectares to 6982.78 hectares, while Chinese tit habitats expanded from 1894.25 hectares to 3679.71 hectares. These changes suggest that urban parks and green spaces have provided more extensive habitats for these species. In terms of migration networks, the number of dispersal routes increased considerably. In 2016, Sus scrofa had 77 routes, large-toed frogs had 16, and Chinese tits had 77. By 2023, Sus scrofa and large-toed frog routes increased to 91 and 49, respectively, while Chinese tit routes remained stable. In the planning phase, Sus scrofa routes surged to 232, large-toed frogs to 249, and Chinese tits to 152, indicating a denser migration network. The distribution of ecological pinchpoints also changed significantly. By 2023 and in the planning phase, pinchpoints were concentrated in densely built areas, reflecting urbanization’s impact on the ecological network. The ecological resilience, assessed through network performance, showed a gradual recovery. The ecological connectivity index decreased from 8.25 in 2016 to 7.29 in 2023, then rebounded to 11.37 in the planning phase, indicating that the ecosystem had adapted after initial urbanization pressures.

In recent years, rapid global changes have accelerated the loss of habitats and fragmentation of landscapes, emerging as primary drivers of the alarming decline in global biodiversity. Through the construction of ecological networks (ENs) that simulate the interactions between animal and plant species with their environment, it is possible to mitigate landscape fragmentation and the loss of biodiversity. In this study, we focused on the ecologically diverse southeastern region of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) as our research area and developed a comprehensive Multi-Species Ecological Network (MEN) consisting of ten species. Through employing complex network analysis methods, we thoroughly examined the intra-species and inter-species interactions within the MEN, integrating the findings with the natural characteristics of the study area to yield valuable insights. The results of our study revealed considerable spatial variations in the MEN. Specifically, the western and eastern regions experienced significant ecological resistance, leading to fragmented ecological sources and a limited connectivity of ecological corridors. Furthermore, the application of complex network analysis revealed inadequate connectivity and stability in specific localized areas within the MEN. This emphasizes the pressing requirement for effective ecological preservation plans. Through this study, our aim is to advance research on multi-species ecological spatial networks and to offer novel perspectives and methodologies for biodiversity conservation and habitat maintenance in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau.

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau ecosystem is fragile, experiencing rapid changes in land cover driven by both climate change and human activities, leading to habitat fragmentation and loss and resulting in biodiversity decline. Habitat ecological networks (HA-ENs) are considered effective solutions for habitat connectivity and biodiversity conservation in response to these dual drivers. However, HA-EN studies typically rely on current or historical landscape data, which hinders the formulation of future conservation strategies. This study proposes three future scenarios—improvement, deterioration, and baseline scenarios—focused on the southeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (SE-QPT). The habitats of 10 species across three classes are extracted, integrating land use and climate change data into habitat ecological network modeling to assess the long-term dynamics of HA-ENs in the SE-QPT. Finally, conservation management strategies are proposed based on regional heterogeneity. The results show the following: Climate change and human activities are expected to reduce the suitable habitat area for species, intensifying resource competition among multiple species. By 2030, under all scenarios, the forest structure will become more fragmented, and grassland degradation will be primarily concentrated in the southeastern and western parts of the study area. Compared to 1985 (71,891.3 km²), the habitat area by 2030 is projected to decrease by 12.9% (62,629.3 km²). The overlap rate of species habitats increases from 25.4% in 1985 to 30.9% by 2030. Compared to the HA-EN control in 1985, all scenarios show a decrease in connectivity and complexity, with only the improvement scenario showing some signs of recovery towards the control network, albeit limited. Finally, based on regional heterogeneity, a conservation management strategy of “two points, two cores, two corridors, and two regions” is proposed. This strategy aims to provide a framework for future conservation efforts in response to climate change and human activities.