Making the case for parks: Construction of an ecological network of urban parks based on birds

Urban expansion occurs in horizontal and vertical directions, but the traditional planar ecological network (EN)’s construction process ignores the vertical space’s ecological protection. Birds, as representative species in urbanized areas, are important for expanding the vertical analysis dimension of ENs. In this study, urban parks with good habitat quality are extracted as ecological sources from the perspective of birds. Then, 2D and 3D ecological resistance surfaces are constructed on the basis of the perspective of influencing bird migration, and planar and 3D ecological corridors are extracted and compared for analysis. Lastly, accessibility analysis is performed to identify the parks in the study area that need priority protection. Results show that building height is an important factor affecting bird migration, and the introduction of 3D resistance surfaces into EN construction is important for adapting to the trend of vertical urban expansion. The combination of accessibility and EN analyses can help identify ecological spaces with the dual role of “species conservation” and “human well-being enhancement.” This study can provide a reference for refining the service species of ENs, exploring the vertical dimension of ENs, and improving the health of urban ecosystems and the rationality of urban planning.