Identifying Ecological Restoration Zones Based on Ecological Security Patterns: A Case Study of a Resource-Transitioning District

Identifying Ecological Restoration Zones Based on Ecological Security Patterns: A Case Study of a Resource-Transitioning District | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Identifying Ecological Restoration Zones Based on Ecological Security Patterns: A Case Study of a Resource-Transitioning District Yun Ma, Ran Wang, Yahua Wang, Hui Ci, Hui Yang, Jiakun Teng, Bin Zhu, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7072536/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Resource-based cities frequently encounter ecological problems such as landscape fragmentation and environmental degradation and need ecological restoration. Previous studies often focused on single-factor restoration or ecological security patterns (ESPs) construction, lacking integrated frameworks that couple spatial patterns with restoration zoning in mining-affected urban areas. This study proposes an integrated framework of "assessment–pattern–zoning" and applies it to Tongshan District, Xuzhou City—a typical resource-transitioning city in China. The ecosystem services in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2022 were assessed by the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. Following the "source–resistance–corridor" paradigm, this study constructed the ESP and developed a zoning index to delineate ecological zones. The results indicate that: (1) The ecosystem service of Tongshan District displayed strong spatial heterogeneity, with the mean value exhibiting an "N"-shaped trend and a marked decline in 2010; (2) The ESP comprised 126.6 km² of ecological sources, 592.31 km of ecological corridors, 57 ecological pinch points, 21 ecological barrier areas, and 222 ecological breakpoints, mainly concentrated in the northeast and central regions; (3) Tongshan District was divided into ecological restoration zone, warning zone, buffer zone, and conservation zone. The buffer zone covered the largest area (1,001.44 km², 53.91%), while most conservation zone (31.08%) overlapped with the ecological protection red line. Warning and restoration zones were concentrated in subsidence-affected areas. These findings offer practical insights for spatial planning and restoration in resource-based cities undergoing industrial transformation. Biological sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Ecosystem services Ecological security pattern Ecological restoration zones Resource-transitioning city Circuit theory Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryMaterials.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 19 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 21 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 15 Jul, 2025 Editor invited by journal 11 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 10 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 09 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 08 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7072536","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":485661102,"identity":"bdff1b78-eed7-4306-b0b1-dcd82119a373","order_by":0,"name":"Yun Ma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Mining and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yun","middleName":"","lastName":"Ma","suffix":""},{"id":485661103,"identity":"3a10e404-7f29-4330-b414-246f30ad1fb4","order_by":1,"name":"Ran Wang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAz0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBADOSjNTLwWYyBmbCBJS2ID0VoMjp89/Lqi5k56/4zs9AcMFdaJDexnD+DXciYvzfLMsWe5M27kbmxgOJOe2MCTl4BXi9mBHDPDBrbDuRskgFoY2w4nNkjwGODXcv4NUMu/w+kGYC3/iNFyI8f4YWPb4QSIlgYitNjfeGPG2Nh32HDGmbcbZyQcSzdu48nBr0WyP8f4Y8O3w/L87bkbPnyosZbtZz+DXwsQsEnAmQkgLiH1QMD8gQhFo2AUjIJRMJIBALCWSu/r6JFYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Mining and Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ran","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":485661107,"identity":"9e494b7b-9adb-4c29-bea5-dd228ffd41a4","order_by":2,"name":"Yahua Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nanjing Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yahua","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":485661109,"identity":"8b3d07d3-e02f-4510-8357-1d72422db077","order_by":3,"name":"Hui Ci","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Mining and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hui","middleName":"","lastName":"Ci","suffix":""},{"id":485661110,"identity":"9144d1a2-185c-46c5-94eb-0861154bd899","order_by":4,"name":"Hui Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Mining and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hui","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":485661111,"identity":"0018be1e-fb61-432e-a5f4-68c5d802e956","order_by":5,"name":"Jiakun Teng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Mining and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jiakun","middleName":"","lastName":"Teng","suffix":""},{"id":485661112,"identity":"bd90cbc1-e8ba-4d03-86aa-3c9d43404be7","order_by":6,"name":"Bin Zhu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Natural Resources and Planning Bureau of Xuzhou","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bin","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhu","suffix":""},{"id":485661113,"identity":"dce9a972-08f7-4e61-9631-17d00916af33","order_by":7,"name":"Yuqing Gu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nanjing Guotu Information Industry Co., Ltd","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuqing","middleName":"","lastName":"Gu","suffix":""},{"id":485661115,"identity":"18af2b02-163b-48ef-a06e-f4b300662964","order_by":8,"name":"Yuan Yuan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Hohai University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Yuan","suffix":""},{"id":485661117,"identity":"257bb90e-62d8-4adc-8509-fc4a76d33da4","order_by":9,"name":"Yingying Zhu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Land Reserve Center of Xuzhou","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yingying","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhu","suffix":""},{"id":485661118,"identity":"700c0a5f-93c1-4f4b-ba73-a136e1d286d4","order_by":10,"name":"Jianhua Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Land Reserve Center of Xuzhou","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jianhua","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-08 08:38:09","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7072536/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7072536/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36110-3","type":"published","date":"2026-01-20T15:57:39+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":101151940,"identity":"9110ac97-feeb-4432-9453-efe9b238306d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-26 16:08:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1343068,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7072536/v1_covered_ab6a0ad9-2418-455c-a740-9253d6cd911c.pdf"},{"id":86914272,"identity":"730c8bfe-52a2-4bae-b6b2-9645bf14ad17","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-17 05:57:50","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":21692,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryMaterials.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7072536/v1/66f0a3c363101d522be50ba2.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Identifying Ecological Restoration Zones Based on Ecological Security Patterns: A Case Study of a Resource-Transitioning District","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Ecosystem services, Ecological security pattern, Ecological restoration zones, Resource-transitioning city, Circuit theory","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7072536/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7072536/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eResource-based cities frequently encounter ecological problems such as landscape fragmentation and environmental degradation and need ecological restoration. Previous studies often focused on single-factor restoration or ecological security patterns (ESPs) construction, lacking integrated frameworks that couple spatial patterns with restoration zoning in mining-affected urban areas. This study proposes an integrated framework of \"assessment\u0026ndash;pattern\u0026ndash;zoning\" and applies it to Tongshan District, Xuzhou City\u0026mdash;a typical resource-transitioning city in China. The ecosystem services in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2022 were assessed by the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. Following the \"source\u0026ndash;resistance\u0026ndash;corridor\" paradigm, this study constructed the ESP and developed a zoning index to delineate ecological zones. The results indicate that: (1) The ecosystem service of Tongshan District displayed strong spatial heterogeneity, with the mean value exhibiting an \"N\"-shaped trend and a marked decline in 2010; (2) The ESP comprised 126.6 km\u0026sup2; of ecological sources, 592.31 km of ecological corridors, 57 ecological pinch points, 21 ecological barrier areas, and 222 ecological breakpoints, mainly concentrated in the northeast and central regions; (3) Tongshan District was divided into ecological restoration zone, warning zone, buffer zone, and conservation zone. The buffer zone covered the largest area (1,001.44 km\u0026sup2;, 53.91%), while most conservation zone (31.08%) overlapped with the ecological protection red line. Warning and restoration zones were concentrated in subsidence-affected areas. These findings offer practical insights for spatial planning and restoration in resource-based cities undergoing industrial transformation.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Identifying Ecological Restoration Zones Based on Ecological Security Patterns: A Case Study of a Resource-Transitioning District","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-17 05:49:46","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7072536/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-11-19T07:36:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-22T03:14:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"236548335981901539107976945966871070791","date":"2025-07-17T14:57:35+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-15T09:29:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-11T19:49:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-07-10T09:51:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-07-09T07:04:44+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-07-08T08:22:52+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"febde26d-553d-482e-a601-b602925a8a19","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":51554690,"name":"Biological sciences/Ecology"},{"id":51554691,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology"},{"id":51554693,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":51554695,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-26T16:05:12+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7072536","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36110-3","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2026-01-20 15:57:39","publishedOnDateReadable":"January 20th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-17 05:49:46","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-026-36110-3","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36110-3","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7072536","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7072536","identity":"rs-7072536","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}