Optimization of landscape ecological risk assessment method and ecological management zoning considering resilience

Currently, landscape ecological risk (LER) assessment faces issues such as strong subjectivity and limited applicability in ecological zoning. Therefore, this research attempts to optimize the LER assessment model by evaluating landscape vulnerability based on ecosystem services and to conduct ecological management zoning in combination with ecosystem resilience (ER), taking the Luo River Watershed in the eastern part of the Qinling Mountains as the study area. This research selected appropriate analytical granularity and assessment units at the watershed scale and evaluated the of LER and ER based on these. Subsequently, the spatial correlation between LER and ER was analyzed, and bivariate Moran's index was utilized for ecological management zoning. Finally, the main influencing factors of LER and ER were identified through the use of geographical detectors. From 2001 to 2021, the regional LER increased overall, with a spatial distribution showing lower values in the west and higher values in the east. Spatially, LER exhibited a decreasing trend as ER increased, with a relationship approximating a quadratic function. Based on LER and ER, the study area can be divided into ecological adaptation region, ecological conservation region, and ecological restoration region. The distribution differences between ecological conservation region and ecological restoration region were evident, and both zones exhibited an expanding trend. Land use type was a key factor influencing LER and ER, followed by elevation and climate. The improved LER assessment model helps to more reasonably reflect the regional LER level and provides support for optimizing LER assessment models. Additionally, this research enriches zoning methodologies in the field of ecological restoration and offers important references for the implementation of ecological management and ecological restoration strategies in similar regions.