[Construction of Ecological Security Pattern of Tarim River Basin Based on Ecosystem Sustainability]

The construction of ecological security patterns is key to achieving synergistic development of regional ecology and society. Current research on ecological security patterns primarily focuses on identifying ecological sources through ecosystem services or health but lacks consideration of multiple dimensions for ecosystem sustainability. Using the Tarim River Basin as a case study, this research proposes an innovative method for identifying ecological source areas by integrating health, services, and risk considerations within an ecosystem sustainability framework. Using circuit theory, this study identifies ecological corridors, pinch points, and barrier points to construct an ecological security pattern that supports sustainable development and to identify key areas for ecological protection and restoration. The results showed: ① The landscape of ecological source areas was predominantly grassland in the Tarim River Basin, which constituted an average of 89.54% of the total ecological source land area over the years. Over the past two decades, the ecological environment of the study area has shown continuous improvement, resulting in a 4.41% increase in the area of ecological source land. Notably, the ecological source land in mountainous regions has experienced significant expansion, while the ecological source land in oasis areas has become increasingly fragmented. ② The ecological network structure in the Tarim River Basin demonstrated high integrity and stability. Over the 20 years, the number of ecological corridors increased by 50, while their total length decreased by 6.58 km. This reduction mitigated the risks associated with species migration and the loss of energy flow. ③ The ecological pinch points were mainly distributed in the Kunlun Mountains, with an overall decrease of 122.83 km² since 2000. Except for the central Taklamakan Desert, ecological barrier points were present in other areas, with an overall increase of 2 931.00 km². The landscape types in the regions where both are located were primarily grassland and unutilized land. ④ An optimized layout for the ecological security pattern has been proposed, characterized by "one ring, two belts, two zones, four cores, multiple sources, and multiple corridors." The results of this study can provide a reference for ecological management and restoration in the Tarim River Basin.