Ecological security pattern (ESP) focuses on minimizing the cost-benefit ratio of ecological conservation while maintaining a minimum level of land use demand. However, when identifying ESP, it is still unclear whether core areas of specific or comprehensive ecosystem characteristics should be highlighted. In this study we established three ESP construction scenarios to explore the trade-off between the conservations of comprehensive and specific ecosystem characteristics. Scenario 1 and Scenario 3 respectively tended to prioritize the conservation of comprehensive and specific ecosystem characteristics respectively, while Scenario 2 represented an intermediate approach. Furthermore, conservation effectiveness of the three scenarios were assessed to choose the best solution under the objectives of ecosystem health, landscape connectivity and integrated conservation. The results showed that Scenario 3 had the largest number of ecological sources and ecological corridors, being 5.82 times and 7.48 times of that in Scenario 1, respectively. The total area of ecological sources in each scenario was 1626 km², accounting for 24% of the study area. Besides, Scenario 3 had the largest area of ecological corridors, with a total area of 705 km². Natural reserves of Helan Mountain, Sha Lake, and Baijitan were identified as ecological sources in all the three scenarios, emphasizing their conservation importance. The ESP identified in Scenario 1 exhibited better representativeness of ecosystem health, while the ESP identified in Scenario 3 demonstrated the highest level of landscape connectivity and integrated conservation. Scenario 2 was not the optimal solution under all conservation objectives. The results suggested that the scenario for the conservation of specific ecosystem characteristic had better conservation benefits. This study highlights the conservation trade-off between comprehensive and specific ecosystem characteristics, which will help to identify optimal ESP construction solution.
 

spatial conservation prioritization,landscape connectivity,landscape conservation,Zonation model