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The Landscape Pattern Evolution and Ecological Security Pattern Construction Under the Interference of Transportation Network in National Park

Letong Yang,Yuting Peng,Gaoru Zhu,Fuqing Yue,Xueyan Zhao,Jiliang Fu

Published 2025 in Forests

ABSTRACT

The rapid expansion of transportation infrastructure on Hainan Island has intensified ecological pressures such as landscape fragmentation and decreased connectivity, threatening the environmental integrity of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. As China’s only tropical island national park, it is important to maintain biodiversity and ecological resilience. Therefore, this study attempts to examine the park and its 5 km buffer zone to assess how transport expansion from 2003 to 2023 has altered land use patterns and landscape connectivity. Through the analysis of multi-period land use data, the land use changes are tracked by using ArcGIS and Fragstats 4.3 software, and the landscape dynamics are quantified. We linked these patterns to ecological processes via a resistance-surface model, which is further refined by spatial structural indices to better reflect ecological realism. Ecological sources were subsequently identified through morphological analysis and ecosystem service evaluation, and circuit theory was applied to delineate potential corridors and construct an ecological security network. The results indicate that (1) transportation development has significantly increased landscape fragmentation and ecological resistance, particularly along major highways; (2) while core forest areas inside the park remain relatively intact, the buffer zones show accelerating degradation; and (3) Although there are many ecological conflict points between the transportation network and the ecological corridor, the construction of animal channels in combination with bridges, tunnels and culverts can effectively improve ecological connectivity and protect the integrity of animal habitat. These findings highlight the vulnerability of ecological integrity as the network expands. The proposed modeling framework provides a more realistic assessment of infrastructure impact and offers a scientific basis for coordinating ecological protection and transport planning in tropical island national parks.

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