Construction and analysis of the ecological security pattern in territorial space for Dongguan City, Guangdong Province

Constructing ecological security patterns in territorial space can constrain and guide urban spatial development for coordinated and sustainable development of cities and regional environments. Based on the remote sensing ecological index and the minimum cumulative resistance model, this study identified the ecological security pattern factors for Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, including ecological source area, ecological corridor, ecological pinch point, and ecological barrier. Moreover, this study proposed related optimization recommendations. The results of this study indicate that: ① Dongguan City exhibits a favorable ecological base, contiguous ecological spaces, and evenly distributed ecological corridors that can effectively connect ecological source areas; ② Enhanced waterfront space protection and road greening construction provide effective paths for the flow of ecological elements; ③ Agricultural production and transportation manifest the most significant effects on ecological networks, followed by industrial production and domestic life; ④ Ecological sources, 12-m-wide ecological corridors, and ecological pinch points can be classified as key ecological protection areas, while 200-m-wide ecological corridors and ecological barriers can be categorized into key ecological restoration areas. This study will provide a scientific basis for constructing the ecological security pattern in territorial space for Dongguan.