Construction and Collaborative Optimization of Transboundary Habitat Connectivity Network in the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor From the Perspective of Multi-Model Integration

Transboundary habitat fragmentation and degradation pose severe threats to global biodiversity, and establishing transboundary habitat connectivity networks represents an essential conservation strategy. Nevertheless, inadequate cross-border collaborative planning and inconsistent management among neighboring countries make this goal extremely difficult to achieve. Current studies predominantly employ single-species or single-model designs, ignore heterogeneous ecological demands, and lack targeted optimization and protocols and systematic frameworks for identifying transboundary priority conservation areas. This study proposes an integrated multi-species framework to construct and optimize cross-border habitat connectivity networks in the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor, using four indicator species representing distinct ecological functional groups: Elephas maximus (large terrestrial herbivores), Varanus salvator (aquatic-terrestrial ecotone predators), Syrmaticus humiae (montane forest-dwelling birds), and Ciconia nigra (long-distance migratory waders). We integrate the Maximum Entropy Model, Minimum Cumulative Resistance Model, and Circuit Theory to identify habitats, corridors, ecological pinch points and barriers, then optimize networks with Nature-based Solutions stepping stones. Results reveal extensive overlap between cross-border habitats and economic corridor infrastructure exacerbates fragmentation; stepping-stone optimization significantly improves corridor quantity and network topology, and four key transboundary priority conservation areas are defined. This framework facilitates priority conservation planning for cross-border habitats, establishes a replicable paradigm for transboundary multi-species connectivity research in data-scarce regions, and provides scientific guidance for balancing infrastructure development and biodiversity conservation in transboundary ecologically sensitive areas to bolster the ecological security barrier of the Belt and Road Initiative. • Proposed a transnational conservation perspective under the Nature-based Solutions. • Integrated multiple models identified multispecies networks in data-scarce regions. • Species-specific resistance surfaces enabled precise corridor identification. • Identified transboundary priority areas for guiding multinational conservation. • Transferable framework serves multi-species connectivity in data-scarce areas.