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Abstract Urbanization adversely affects the ecological environment and reduces the quality of life in China. In view of the current situation, this study aims to determine the dynamics of the ecological security pattern of urban agglomerations using the Yangtze River urban agglomeration (YRUA) as a case study. We used the pressure–state–response (PSR) framework to establish an ecological security assessment system, combined with the technique for order of preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method and gray correlation method, to estimate a comprehensive ecological security index, and we analyzed its evolution trends and driving mechanisms. The results indicated that the distribution of the regional ecological security level had a linked effect and that industrial pollutants posed the greatest threat to ecological security. Moreover, the main factors affecting the YRUA were urbanization, ecopathology, economic development, population pressure, land pressure, and water resource pressure. For the protection of ecological security, it is necessary to establish an ecological security governance mechanism. Moreover, the study stresses changing the traditional sewage discharge model and establishing an ecologically safe market system. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:573–583. © 2020 SETAC KEY POINTS Based on the scale of ecological source, this paper uses the method of combining technique for order of preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) and gray correlation to calculate the ecological security index of an urban agglomeration. Taking Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration as an example, this paper studies the evolution trend of its ecological security, which is of great significance to the study of ecological environment of other urban agglomerations. It is reasonable and general to explore the ecological security situation with the pressure–state–response (PSR) model. The conclusion of this paper is innovative and practical.
Huang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.