Optimizing urban ecological networks via human-land synergy: Coupling ecosystem service supply-demand and multi-dimensional resistance

Urban agglomerations serve as vital economic engines that concurrently produce significant human-land conflicts, necessitating strong ecological networks to alleviate fragmentation resulting from heavy human activity. Conventional construction methods often emphasize supply rather than demand and biological considerations over societal limitations, leading to design strategies that are detached from resident welfare and practical execution. This study presents a “Human-Land Synergy Ecological Network” (HLS-EN) paradigm used in the Dianzhong Urban Agglomeration, integrating ecosystem service supply-demand alignment with composite resistant surfaces. The identification of ecological sources used the InVEST model with the Ecosystem Service Supply-Demand Ratio (ESDR) and Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) to identify critical locations. The subsequent development of a composite social-ecological resistance surface incorporated human accessibility for local resistance inversion, along with a spatial conflict layer, enabling network formation through circuit theory and optimization via sophisticated network resilience simulations. Analysis indicated a polarized mismatch of “central deficit and peripheral surplus” in ecological services, requiring cross-regional compensation. The constructed network displayed a clear “dense west, sparse east” layout, wherein the urbanized eastern center depended on a precarious linear structure consisting of 696 corridors and 240 sources, interspersed with 257 conflict obstacles. The strategic incorporation of stepping stone nodes and altered passageways facilitated a topological shift from single-core reliance to multi-core support. Structural redundancy methods substantially postponed the key phase transition of network failure during intentional assault simulations by redistributing super hub loads and preserving connections over 70%. The HLS-EN technique adeptly harmonizes ecological security with resident welfare, providing a scientifically substantiated, actionable spatial planning instrument for addressing ecological deficiencies in densely populated urban areas.