Constructing ecological corridors in response to extensive rural sprawl in a highly developed urban agglomeration

Rapid urbanization is often accompanied by landscape fragmentation, and ecological corridor construction could effectively improve habitat connectivity. Compared to high-density urban development, the extensive rural sprawl is surprisingly a major contributor to unsustainable urbanization. In response, our study innovatively conducted a scenario analysis in ecological corridor construction to enhance habitat connectivity while exploring the feasibility of converting rural construction land into ecological corridors to mitigate the impact of extensive rural sprawl. Using the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration as a case study, we constructed ecological corridors under four scenarios based on the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. we analyzed the corridor landscape composition and estimated the construction cost for three corridor widths (60 m, 200 m and 1000 m). Additionally, we assessed corridor connectivity through network connectivity indices α, β and γ. Utilizing the gravity model, we extracted the prioritized corridors and conducted overlay analysis to identify corridor breakpoints. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of cropland and grassland in ecological corridor construction, reaffirming the value of the policy of returning farmland to forest, grassland, and wetland. Notably, our results suggested the feasibility and benefits of converting rural construction land into ecological land and serving as part of the ecological corridors. This approach not only preserves corridor connectivity but also offers cost-effective solutions. Consequently, our study offers a novel perspective on addressing irrational rural sprawl through ecological corridor construction, providing valuable insights for promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable urbanization.