The southern regions of China are rich in ion-adsorbed rare earth mineral resources, primarily distributed in ecologically fragile red soil hilly areas. Recent decades of mining activities have caused severe environmental damage, exacerbating ecological security (ES) risks due to the inherent fragility of the red soil hilly terrain. However, the mechanisms through which multiple interacting factors influence the ES of rare earth mining areas (REMA) remain unclear, and an effective methodological framework to evaluate these interactions dynamically is still lacking. To address these challenges, this study develops an innovative dynamic ES evaluation and earlywarning simulation framework, integrating Variable Weight (VW) theory and the Bayesian Network (BN) model. This framework enhances cross-stage comparability and adapts to evolving ecological conditions while leveraging the BN model's diagnostic inference capabilities for precise ES predictions. A case study was conducted in the Lingbei REMA. The main findings of the study are as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the overall ES of the mining area exhibited a dynamic trend of deterioration, followed by improvement, and ultimately stabilization. (2) Scenario S27 (high vegetation health status and high per capita green space coverage) significantly reduces the probability of the ES reaching the extreme warning level. (3) The evaluation and simulation framework developed in this study provides a more accurate representation of the ES level distribution and its variations, with probabilistic predictions of ES demonstrating high accuracy. This study is of great significance for improving regional ES, supporting the optimization of ecological restoration strategies under multi-objective scenarios, and promoting the coordinated development of nature and resource utilization.

Intensifying human activities have triggered significant ecological degradation, necessitating innovative approaches to ecosystem restoration. This study introduces a novel integrated methodology combining Ecological Security Patterns (ESP) and Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) to identify priority ecological restoration areas in the Hefei Metropolitan Area. By synthesizing these complementary approaches, we overcome the limitations of individual methods and establish a comprehensive framework for prioritizing ecological restoration. We construct a complex ecological network comprising 36 source areas spanning 8313.96 km2 and 92 interconnected ecological corridors extending 24,489.17 km. We have identified 73 ecological restoration nodes and 19 key restoration areas covering 544.45 km2, predominantly located at critical ecological junctions. The study categorizes restoration zones into five distinct types: river and lake wetland restoration, mine environment remediation, urban ecological landscape reconstruction, ecological corridor connectivity restoration, and soil and water conservation improvement. Combining ESP with ERA allows for the identification of regions most vulnerable to ecological damage while preserving key ecological functions and networks. Through the identification of urban ecological conflict zones, this study provides a strategic framework for enhancing ecosystem resilience and promoting sustainable urban development. This research is significant because of its potential to address the urgent need for effective ecological restoration strategies in rapidly urbanizing regions, offering a systematic approach to balance ecological preservation with urban development.

With rapid urbanization, environmental problems such as soil erosion and resource shortages have emerged. Ecological environmental quality is decreasing, and ecological security issues are becoming increasingly prominent; thus, relevant research is particularly urgent. The ecological security issue is complex due to many influencing factors. The transformation of landscape type is the most important factor affecting ecological security. Therefore, there is an urgent need to optimize and screen for the indicator factors that affect ecological security, carry out a dynamic evaluation of ecological security based on landscape pattern analysis, and analyze the driving forces behind ecological security changes. Song County is located in the ecological core area of the Funiu Mountains in western Henan, with complex topography and geomorphology; large changes in landscape patterns in recent years; frequent geological disasters, which have posed a greater threat to people's life and property safety; and significant ecological security problems. This paper takes Song County as the research area, using the decision tree model to obtain the land use classification results of four periods in Song County in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 based on remote sensing images. Landscape pattern analysis is conducted from two aspects: patch level and landscape level. On this basis, ecological security evaluation indicators are constructed from three levels: pressure, state, and response, and the comprehensive index model is used to obtain the results of four ecological security evaluations. Exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) is used to conduct research and prediction on spatiotemporal differentiation. Finally, the spatial heterogeneity relationship between the ecological security level and its driving factors in Song County is quantitatively analyzed using a geographic detector model. The results clearly show that the overall landscape form gradually tends to develop in the direction of complex irregularity. Due to frequent geological disasters and strong human engineering activities near the core areas of the Luhun Reservoir and Yi River basin, as well as Baihejie Village in Baihe Township and Che Village in Muzhijie Township, the landscape pattern is changing considerably. The self-restoration ability of the land's ecosystem is gradually weakening, and the degree of ecological damage is gradually accelerating. The ecological security level is unsafe, the area of unsafe security is gradually increasing, and the ecological security index (ESI) will continue to decrease in the future. To improve ecological security, we recommend paying attention to land conservation and rational utilization while pursuing economic development.

The identification and restoration of damaged ecosystems are key to achieving ecological conservation and sustainable. Hainan Island is experiencing a serious crisis of biodiversity and habitat degradation. Therefore, its ecological conservation has become a priority and challenge for China. This study aimed to construct a multi-level ecological security pattern (ESP) based on the synergy of multiple ecosystem service functions and identify important ecological elements and ecological restoration areas. Based on the InVEST model, the circuit theory model, and a series of GIS spatial analysis methods, the importance of ecosystem functions (biodiversity maintenance, water conservation, carbon sequestration, and soil conservation) was evaluated, and ecological sources, ecological corridors, ecological pinch points, and ecological barrier points were identified. The results are as follows: 1) The best habitats in Hainan Island were distributed in the central mountainous area with diverse ecosystems, with an area of 10982.5 km2, accounting for 34.25% of the total suitable habitats. Low-level habitats are mainly distributed on tableland and coastal zones. Human disturbance is the direct cause of landscape patch fragmentation in low-level habitat areas. 2) A total of 65 large ecological sources with a total area of 8238.23 km2 were identified, which were concentrated in the biodiversity and water conservation areas in the central part of the island. 3) Crucial areas in Hainan Island mainly comprised forests and water bodies. Ecological corridors radiated across the entire area in the form of a spider web and connected all important ecological patches, including 138 ecological corridors (73 primary ecological corridors and 65 secondary ecological corridors), 222 ecological pinch points, and 198 ecological barrier points. In addition, the identified areas for restoration are primary areas in urgent need of protection and restoration. In general, the ecological pinch points are natural conservation areas supplemented by anthropogenic restoration, and the ecological barrier points demand equal attention for anthropogenic restoration and nature conservation. The ecosystem protection plan developed in this study will enrich the theoretical achievements of territorial spatial ecological planning in Hainan Island, and provides clear guidance for alleviating the contradiction between land use and economic development in Hainan Island.