Identification of Priority Areas for Ecological Restoration in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China: The Systemic and Targeted Perspectives

Abstract

This study focuses on precisely identifying ecological restoration priorities within territorial spaces, aiming to safeguard ecological security and accelerate the implementation of differentiated restoration strategies. An innovative “area‐to‐point” framework is developed by integrating systematic ecological conservation and targeted restoration perspectives to accurately determine the priorities of ecological restoration work in territorial space. Taking the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) as a case study, a dual—evaluation method combining the ecosystem service importance index and the ecological problem index is adopted to quantitatively identify the restoration “areas.” Then, from the targeted restoration perspective, the ecological security pattern construction method is applied to identify the restoration “points.” Finally, spatial overlay techniques are utilized to determine the restoration priorities and formulate strategies for different intervention levels. The results convincingly demonstrate the validity and practicality of the proposed framework. A total of 300.63 km2 of ecological restoration areas are identified, categorized into three priority levels: Level I (75.69 km2), Level II (88.94 km2), and Level III (136.00 km2). These areas are primarily located along critical ecological corridors in the northwestern and northern parts of TGRA. Although these areas exhibit high ecological value, some face significant ecological challenges, with land use predominantly consisting of arable and forestland. The study recommends comprehensive improvements in arable land management, artificial afforestation, greening construction, and enhanced ecological environment monitoring to prevent the loss of ecological land. The findings not only provide scientific guidance for ecological restoration in TGRA but also offer new insights for ecological restoration research in other regions.