A new framework for optimizing ecological conservation redline of China: A case from an environment‐development conflict area

Abstract

As an important strategic measure in promoting sustainable development, China's current ecological conservation redline has mismatches between protected areas and redline boundaries, especially in economically developed areas with high environment‐development conflicts. This study constructs a new optimization framework that integrates in‐out balance and spatial replacement and takes the southern Jiangsu of China as an example to provide a reference for managing protected areas in similar regions. Results demonstrate that total eco‐land in the study area showed a downward trend from 2005 to 2015, with a 7.55% loss and 1.33% replenishment. Non‐eco land expansion inertia and human activities are the main driving forces of ecological land loss and replenishment, respectively. Effectively, the in‐out balance optimization model based on Bayesian Network makes a net increase of 705.97 km2 in redlines. The overlapping area with core agricultural production space has decreased by 9.11%, human activity has been reduced by 6.06%, and ecological stability has been significantly enhanced. An important implication is that more targeted schemes with boundary adjustment‐internal control‐external protection solutions can be put forward to identify ecological risks and policy conflicts, thereby improving conservation effectiveness.