Multi‐Scale Applicability Analysis of Three Ecological Network Construction Methods in Resilience Assessment

ABSTRACT

Anthropogenic interference causes ecological fragmentation and vulnerability, weakening urban ecosystems' adaptive capacity. The ecological network is based on the principles of landscape ecology, connecting resource patches through linear corridors to protect biodiversity and landscape integrity, enhance environmental carrying capacity, and improve ecosystem resilience. However, current research on ecological network resilience often relies on single methods and scales, overlooking the potential discrepancies between different approaches and scales. This study uses Zhejiang to construct ecological networks with structural, functional, and integrated approaches at provincial, urban agglomeration, and city levels. The performance of these methods in protecting structure, maintaining function, and ensuring overall resilience was compared, yielding the following results: First, the spatial output consistency of source areas across different scales for the three methods ranged from 50.48% to 97.81%. Second, the integrated approach was not optimal for all three resilience goals. The structure‐oriented method demonstrated cross‐scale applicability for the structural resilience goal, while the function‐oriented strategy performed well in maintaining functional and overall resilience. Third, the scale analysis showed consistency in results at the provincial and urban agglomeration levels when meeting the same objectives, but discrepancies at the city level. By expanding the methodologies and scale perspectives in the field of ecological network resilience, this study assesses the applicability of different scales and methods for ecological network resilience. It was found that integrated methods do not always effectively coordinate multiple protection objectives; thus, large‐scale strategies cannot be directly applied at smaller scales in practical applications. This study proposes and validates a multi‐scale, multi‐method framework for assessing the resilience of ecological networks. It reveals the potential differences between scales and methods, providing valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance for future research on ecological network resilience, particularly regarding the applicability of methods at different scales.