Identifying ecological restoration zones based on ecological security patterns in a resource transitioning district.

Resource-based cities frequently encounter ecological problems such as landscape fragmentation and environmental degradation, necessitating systematic ecological restoration. Previous studies have often focused on single-factor restoration or on constructing ecological security pattern (ESP) in isolation, lacking integrated frameworks that couple spatial pattern analysis with restoration zoning in mining-affected urban areas. This study proposes an integrated framework of "assessment-pattern-zoning" and applies it to Tongshan District, Xuzhou City-a typical resource-transitioning city in China. The ecosystem services in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2022 were assessed by the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. Following the "source-resistance-corridor" paradigm, this study constructed the ESP and developed a zoning index to delineate ecological zones. The results indicate that: (1) Ecosystem services of Tongshan District displayed strong spatial heterogeneity, with the mean value exhibiting an "N"-shaped trend and a marked decline in 2010; (2) The ESP comprised 126.6 km² of ecological sources, 592.31 km of ecological corridors, 57 ecological pinch points, 21 ecological barrier points, and 222 ecological breakpoints, mainly concentrated in the northeast and central regions; (3) Tongshan District was divided into ecological restoration zone, warning zone, buffer zone, and conservation zone. The buffer zone covered the largest area (1,001.44 km², 53.91%), while most conservation zone (31.08%) overlapped with the ecological protection red line. Warning and restoration zones were concentrated in subsidence-affected areas. These findings offer practical insights for spatial planning and restoration in resource-based cities undergoing industrial transformation.