Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, Punjab
Carbon neutrality is an important goal for addressing global warming. It can be achieved by increasing carbon storage and reducing carbon emissions. Vegetation plays a key role in storing carbon, but it is often lost or damaged, especially in areas affected by desertification. Therefore, restoring v...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Tauqeer Nawaz Muhammad Gohar Ismail Ansari Qiang Yu Buyanbaatar Avirmed Farhan Iftikhar Wang Yu Jikai Zhao Muhammad Anas Khan Muhammad Mudassar Khan |
| author_facet | Tauqeer Nawaz Muhammad Gohar Ismail Ansari Qiang Yu Buyanbaatar Avirmed Farhan Iftikhar Wang Yu Jikai Zhao Muhammad Anas Khan Muhammad Mudassar Khan |
| author_sort | Tauqeer Nawaz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Carbon neutrality is an important goal for addressing global warming. It can be achieved by increasing carbon storage and reducing carbon emissions. Vegetation plays a key role in storing carbon, but it is often lost or damaged, especially in areas affected by desertification. Therefore, restoring vegetation in these areas is crucial. Using advanced techniques to improve ecosystem structure can support ecological processes, and enhance soil and environmental conditions, encourage vegetation growth, and boost carbon storage effectively. This study focuses on optimizing Ecological Spatial Networks (ESNs) for revitalization and regional development, employing advanced techniques such as the MCR model for corridor construction, spatial analysis, and Gephi for mapping topological attributes. Various ecological and topological metrics were used to evaluate network performance, while the EFCT model was applied to optimize the ESN and maximize carbon sinks. In the Thal Desert, ecological source patches (ESPs) were divided into four modularity levels (15.6% to 49.54%) and five communities. The northeastern and southwestern regions showed higher ecological functionality but lower connectivity, while the central region exhibited the reverse. To enhance the ESN structure, 27 patches and 51 corridors were added to 76 existing patches, including 56 forest and 20 water/wetland patches, using the EFCT model. The optimized ESN resulted in a 14.97% improvement in carbon sink capacity compared to the unoptimized structure, primarily due to better functioning of forest and wetland areas. Enhanced connectivity between components contributed to a more resilient and stable ESN, supporting both ecological sustainability and carbon sequestration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7a047f96f0494c138972cff18cc62e8d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-7a047f96f0494c138972cff18cc62e8d2025-08-20T02:12:29ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-01-0117343110.3390/rs17030431Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, PunjabTauqeer Nawaz0Muhammad Gohar Ismail Ansari1Qiang Yu2Buyanbaatar Avirmed3Farhan Iftikhar4Wang Yu5Jikai Zhao6Muhammad Anas Khan7Muhammad Mudassar Khan8College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, ChinaSchool of Agroecology, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 999097, MongoliaSchool of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, ChinaSchool of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaSchool of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaCarbon neutrality is an important goal for addressing global warming. It can be achieved by increasing carbon storage and reducing carbon emissions. Vegetation plays a key role in storing carbon, but it is often lost or damaged, especially in areas affected by desertification. Therefore, restoring vegetation in these areas is crucial. Using advanced techniques to improve ecosystem structure can support ecological processes, and enhance soil and environmental conditions, encourage vegetation growth, and boost carbon storage effectively. This study focuses on optimizing Ecological Spatial Networks (ESNs) for revitalization and regional development, employing advanced techniques such as the MCR model for corridor construction, spatial analysis, and Gephi for mapping topological attributes. Various ecological and topological metrics were used to evaluate network performance, while the EFCT model was applied to optimize the ESN and maximize carbon sinks. In the Thal Desert, ecological source patches (ESPs) were divided into four modularity levels (15.6% to 49.54%) and five communities. The northeastern and southwestern regions showed higher ecological functionality but lower connectivity, while the central region exhibited the reverse. To enhance the ESN structure, 27 patches and 51 corridors were added to 76 existing patches, including 56 forest and 20 water/wetland patches, using the EFCT model. The optimized ESN resulted in a 14.97% improvement in carbon sink capacity compared to the unoptimized structure, primarily due to better functioning of forest and wetland areas. Enhanced connectivity between components contributed to a more resilient and stable ESN, supporting both ecological sustainability and carbon sequestration.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/3/431ecological spatial network (ESN)optimizationEFCT modeltopological indicatorrobustnesscarbon neutrality |
| spellingShingle | Tauqeer Nawaz Muhammad Gohar Ismail Ansari Qiang Yu Buyanbaatar Avirmed Farhan Iftikhar Wang Yu Jikai Zhao Muhammad Anas Khan Muhammad Mudassar Khan Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, Punjab Remote Sensing ecological spatial network (ESN) optimization EFCT model topological indicator robustness carbon neutrality |
| title | Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, Punjab |
| title_full | Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, Punjab |
| title_fullStr | Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, Punjab |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, Punjab |
| title_short | Developing Strategies for Carbon Neutrality Through Restoration of Ecological Spatial Networks in the Thal Desert, Punjab |
| title_sort | developing strategies for carbon neutrality through restoration of ecological spatial networks in the thal desert punjab |
| topic | ecological spatial network (ESN) optimization EFCT model topological indicator robustness carbon neutrality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/3/431 |
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