Integrating ecosystem services and habitat suitability to optimize ecological security patterns: insights from the West Liaohe River Basin

Integrating ecosystem service provision and biodiversity conservation remains a central challenge for landscape planning under climate change and intensified land-use pressures. The West Liaohe River Basin in northern China exemplifies strong conflicts between agricultural expansion and the maintenance of ecological integrity. This study aimed to quantify the spatial coupling between ecosystem service sources (ESSs) and habitat suitability areas (HSAs) and to identify conservation configurations that enhance landscape functionality. We further tested whether flexible, multi-criteria thresholds improve alignment between ecological and biodiversity priorities. Seven ecosystem service indicators and the potential distributions of 20 representative species were mapped across the basin. High-value zones (top 20–50%) were extracted as ecological sources, and spatial congruence, connectivity, and clustering were evaluated through integrated landscape metrics. ESSs and HSAs exhibited limited spatial congruence, with pronounced mismatches at the 20% threshold (spatial mismatch index > 0.9). Integrative assessment indicated that conserving approximately 32% of the landscape maximized ecological coverage and functional connectivity. The weak overlap between service- and habitat-based sources highlights the need for adaptive delineation strategies rather than fixed thresholds. A four-step framework—source identification, spatial coupling, corridor optimization, and zoned restoration—is proposed to reconcile multiple conservation objectives. This approach supports spatially explicit decision-making for ecosystem management in dryland and semi-arid landscapes.