Abstract: Land space ecological restoration is a systematic project on certain spatial scale, while the identification of key areas is a prerequisite for putting the plan into practice. We constructed the ecological security pattern and identified the key areas of ecological restoration in the land space in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, based on morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), landscape connectivity evaluation, integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) model, and circuit theory. The results showed that: (1) A total of 30 source areas were screened for ecological source areas in Dali Prefecture, with 11, 10, and 9 source areas being classified as the first, second, and third levels, respectively, showing more source areas in the central and western parts of the study region, and less and fragmentation in the eastern part. (2) A total of 62 ecological corridors were categorized into 8, 16 and 38 corridors of the first, second and third levels, respectively, based on the priority calculation. (3) A total of 1341 pinch points were identified, which were mainly distributed in the northeast and were fragmented, requiring protection and integration. A total of 111 ecological obstacle points were identified, mainly distributed in the eastern urban construction area, requiring man-made restoration with different strategies. (4) The areas to be restored were classified into core ecological restoration areas and important ecological restoration areas according to the grading, and into Erhai waterbird habitat areas, corridor penetration areas, and farmland protection and restoration areas according to their characteristics. Consequently, an ecological security optimization pattern of “one screen, four sections, three zones, and multiple corridors” was put forward. By integrating the principles of morphology and ecology, and fully considering artificial and natural factors, we constructed the ecological security pattern of Dali Prefecture, identified and analyzed the key restoration area, and supplemented detailed information to the urban ecological security pattern. Our results would provide reference for the ecological restoration of the land space of Dali Prefecture.

Key words: ecological security pattern, ecological restoration of land space, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, critical area identification, circuit theory