Ecological Security Pattern Construction in Rural Settlements Based on Importance and Vulnerability of Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of the Southeast Region of Chongqing, China
, Kezhong Liang 2, Jianing Kou 1,2 and Xiaolan Jiang 1,2
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Study done by XU et al. is considerable but lots of mistake is present in the manuscript. It should be revised thoroughly before going to take any decision.
These are------
1. The abstract and Introduction should clearly discuss the problem and give the solution. Those sections need major rewriting.
2. The Author should correct the reference style. There are lot of mistakes in whole manuscript check carefully.
3. Pay attention to abbreviations (first mention - define it, not later, and stick to it consistently throughout the text).
4. Author need to check carefully scientific names in whole manuscript.
5. The authors please give the correct and updated information for versions tools and software used.
6. There are several spacing issues throughout the text. Please carefully go through the entire manuscript and make sure there are no such persisting issues.
7. Some grammatical errors were noticed; kindly do one more overall editorial review before sending back.
8. References should have a uniform pattern in whole manuscript.
Author Response
Please see the revised manuscript.
- The abstract and Introduction should clearly discuss the problem and give the solution. Those sections need major rewriting.
A1: The abstract and introduction have been rewritten to more clearly highlight the issues explored in this paper and to propose solutions for building an ecological security pattern.
- The Author should correct the reference style. There are lot of mistakes in whole manuscript check carefully.
A2: The reference section has been detailed in accordance with the formatting requirements, and I am grateful for any critical corrections.
- Pay attention to abbreviations (first mention - define it, not later, and stick to it consistently throughout the text).
A3: The first abbreviations that appear in the text have been added.
- Author need to check carefully scientific names in whole manuscript.
A4: Suggestions are appreciated and changes have been made to the scientific names in the manuscript.
- The authors please give the correct and updated information for versions tools and software used.
A5: This section has been verified and supplemented.
- There are several spacing issues throughout the text. Please carefully go through the entire manuscript and make sure there are no such persisting issues.
A6: The spacing problem in the text has been corrected and the suggestion is appreciated.
- Some grammatical errors were noticed; kindly do one more overall editorial review before sending back.
A7: Grammatical errors in the text have been checked and corrected.
- References should have a uniform pattern in whole manuscript.
A8: The content of the references has been standardized to manuscript standards.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
The article is an interesting take on the subject.
Such analyzes are needed and can add value to science.
The article is written in a correct way, the concept, description of methodological assumptions and analysis of research results are made in accordance with the standards adopted for this type of studies.
After entering the comments of the reviewer/reviewers, the article may be published:
1. A part related to the analysis of the literature on the subject should be added, regarding the issues from the topic, i.e. ecological security pattern construction in rural settlements, also based on foreign literature
2. Add a part of the discussion, which will be a comparison of the results of the analyzes with the research of other authors - this will allow you to start a scientific discussion. It is also worth taking into account foreign literature describing such activities in various parts of the world.
3. Describe research limitations and plans for further research at the end.
Author Response
Please see the revised manuscript.
- A part related to the analysis of the literature on the subject should be added, regarding the issues from the topic, i.e. ecological security pattern construction in rural settlements, also based on foreign literature
A1: Some citations to foreign literature on rural settlements have been added to the introduction.
- Add a part of the discussion, which will be a comparison of the results of the analyzes with the research of other authors - this will allow you to start a scientific discussion. It is also worth taking into account foreign literature describing such activities in various parts of the world.
A2: A comparison of results related to foreign literature has been added to the discussion section of article 5.4.
- Describe research limitations and plans for further research at the end.
A3: A description of limitations and next research plans has been added in the last part of the text.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
In this paper, the southeastern region of Chongqing was selected as the study area, and the importance of ecosystem services were assessed through the InVest model, and ecological sensitivity was evaluated by screening natural or anthropogenic factors. On this basis, important areas for ecological protection were derived and the regional ecological security pattern was constructed. This paper provides scientific support for the protection of regional ecological security in China. However, there are some problems and it is recommended that they be revised before acceptance. The specific questions are as follows:
Q1：0. Introduction line 46-49
What is the basis for the “ widely believed”? Please add relevant references.
Q2：1.1. Study Area Overview line 108-109
Why is the SRC ecological base weak? Please explain the reasons.
Q3：Figure 1
It is recommended that an elevation map of the SRC be added to Figure 1, as the spatial distribution of ESs is closely related to elevation, and adding an elevation map will allow the reader to visually compare the relationship between elevation distribution and ESs.
Q4：Research Methodology line 129-138
It is suggested that a research framework diagram be added here, which will clearly and unambiguously express the research content of this paper.
Q5：2.1.1. Ecosystem Service Importance Assessment line 150-151
Please add references to “related research results of SRC”.
Q6：3.1. Ecosystem Services Importance line 191-197
Soil conservation is influenced by slope and topography and it is recommended that the original results of soil conservation are analysed in comparison to the slope and topography of the SRC. The insignificant soil conservation here is probably due to the improper selection of the breakpoint method and it is recommended to optimise the breakpoint method.
Q7：3.1. Ecosystem Services Importance line 210-211
What is the “functional overlay” method here?
Q8：3.3. Eco-source identification based on the importance of ecological conservation line 250-251 & 3.4. Eco-resistance surface analysis line 291-292
The explanation of the weights in these two places is not very clear and it is suggested to add the weight values and the method of setting the weights.
Q9：Figure 10
The figure is not sufficiently refined, and the “one screen” and “one belt” in the figure are not sufficiently highlighted. It is suggested that the “barriers” in some recent local territorial spatial plans (2021-2035) be used to improve the aesthetics and optimise Figure 10.
Q10：4.1. Spatial Heterogeneity of Ecosystem Services line 372-374
I think this conclusion is too arbitrary. There are positive human activities, such as reforestation and afforestation, and there are negative activities in the natural environment, such as earthquakes and mudslides. So it is difficult to conclude a correlation in a single sentence without any correlation analysis. It is suggested to change the terminology here.
Q11：4.4. Optimization and suggestions line 429-431
Could the plans of Shanghai be used for Chongqing? The natural conditions in Shanghai are different from those in Chongqing. If you are looking for a relevant policy reference, it is recommended to look for a region with a similar natural and socio-economic environment to that of SRC.
Q12：3. Results & 5. Conclusion
The study area includes a part of the Chinese ethnic traditional villages, which is the highlight of the selection of the study area in this paper. Sadly, the spatial distribution of traditional villages has not been analysed in relation to the ecological assessment, nor has guidance been given on the sustainable development of traditional villages, which has resulted in the study area not being fundamentally different from those selected for other similar studies.
Author Response
Please see the revised manuscript.
A1: Relevant references have been added.
A2: Relevant reasons have been stated and relevant supporting literature has been added.
A3: Figure 1 has been revised to add the elevation map of the SRC.
A4: A study framework diagram has been added, see Figure 2 for details.
A5: Relevant references have been added in support
A6: Thank you for such a professional and valuable suggestion.
A7: The method has been elaborated.
A8: Thanks for such a well thought out suggestion, the weighting values for the ecological resistance surface analysis are shown in Table 3. relevant content has been added to the text to express this.
A9: Thanks for the guidance suggestions, the original diagram has been optimised to further highlight the programmatic content of the SRC.
A10: The conclusions have been rationalised and the critical correction is appreciated.
A11: The Shanghai Planning Guidelines document has been changed to refer to the guidelines for setting up ecological corridors in the southwest region in the Urban Design Guidelines for Territorial Spatial Planning.
A12: A relevant study has shown that there are a total of five batches of national traditional villages in Chongqing, and the study area has a huge share of 70.91%. Thank you for your suggestion to conduct an ecological assessment analysis of the spatial distribution of traditional villages in the region, which was very inspiring. Work in this area will be further strengthened in the future.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Not fully satisfied with your response.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Drawing upon the multi-level framework, this study examined villagers' willingness to withdraw from rural homesteads in Sunan and explore the influencing mechanisms. I do see some improvements compared to the previous version, but still, this study is problematic. Specific comments are as follows:
1. In "keywords", the keyword " Land Use Transition" does not seem to fit with the research content of this paper, what kind of consideration did the authors choose this word as the keyword?
2. The authors have tried to make the analysis of the results more concise by removing the comparison statements in response to the review, but there is still some content that should have been placed in the discussion.
3. In the "conclusion", the author provided an outlook on future research directions. It is suggested that the authors summarize this section in depth. In addition, it would be more logical to put this section in the discussion section.
I hope those suggestions can make this paper more scientific and rigorous.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 3
Reviewer 1 Report
Correct some english language.
