Stepwise Construction and Integration of Ecological Network in Resource-Based Regions: A Case Study on Liaoning Province, China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors Ecological network is an effective strategy to maintain regional ecological security. In this paper, a new framework for stepwise updating of ecological networks is presented, aiming to explore the effect of mining areas participating in ecological network construction through the construction and optimization of ecological networks in a typical mining province. This establishes the potential connections between basic ecologically important areas and abandoned mines. In the context of the imbalance between the supply of land resources and the demand of human activities, this is a topic of interest to researchers in related fields, but the paper needs some revision before it is accepted for publication. Specific comments are given below:   1. It is recommended to clearly define the meaning represented by different colors in Figure 2 and to provide distinct subheadings for each section.   2. The headings in the manuscript should be consistent. For instance, a third-level heading should be established within "3.3. Construction and Modification of Resistance Surface."   3. The rationale behind the collection of precipitation data for the years 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 should be clarified.   4. If the paper aims to highlight the necessity of studying resource-based regions, it is recommended that the introduction includes a corresponding statement.   5. While the spatial pattern of ecological corridors is optimized in this paper, the lack of regulation strategies to implement these corridors may weaken the practicality of the research.   6. The quality of the English language is generally acceptable, though some minor editing is required.   7. In Line 248 and Table 1, the paper mentions that the four indicators were given the same weight. Please elaborate on the reasoning behind assigning equal weight to these four factors.   8. The study heavily relies on data from 2000, 2010, and 2020. Please explain whether these data sufficiently capture the latest ecological dynamics and mining impacts. Comments on the Quality of English Language

Moderate editing of English language required

Author Response

Overall comment from reviewer #1:

Ecological network is an effective strategy to maintain regional ecological security. In this paper, a new framework for stepwise updating of ecological networks is presented, aiming to explore the effect of mining areas participating in ecological network construction through the construction and optimization of ecological networks in a typical mining province. This establishes the potential connections between basic ecologically important areas and abandoned mines. In the context of the imbalance between the supply of land resources and the demand of human activities, this is a topic of interest to researchers in related fields, but the paper needs some revision before it is accepted for publication.

Response: Dear reviewer, thank you for your comments. We greatly appreciate your kind help in the reviewing the manuscript. We have revised our manuscript according to your detailed comments, please see below.

Comment 1. It is recommended to clearly define the meaning represented by different colors in Figure 2 and to provide distinct subheadings for each section.  

Response: We have revised the Figure 2, and put the contents in Methodological framework into the four sections: data, method, result, and conclusion.

Comment 2. The headings in the manuscript should be consistent. For instance, a third-level heading should be established within "3.3. Construction and Modification of Resistance Surface."  

Response: Thank you for your comments. Based on the comment from other reviewer, we have deleted heading “(1) Construction of basic resistance surface” and “(2) Revision of ecological resistance surface using ecological risk integrating land cover”, and integrated these contents, line 277 to 344.  

Comment 3. The rationale behind the collection of precipitation data for the years 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 should be clarified.  

Response: We are sorry for this mistake. We wrote the wrong year and have revised the years of precipitation data used. According to the data requirements of the module of water yield of the InVEST model, precipitation data is needed (https://storage.googleapis.com/releases.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest-userguide/latest/en/annual_water_yield.html#data-needs). The National Earth System Science Data Center (http://www.geodata.cn/) collected data from 1982 to 2022 (Figure 1 in response). According to the needs of the research, this study only used precipitation data from 2000, 2010 and 2020. At the same time, we carefully checked the sources and years of other data to ensure accuracy. thank you for your comments, line 168 to 186.

Figure 1 precipitation data provided by the National Earth System Science Data Center

Comment 4. If the paper aims to highlight the necessity of studying resource-based regions, it is recommended that the introduction includes a corresponding statement.  

Response: Thank you for your valuable comment. We have added more details in the introduction, line 54 to 63, line130 to line136.

Comment 5. While the spatial pattern of ecological corridors is optimized in this paper, the lack of regulation strategies to implement these corridors may weaken the practicality of the research.  

Response: We added the section of regulation strategies in 4.1. We proposed the three regulation strategies of pattern optimization, protective development, and restrictive development, line 535 to line 557.

Comment 6. The quality of the English language is generally acceptable, though some minor editing is required.  

Response: We have carefully checked the language of the manuscript to ensure that it conforms to academic norms.

Comment 7. In Line 248 and Table 1, the paper mentions that the four indicators were given the same weight. Please elaborate on the reasoning behind assigning equal weight to these four factors.  

Finally, it was mentioned in "4.4 limitation and future work" that the AHP method can be used to determine the weights of resistance surface indicators in the future, line 660 to 665.

Comment 8. The study heavily relies on data from 2000, 2010, and 2020. Please explain whether these data sufficiently capture the latest ecological dynamics and mining impacts.

Response: Firstly, Some data such as land cover and climate data lack the latest year. Secondly, studies using data from different time periods usually choose of five to ten years as interval [6–8]. Moreover, changes in the ecological environment can be observed after at least five to ten years [9,10]. Finally, the description that further research can be done to predict the change in ecological environment in future was added to “4.4 Limitations and future work”, line 660 to 665.

References

1. Zhang, Y.; Tian, N.; Chen, A.; Qiu, J.; He, C.; Cao, Y. Identification of a Wetland Ecological Network for Urban Heat Island Effect Mitigation in Changchun, China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2023, 150, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110248.
2. Wang, L.; Wang, S.; Liang, X.; Jiang, X.; Wang, J.; Li, C.; Chang, S.; You, Y.; Su, K. How to Optimize High-Value GEP Areas to Identify Key Areas for Protection and Restoration: The Integration of Ecology and Complex Networks. REMOTE SENSING 2023, 15, doi:10.3390/rs15133420.
3. Zhang, H.; Lin, S.; Yu, Q.; Gao, G.; Xu, C.; Huang, H. A Novel Forest EcoSpatial Network for Carbon Stocking Using Complex Network Theory in the Yellow River Basin. REMOTE SENSING 2023, 15, doi:10.3390/rs15102612.
4. Guo, H.; Yu, Q.; Pei, Y.; Wang, G.; Yue, D. Optimization of Landscape Spatial Structure Aiming at Achieving Carbon Neutrality in Desert and Mining Areas. JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION 2021, 322, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129156.
5. Qiu, S.; Yu, Q.; Niu, T.; Fang, M.; Guo, H.; Liu, H.; Li, S.; Zhang, J. Restoration and Renewal of Ecological Spatial Network in Mining Cities for the Purpose of Enhancing Carbon Sinks: The Case of Xuzhou, China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2022, 143, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109313.
6. Liu, H.; Niu, T.; Yu, Q.; Yang, L.; Ma, J.; Qiu, S. Evaluation of the Spatiotemporal Evolution of China’s Ecological Spatial Network Function-Structure and Its Pattern Optimization. REMOTE SENSING 2022, 14, doi:10.3390/rs14184593.
7. Lu, Y.; Liu, Y.; Huang, D.; Liu, Y. Evolution Analysis of Ecological Networks Based on Spatial Distribution Data of Land Use Types Monitored by Remote Sensing in Wuhan Urban Agglomeration, China, from 2000 to 2020. REMOTE SENSING 2022, 14, doi:10.3390/rs14112618.
8. Huang, L.; Wang, J.; Cheng, H. Spatiotemporal Changes in Ecological Network Resilience in the Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomeration. JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION 2022, 339, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130681.
9. Huang, X.; Ye, Y.; Zhao, X.; Guo, X.; Ding, H. Identification and Stability Analysis of Critical Ecological Land: Case Study of a Hilly County in Southern China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2022, 141, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109091.
10. Liu, H.; Niu, T.; Yu, Q.; Yang, L.; Ma, J.; Qiu, S.; Wang, R.; Liu, W.; Li, J. Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Relationship between the Topological Structure of Eco-Spatial Network and Biodiversity Maintenance Function in China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2022, 139, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108919.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1、What are the characteristics of Liaoning as a resource-based region? What are its typicality and uniqueness? It is necessary to explain why Liaoning was selected as the research area. What experience and reference can it provide for similar resource-based regions around the world?

 2、From Line 64 to 66: the authors mentioned that: " At present, the ecological network of mining areas has been mainly concentrated on the micro-scale, and there are few studies on macro- scale". I suggest to explain more clearly about this description.

3、It is lack of targeted regulation strategy, and unable to guide the regional actual development in future.

4、Among the keywords, Liaoning Province is recommended to be added to the last as the research case site.

 5、I wonder whether the proposed method can be reused in some other study areas?

6、The English expression is relatively smooth, and minor editing of English language required. It is hoped that the author can carefully and carefully revise and polish the English version of the manuscript.

 

 

Author Response

Overall comment from reviewer #2:

Response: Dear reviewer, thanks for your kind comments. We appreciate your constructive comments, which have provided us with reliable ideas and directions to improve the logic of the article, and we have made corresponding changes to the manuscript, specifically as follows.

Comment 1. What are the characteristics of Liaoning as a resource-based region? What are its typicality and uniqueness? It is necessary to explain why Liaoning was selected as the research area. What experience and reference can it provide for similar resource-based regions around the world?

Response: Thank you for your valuable comment. For question “What are the characteristics of Liaoning as a resource-based region? and What are its typicality and uniqueness?”. We have added some contents in the introduction, line 54 to line 63. For question “why Liaoning was selected as the research area. What experience and reference can it provide for similar resource-based regions around the world?”. We have added contents in the introduction, line 130 to line 136.

Comment 2. From Line 64 to 66: the authors mentioned that: " At present, the ecological network of mining areas has been mainly concentrated on the micro-scale, and there are few studies on macro- scale". I suggest to explain more clearly about this description.

Response: We have supplemented contents by citing ecological network in mining areas and city for enriching this description, line 91 to 97.

Comment 3. It is lack of targeted regulation strategy, and unable to guide the regional actual development in future.

Response: We added the section of regulation strategies in 4.1. We proposed the three regulation strategies of pattern optimization, protective development, and restrictive development, line 535 to line 557.

Comment 4. Among the keywords, Liaoning Province is recommended to be added to the last as the research case site.

Response: We have added the Liaoning Province as the keyword in the paper, line 38.

Comment 5. I wonder whether the proposed method can be reused in some other study areas?

Response: The study of typical areas. The technical framework proposed in this study is very suitable for resource-based regions, resource-based cities, and mining cities. Further research can construct an ecological network including multiple ecological elements based on differences in mineral types [1,2] or landscapes [3]. On the other hand, this technical framework can be considered to apply in the ecologically important areas such as mountain regions [4,5], plateau areas [6], and riverside [7] and coastal areas [8], where have highly developed urban agglomerations. And at the same time, a certain amount of ecological land is distributed in or around the urban agglomerations, resulting in a high degree of landscape heterogeneity. Therefore, it is urgent to take ecological protection measures in these areas and determine the priority of ecological restoration.

Modification of the resistance surface. The modification of resistance factors can be applied to the research of areas with frequent human activities, such as urban agglomerations. The intensity of human activities in the road network of urban agglomerations is very high [11], so it is possible to conduct study to quantify the influence of the road network on the construction indicators of the resistance surface.

Comment 6. The English expression is relatively smooth, and minor editing of English language required. It is hoped that the author can carefully and carefully revise and polish the English version of the manuscript.

Response: We have carefully checked the language of the manuscript to ensure that it conforms to academic norms.

References

1. Li, S.; Zhao, Y.; Xiao, W.; Yue, W.; Wu, T. Optimizing Ecological Security Pattern in the Coal Resource-Based City: A Case Study in Shuozhou City, China. Ecological Indicators 2021, 130, 108026, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108026.
2. Qiu, S.; Yu, Q.; Niu, T.; Fang, M.; Guo, H.; Liu, H.; Li, S.; Zhang, J. Restoration and Renewal of Ecological Spatial Network in Mining Cities for the Purpose of Enhancing Carbon Sinks: The Case of Xuzhou, China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2022, 143, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109313.
3. Xu, W.; Wang, J.; Zhang, M.; Li, S. Construction of Landscape Ecological Network Based on Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment in a Large-Scale Opencast Coal Mine Area. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 286, 125523.
4. Peng, J.; Hu, X.; Qiu, S.; Meersmans, J.; Liu, Y. Multifunctional Landscapes Identification and Associated Development Zoning in Mountainous Area. Science of the Total Environment 2019, 660, 765–775.
5. Cui, L.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, J.; Han, L.; Ao, Y.; Yin, S. Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment in Qinling Mountain. Geological Journal 2018, 53, 342–351.
6. Liu, Y.; Liu, S.; Wang, F.; Liu, H.; Li, M.; Sun, Y.; Wang, Q.; Yu, L. Identification of Key Priority Areas under Different Ecological Restoration Scenarios on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022, 323, doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116174.
7. Zhang, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Yang, Y.; Fu, B.; Ma, R.; Lue, Y.; Wu, X. Identifying Ecological Security Patterns Based on the Supply, Demand and Sensitivity of Ecosystem Service: A Case Study in the Yellow River Basin, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022, 315, doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115158.
8. Chen, Z.; Lin, J.; Huang, J. Linking Ecosystem Service Flow to Water-Related Ecological Security Pattern: A Methodological Approach Applied to a Coastal Province of China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023, 345, doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118725.
9. Liang, C.; Zeng, J.; Zhang, R.-C.; Wang, Q.-W. Connecting Urban Area with Rural Hinterland: A Stepwise Ecological Security Network Construction Approach in the Urban-Rural Fringe. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2022, 138, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108794.
10. Li, T.; Long, H.; Zhang, Y.; Tu, S.; Ge, D.; Li, Y.; Hu, B. Analysis of the Spatial Mismatch of Grain Production and Farmland Resources in China Based on the Potential Crop Rotation System. LAND USE POLICY 2017, 60, 26–36, doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.10.013.
11. Miao, Z.; Pan, L.; Wang, Q.; Chen, P.; Yan, C.; Liu, L. Research on Urban Ecological Network Under the Threat of Road Networks-A Case Study of Wuhan. ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION 2019, 8, doi:10.3390/ijgi8080342.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study proposes an ecological corridor optimization method based on the combination of the gravity model and the corridor increment-decrement rule by constructing ecological source areas. Although the authors conduct a relatively comprehensive study, the content is somewhat conventional and lacks innovation. Furthermore, the expression of the study's originality is unconvincing and insufficient.

1. The authors define Liaoning Province as a mining area and emphasize that there are few studies on constructing ecological networks for mining areas on a macro scale, suggesting that this study enriches research in this area (lines 63-65). However, I question the initial assumption of this study. Although Liaoning Province is a major mining area, the impact of mining landscapes is mainly localized rather than provincial. This needs to be clarified in detail.

2. In lines 37-42, the transition into the main topic is too verbose and lengthy. It is suggested to streamline this section.

3. In lines 47-54, the authors emphasize the urgency of environmental management in traditional mining areas. However, their study focuses on Liaoning Province, a comprehensive area that includes both mining and urban regions, which creates a mismatch and questions the study's rationale.

4. In lines 89-90, the statement, "Hence, the work integrating mining areas into the construction of ecological network remains challenging," is commendable, but clearly integrating Liaoning Province into the ecological network construction does not inherently present these challenges.

5. The Introduction section lacks a thorough review of previous studies and a clear summary of this study's effectiveness. A deeper summary and review of related research are necessary.

6. In the Study Area section, the authors need to present specific data related to mining to emphasize the representativeness of the study area.

7. Sections 2.3 and 2.4 require significant condensation, especially section 2.4. Important content should be reviewed in the Introduction, and non-essential parts should be removed. Despite the detailed description, the construction of ecological resistance lacks innovation and only considers equally weighted land use, slope, elevation, and vegetation cover.

8. Is it necessary to include the resistance surface of every factor in the paper? Please consider this.

9. Separating Figures 7-9 makes it difficult for readers to compare the differences. It is recommended to integrate them to highlight the contrasts.

10. The English language needs extensive editing. It is suggested to have it revised by a native English speaker.

11. The Conclusion section needs further summarization.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Must be improved

Author Response

Overall comment from reviewer #3:

This study proposes an ecological corridor optimization method based on the combination of the gravity model and the corridor increment-decrement rule by constructing ecological source areas. Although the authors conduct a relatively comprehensive study, the content is somewhat conventional and lacks innovation. Furthermore, the expression of the study's originality is unconvincing and insufficient.

Comments on the Quality of English Language: Must be improved.

Response: Dear reviewer, thanks for your kind comments. We appreciate your constructive comments, which have provided us with reliable ideas and directions to improve the logic of the article, and we have made corresponding changes to the manuscript, specifically as follows.

Comment 1. The authors define Liaoning Province as a mining area and emphasize that there are few studies on constructing ecological networks for mining areas on a macro scale, suggesting that this study enriches research in this area (lines 63-65). However, I question the initial assumption of this study. Although Liaoning Province is a major mining area, the impact of mining landscapes is mainly localized rather than provincial. This needs to be clarified in detail.

To address this issue, scholars have incorporated mining areas into the research of construction of ecological network at the city scale in typical mining cities in China, including Shuozhou City, Xuzhou City, and Ordos City to guide the planning of restrictive, protective, and suitable development zone [3], and some results of study have indicated that through ecological network construction projects, restoration and renewal of ecological space can effectively enhance the carbon sink of mining cities, and thus achieve the goal of carbon neutrality [4,5]. Moreover, recent studies have also shown that when contemplating the ecological restoration of mining areas, it is imperative to adopt a broader spatial scale that encompasses the extension from local landscape ecosystems to regional scales to adapt to the goals of “ecological civilization construction” and “dual carbon” [2]. However, at present, there are few studies on exploring the contribution of mining areas restoration on the constructing ecological network. Therefore, on the one hand, this study constructed an ecological network of resource-based regions based on integrating important local ecological elements, and on the other hand, quantified the contribution of ecological restoration in mining areas to the improvement of regional ecological network quality. The results of this study indicated that α, β, and γ indices has been improved after optimized ecological network, which showed that the added sources and corridors enhanced the connectivity of ecological network.

In addition, we can explore the contribution of ecological restoration in mining areas under different scenarios of ecological function optimization in the further research.

Comment 2. In lines 37-42, the transition into the main topic is too verbose and lengthy. It is suggested to streamline this section.

Response: Thank you for your comments. We have rewritten this section from aspects of influence of industrialization on social progress and environmental protection, introduction the mining areas (research object), reducing the number of words from 137 to 93, line 40 to 47.

Comment 3. In lines 47-54, the authors emphasize the urgency of environmental management in traditional mining areas. However, their study focuses on Liaoning Province, a comprehensive area that includes both mining and urban regions, which creates a mismatch and questions the study's rationale.

Response: Thank you for your valuable comment. From a macro perspective, some mining areas are located in ecologically sensitive areas, which are restored to help improve the regional ecosystem stability. There are also the regions where the current state of ecological environment is not ideal, but the spatial location is important and these areas have restoration potential (for example, the change in ecological function is positive). However, the ecological restoration priority of these mining areas is low based on conventional methods (i.e. ecological importance, landscape connectivity). Therefore, one of the purposes of this research is to explore how much contribution the governance of mines with ecological restoration potential can make to improving the quality of the whole ecological environment.

Ecological network construction provides approach. One of the important premises of concept of ecological network is to improve the health of regional ecosystems by controlling and improving key ecological processes and core environmental elements [5]. At present, there have been studies exploring the construction of ecological networks in resource-based regions and mining cities, but there is a lack of research on the improvement of ecological network quality after mining area restoration [3,4]. Meanwhile, if the conventional methods are directly applied to construct the ecological network in the resource-based regions, the constructed ecological network and identified ecological network elements cannot include all areas that can effectively improve the quality of regional ecosystems.

Therefore, based on the characteristics of resource-based regions, this paper proposed a conceptual model of ecological network in the resource-based regions (Figure 1 or Figure S1 in supplementary material). Resource-based regions contain many basic ecological sources (ecological sources identified by conventional methods, such as forest and wetland). At the same time, some areas have medium ecological quality due to the inclusion of mining areas, but the spatial location is very important. Or some areas containing mining areas currently have average ecological quality, but ecological functions are rapidly improving. We call these areas damaged ecological sources. Some damaged ecological sources are in a key position in the network. Restoring these areas can enhance specific ecological processes, and improve the quality of local ecological networks, and thus drive the improvement of the overall ecological network performance. Therefore, we believe that the implementation of mining area environmental management will help improve the ecological quality of the whole region.

Finally, we revised the content of this section, line 65 to 76.

Figure 1 Theoretical figure of ecological network integrating natural ecosystem and mines in resourced based regions.

Comment 4. In lines 89-90, the statement, "Hence, the work integrating mining areas into the construction of ecological network remains challenging," is commendable, but clearly integrating Liaoning Province into the ecological network construction does not inherently present these challenges.

Response: Thank you for your valuable comments. Considering that the statement “Hence, the work integrating mining areas into construction of ecological network remains challenging” does not match the content of this paragraph, we deleted this sentence. Moreover, we added three aspects of ecological source identification, resistance surface modification and corridor removal in the introduction section, line 107 to 110, line 116 to 120, and line 126 to 128.

Comment 5. The Introduction section lacks a thorough review of previous studies and a clear summary of this study's effectiveness. A deeper summary and review of related research are necessary.

Response: We added three parts of contents. Firstly, the content about typicality and necessity of studying resource-based regions was added in the introduction, line 54 to 63.

Secondly, some contents were added for enriching the description “At present, the ecological network of mining areas has been mainly concentrated on the micro-scale, and there are few studies on macro- scale”, line 91 to 97.

Thirdly, content was supplemented for explaining the experience and reference which can provide for similar resource-based regions around the world, line 130 to 136.

Comment 6. In the Study Area section, the authors need to present specific data related to mining to emphasize the representativeness of the study area.

Response: We have added information about abandoned mines in Liaoning province into the “2.1. Study area and data source”, line 163 to 167.

Comment 7. Sections 2.3 and 2.4 require significant condensation, especially section 2.4. Important content should be reviewed in the Introduction, and non-essential parts should be removed. Despite the detailed description, the construction of ecological resistance lacks innovation and only considers equally weighted land use, slope, elevation, and vegetation cover.

Response: Thank you for your valuable comment. We rewrote sections 2.3 and 2.4, and removed the third-level headings. In section “2.3. Extraction and classification of ecological sources”, we removed redundant sentences and put the description of ecosystem service functions into section “2.1. Study area and data source”. In section “2.4. Construction and modification of resistance surface”, we put the content of ecological risk assessment into “1. Introduction” according to the suggestions, streamlined the statements about population density and GDP and the formula of landscape ecological risk assessment, and deleted the repeated sentences. line 226 to 344.

Comment 8. Is it necessary to include the resistance surface of every factor in the paper? Please consider this.

Response: Thank you for your valuable comment. The resistance surface of this study was calculated by four resistance factors: slope, DEM, land cover and vegetation coverage. The resistance value of land cover needs to be modified by the ecological risk index. We referred to the display of resistance surface results of other research [6–9]. At the same time, we considered that only the results of the comprehensive resistance surface may confuse some researchers about the content of the article, and showing all the results of resistance factors will help other researchers understand the content of “3.2 Construction of modified resistance surface”. Therefore, we finally decided to display the results of all resistance factors after discussion.

Comment 9. Separating Figures 7-9 makes it difficult for readers to compare the differences. It is recommended to integrate them to highlight the contrasts.

Response: We have integrated them into a picture (Figure 7 (a) – (c)), line 495. 

 

Comment 10. The English language needs extensive editing. It is suggested to have it revised by a native English speaker.

Response: We have carefully checked the language of the manuscript to ensure that it conforms to academic norms.

Comment 11. The Conclusion section needs further summarization.

Response: According to your suggestion and some references [10–12], we have deleted needless statement at the beginning of the paragraph and added ordinal numeral before some sentences to make the structure clearer. In addition, the theoretical significance was emphasized at the end of paragraph, line 666 to 712.

References

1. HU, Z.; GUO, J.; ZHAO, Y.; WANG, zhen Survey and Analysis of the Implementation of Key Policies on Land Reclamation in Mining Areas in China. China Land Science 2024, 38, 1–11.
2. Zhao, J.; Yu, Q.; Xu, C.; Ma, J.; Liu, W.; Sun, W.; Miao, Y.; Nawaz, T. Integrated Approach for Ecological Restoration and Ecological Spatial Network Optimization with Multiple Ecosystem Functions in Mining Areas. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2023, 156, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.111141.
3. Li, S.; Zhao, Y.; Xiao, W.; Yue, W.; Wu, T. Optimizing Ecological Security Pattern in the Coal Resource-Based City: A Case Study in Shuozhou City, China. Ecological Indicators 2021, 130, 108026, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108026.
4. Qiu, S.; Yu, Q.; Niu, T.; Fang, M.; Guo, H.; Liu, H.; Li, S.; Zhang, J. Restoration and Renewal of Ecological Spatial Network in Mining Cities for the Purpose of Enhancing Carbon Sinks: The Case of Xuzhou, China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2022, 143, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109313.
5. Guo, H.; Yu, Q.; Pei, Y.; Wang, G.; Yue, D. Optimization of Landscape Spatial Structure Aiming at Achieving Carbon Neutrality in Desert and Mining Areas. JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION 2021, 322, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129156.
6. Li, S.; Zhao, Y.; Xiao, W.; Yue, W.; Wu, T. Optimizing Ecological Security Pattern in the Coal Resource-Based City: A Case Study in Shuozhou City, China. Ecological Indicators 2021, 130, 108026.
7. Qiu, S.; Yu, Q.; Niu, T.; Fang, M.; Guo, H.; Liu, H.; Li, S.; Zhang, J. Restoration and Renewal of Ecological Spatial Network in Mining Cities for the Purpose of Enhancing Carbon Sinks: The Case of Xuzhou, China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2022, 143, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109313.
8. Liu, W.; Xu, H.; Zhang, X.; Jiang, W. Green Infrastructure Network Identification at a Regional Scale: The Case of Nanjing Metropolitan Area, China. FORESTS 2022, 13, doi:10.3390/f13050735.
9. Huang, X.; Wang, H.; Shan, L.; Xiao, F. Constructing and Optimizing Urban Ecological Network in the Context of Rapid Urbanization for Improving Landscape Connectivity. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2021, 132, doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108319.
10. Wang, L.; Wang, S.; Liang, X.; Jiang, X.; Wang, J.; Li, C.; Chang, S.; You, Y.; Su, K. How to Optimize High-Value GEP Areas to Identify Key Areas for Protection and Restoration: The Integration of Ecology and Complex Networks. REMOTE SENSING 2023, 15, doi:10.3390/rs15133420.
11. Wang, F.; Guo, H.; Zhang, Q.; Yu, Q.; Xu, C.; Qiu, S. Optimizing Ecological Spatial Network Topology for Enhanced Carbon Sequestration in the Ecologically Sensitive Middle Reaches of the Yellow River, China. REMOTE SENSING 2023, 15, doi:10.3390/rs15092308.
12. Zhang, H.; Lin, S.; Yu, Q.; Gao, G.; Xu, C.; Huang, H. A Novel Forest EcoSpatial Network for Carbon Stocking Using Complex Network Theory in the Yellow River Basin. REMOTE SENSING 2023, 15, doi:10.3390/rs15102612.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author has largely addressed my concerns. However, the English quality of the paper is inadequate, and the author has not revised the language as recommended. I suggest the author undertake a thorough language edit to improve the overall quality of the paper.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Must be imporved

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thanks for your kind comments. We have invited a professional institution to polish the manuscript to ensure that it conforms to academic norms. The article has been undergone extensive English revisions. And NATIVE English Editing can be found in the supplementary material file.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx