A Hybrid Ecological Typology Proposal Based on Structural and Functional Connectivity for the Büyükçekmece Lake Basin: An Integrated Decision Support Framework
LAND, cilt.15, sa.15, ss.1-41, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 15 Sayı: 15
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/land15071300
- Dergi Adı: LAND
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-41
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Abstract
Anthropogenic pressures increasingly threaten ecological connectivity and basin-scale ecological sustainability in peri-urban landscapes. This study proposes a Hybrid Ecological Typology framework for the Büyükçekmece Lake Basin (Istanbul, Türkiye), integrating Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) analysis within a unified spatial decision-support system. The framework is applied to a 67,627.06 ha basin area, including a 25,976.99 ha terrestrial focus area. The results indicate a structurally heterogeneous landscape domi- nated by interior habitat zones (85.94%) distributed across 93 core patches. Despite this dominance, ecological connectivity is maintained through a highly fragmented network of 484 landscape elements, where limited bridge (0.08%) and branch (0.62%) structures highlight structural vulnerability. Edge-dominated zones (12.87%) further reflect strong anthropogenic fragmentation pressures. Connectivity analysis identifies 10 key habitat patches with dPC (Probability of Connectivity index) values exceeding 5% and 12 strategic ecological corridors supporting basin-scale ecological flows. The proposed hybrid typology delineates five functional planning categories: conservation areas (22.72%), ecological corridors (1.91%), restoration areas (1.63%), sustainable use areas (0.51%), and controlled development areas (8.11%). Although high-quality habitat cores dominate the basin, ecolog- ical connectivity remains spatially constrained, with bottleneck zones (0.89%) concentrated along transportation corridors that significantly reduce landscape permeability. Overall, the findings demonstrate that basin-scale ecological sustainability in peri-urban environ- ments is governed not only by habitat quantity but also by the interaction between spatial configuration and resistance structures. The framework provides a transferable decision- support tool that bridges landscape ecology theory with spatial planning practice for basin management and ecological network design.