The regional pattern for ecological security (RPES): the concept and theoretical basis
区域生态安全格局:概念与理论基础

The concept of the Regional Pattern for Ecological Security (RPES) was proposed. Aimed at regional ecological and environmental problems, a spatial pattern can be designed and managed to conserve and restore biodiversity, to maintain ecosystem integrity of structures, functions and processes, and to realize the effective control and continuing improvement of the specific problems on the basis of disturbance removal. Which was accordant with the developments of ecological restoration and biological conservation. The RPES study directly pointed to the ecological problems and focused on the ecological restoration and biological conservation at regional scale, the study was systematic, and the approach was active. It emphasized on the restoration and configuration of degraded ecosystems, the maintenance of ecosystem health, the optimization of landscape pattern, and the spatial pattern adjustment adapted to the developments of the society and economics at regional scale. The spatial pattern visualized the strategies of ecosystem management, and ensured the security of ecological pattern and process as well as their integration at regional scale. The relevant theories, landscape ecology, disturbance ecology, conservation biology, restoration ecology, ecological economics, ecological ethics, and the integrated ecosystem theory, supplied solid theoretical supports to the concept. The RPES has not a fixed standard, but the varied human requirement to ecosystem services is the root reason for implementing the ecosystem management. Therefore, it should be realized not only by the means of social, economic, cultural, moral, law, and regularity methods, but also need to be consistent to the developing demands of human society to ecosystem services. The RPES study will play a key role in dealing with regional ecological and environmental problems, therefore has a brighter future in ecological restoration and biological conservation.