Identification Method of Key Areas of Ecological Restoration of Territorial Space in Coastal High-density Cities: A Case Study of Macao Special Administrative Region

Ecological restoration of territorial space (ERoTS) is a key issue in the construction of the Ecological Civilization society. The scientific construction of identification methods and technical systems for key restoration areas are the decisive premise to achieve accurate and efficient ecological restoration of territorial space. Taking the Macao Special Administrative Region as an example, this research integrates the traditional research methods of ecological security pattern identification, ecosystem services (ESs) evaluation and land use change simulation, and constructs a technical framework for identifying key areas of ERoTS. By setting three types of restoration scenarios, i.e., ESs priority, CER priority and ESs-CER collaboration, it dynamically simulates the land use expansion trend by cellular automata (CA). The results show that the collaborative restoration scenario of ESs-CER is compatible with the benefits of ecosystem protection and urban development, and helpful to quantitatively delineate the key areas of ERoTS in the study area. This method defines the functional orientation and ecological protection and restoration objectives of ecological restoration areas, providing an important decision-making reference for the systematic and targeted restoration of ecological restoration of territorial space.