Research into ecological suitability zoning and expansion patterns in agricultural oases based on the landscape process: a case study in the middle reaches of the Heihe River

Given the complexity of land use activities, land ecological suitability analysis can reflect the advantages of regional natural resources and the potential of socioeconomic development. Thus, it could provide scientific evidence for environmentally land use planning in agricultural oasis cities. This research analyzes the principal conflicts and restrictive conditions of regional land use in the main agricultural oasis of the middle reaches of the Heihe River, and identified two kinds of antagonistic forces, i.e., agricultural oasis expansion and ecological conservation land expansion. Then, the minimum accumulative resistance theory and ecology assessment method are introduced to construct a comprehensive land use security model that meets ecological suitability. Furthermore, the strategic patches and radiation corridors for agricultural oasis expansion in the region are recognized through the model calculation. The main conclusions of the model are as follows. First, land use in the region can be clearly divided into four categories: key protected zone, buffer protected zone, moderate developed zone and optimized developed zone. Second, agricultural oasis expansion shows significant strategic patches and radiation corridors information. The strategic point locations are characterized by high-quality soil, rich water resources and outstanding location advantages; while the radiation corridors of each county indicates the direction for ecological suitability, which is significantly affected by the spatial distribution of traffic arteries and ecologically sensitive areas. Third, rural residents can be divided into five categories by the unit of town. Only after effectively identifying the potential and limiting factors of each type could the objective of sustainable management in the arid oasis be achieved.