Abstract:Urban areas can contain rich flora that contribute significantly to biodiversity. However, loss and isolation of native habitats due to urban sprawl threatens biodiversity conservation and warrants appropriate limits on development. The connectivity provided by urban green spaces offers both habitats and corridors that improve conservation of biodiversity. Researchers and planners have recently begun using the principles of landscape ecology to develop ecological networks and increase connectivity for the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. Potential corridors were identified in Jinan City using the least-cost path method, and ecological networks were developed and improved based on the gravity model and landscape index. Analysis of spatial patterns revealed that the proposed plan decreased the degree of fragmentation and increased connectivity. Scenery forest, public park, and riparian green spaces are the main types of green space, though plaza green spaces are weak in improving ecological networks and conserving biodiversity. The reciprocity between green spaces patches are difference sharply. The more complex the network structure is, the higher the connectivity will be, and the more favorable it is for the species′ transfer and diffusion. Identification of potential corridors using the least-cost path analysis made the results better approximate the real landscape by including impedance along links. The potential ecological networks revealed problems in the current urban greening plan. The ecological network developed based on the gravity model simplified and systematized the complex real landscape, but helped to identify the relative significance of each green space and guide urban planning.