Recovery capacity and ecological restoration strategy of urban green space based on the self-organization-resilience model

Urban greenspace systems are key components of urban ecosystems. However, a quantitative index for the recovery ability of urban green space and a corresponding effective restoration model is lacking. We selected the key indicators that characterize the damage degree and recovery ability of green space ecosystems, constructed an evaluation index system of green space damage, and established a recovery capacity model using the attributes of self-organization and resilience of green space ecosystems as core attributes. Using the ecosystem damage and recovery capacity indexes, a discrimination matrix of the ecological restoration model, with a total of 12 different scenarios, was constructed to provide a differentiated model of ecological restoration. The highly urbanized Shenzhen Metropolis was selected as the study area. Based on the results, most of the green space in Shenzhen had no damage, however, 13.70% of the space had moderate and severe damage. Most of Shenzhen's green space had a medium recovery capacity level; while 14.21% and 15.69% of the areas had high and low recovery capacities, respectively. We outlined the areas where ecological restoration modes such as nature conservation, auxiliary restoration, and ecological reconstruction need to be applied. Our findings can be used to evaluate the self-restoration ability of ecological restoration sites and provide a conceptual basis and a case study reference for ecological restoration planning and management of urban green space.