Abstract:
Promoting ecological protection and green development in a coordinated manner, while contributing to the realization of a harmony modernization between humanity and nature, has become an important goal for ecological protection and restoration. Based on socio-economic and eco-environment data from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region between 2008 and 2021, this study employs a comprehensive development evaluation model and a coupling coordination degree model to assess the coupling coordination between the socio-economic and eco-environment systems in the region. Furthermore, the study utilizes the VAR model and the grey relational analysis model to explore the influence mechanism of ecological protection and restoration on the coordinated development of the socio-economic and eco-environment systems in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The results show: (1) From 2008 to 2021, the levels of socio-economic, eco-environment, and ecological protection and restoration systems in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region all showed an upward trend, with average annual growth rates of 6.0%, 0.97% and 3.1%, respectively. (2) The coupling coordination degree between the socio-economic and eco-environment system in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region increased from 0.44 to 0.75 from 2008 to 2021, with the coupling coordination state shifting from near imbalance to moderate coordination. There are significant spatial differences in the level of coupling coordination, with Hebei Province lagging behind Beijing and Tianjin. (3) Ecological protection and restoration have a short-term positive impact on the coupling coordination degree of the socio-economic and eco-environment system. Element protection and restoration, environmental governance, and the social benefits derived from ecological protection and restoration all have strong correlations with the coupling coordination degree of the system, with correlation coefficients of 0.877, 0.939 and 0.978, respectively. The research shows that ecological protection and restoration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region positively influence the coordinated development of the socio-economic and eco-environment systems. It is necessary to fully leverage these ecological and social positive externalities to achieve regional green and sustainable development.