Spatio-temporal variations and convergence characteristics of ecological product value realization in China

The realization of the value of ecological products offers a novel pathway for achieving high-quality economic development and facilitating green industrial transformation. Building upon the connotations of ecological products and their value, we constructed a three-dimensional indicator system covering supply-based, regulatory, and cultural categories to measure the value realization level of ecological products in 30 provinces of China except Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2022. By comprehensively applying kernel density estimation, the Gini coefficient, and σ and β convergence models, we analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution, regional differentiation, and convergence characteristics of ecological product value. The results showed that from 2013 to 2022, the overall realization rate of ecological product value exhibited a continuous upward trend, with the mean value increasing from 0.25 to 0.68. However, there were significant gradient disparities among regions, manifesting as a spatially decreasing gradient pattern of "higher in the east and lower in the west." The kernel density estimation results showed that the ecological product value index demonstrated an upward trend for the national level and for the three major regions (eastern, central and western regions). Notably, there was little inter-provincial difference in the development level of ecological products within the eastern and central regions, with pronounced inter-provincial development imba-lances within the western region. The Gini coefficient and its decomposition results showed that inter-regional differences constituted the primary source of variation in the realization rate of ecological product value in China. Meanwhile, intra-regional differences within the eastern, central, and western regions showed a slight upward trend. σ convergence was observed in the realization rate of ecological product value across regions from 2017 to 2021. Moreover, β convergence was identified at the national level and within the eastern and central regions from 2013 to 2022, albeit at a relatively slow pace. The results would be helpful for accurately identifying the spatial imbalance of ecological product value realization, and provide scientific basis for the formulation of differentiated ecological policies and the promotion of regional coordinated development in China and its three major regions.