Exploring coordinated pathways for sustainable ecosystem and socioeconomic development: A case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

• There is a positive correlation between D-value and socioeconomic development • There is a need to prioritize the protection of wetland ecosystems • Ecosystem and socioeconomic development can be balanced through optimal management • Improving coupling coordination lies in enhancing regulatory and cultural services • Socioeconomic development should not come at the expense of ecological degradation Coordinating the development of socioeconomic and ecosystem is complex due to tradeoffs within socio-ecological systems. To promote their coordinated and sustainable development, it is crucial to clarify the current status of their relationship and identify the underlying influencing mechanism. This study presents a framework for evaluating the coupling coordination relationship between socioeconomic and ecological systems using gross ecosystem product valuation and socioeconomic development evaluation index, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region as a case study. It has been shown that although most districts and counties experienced disorder in coupling coordination degrees and ecological lag in 2000 and 2015, there was an increase in the number of districts and counties with improved coupling coordination degrees and comprehensive coordination index by 2015. However, the number of counties facing ecological lag also increased. Moreover, the coupling coordination degree, relative development degree, comprehensive coordination index, and their changes show significant regional differences. These findings suggest an urgent need for coupled and coordinated development in the BTH region. Therefore, this study examined the contributing factors behind changes in the degree of coupling coordination. Based on the findings, this study infers that the key to effectively improving the degree of coupling coordination lies in enhancing the value of regulatory and cultural services. Moreover, special attention should be given to districts and counties experiencing rapid population urbanization, ensuring that their socioeconomic development does not come at the expense of ecological degradation. The study also offered detailed strategies and policy recommendations in other aspects for promoting coupling coordinated development.