ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Environmental Economics and Management
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1658104
Measurement, Spatial Distribution Dynamics, and Influencing Factors of Forest Ecological Product Value Realization Efficiency in China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
- 2Shandong University, Jinan, China
- 3Yunnan University, Kunming, China
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With the intensification of global climate change and ecological environmental issues, the FEPVRE has increasingly become a key factor in driving the transformation of the green economy. Based on the Super-SBM (Super Efficiency SBM) model, this paper, spanning from 2012 to 2022, measures the FEPVRE across 30 provinces and municipalities in China, and employs methods such as spatial kernel density estimation (SKDE), Markov chain analysis, Gini coefficient method, gravity model, and Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) to assess the spatial distribution and dynamics of FEPVRE. Additionally, the spatial error model is utilized from the perspective of the digital economy, applying spatial econometric models to explore the driving mechanisms of digital technologies, digital industries, and the digital environment on FEPVRE. The research results indicate that: (1) the FEPVRE in China exhibits a fluctuating development trend and shows a convergence pattern from the eastern to the western regions. (2) The association of FEPVRE gradually shifts from the eastern to the central regions, with the southeastern regions showing stronger associations, and the western regions weaker ones. (3) The FEPVRE will maintain a two-tier differentiation trend and shift towards higher levels; regions with a type IV FEPVRE are more prone to "level-locking" phenomena, with a clear tendency for club convergence. (4) The uneven distribution of digital technologies will exacerbate regional disparities in FEPVRE, whereas differences in digital industries and the digital environment are conducive to narrowing the gap in FEPVRE. ( 5) Digital technologies and digital industries have a significant positive effect on FEPVRE, while the digital environment has the opposite effect; furthermore, high-efficiency provinces and cities exhibit spatial spillover effects on adjacent provinces. This study concludes that regional disparities in FEPVRE are driven by the uneven distribution of digital technologies and the digital environment. While digital technologies and industries enhance FEPVRE, the digital environment limits it. Furthermore, high FEPVRE regions exhibit spatial spillover effects to neighboring areas. To promote a more equitable and sustainable green economic transformation, it is crucial to bridge the digital divide, particularly in underdeveloped regions, and to foster digital industries as a key driver of improvement.
Keywords: Forest Ecosystem Product Value (FEPV), Regional disparities, Super-SBM model, Value realization, Digital technology, Digital organization, Digital environment
Received: 02 Jul 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zheng, Zhang, Suo, Yu and Shi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lin lin Zheng, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
Lei Suo, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
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