Change and driving factors of eco-environmental quality in Beijing green belts: From the perspective of Nature-based Solutions

• The identification and quantification methods of NbS measures are innovatively proposed. • The eco-environment quality of Beijing green belts showed a trend of first decline and then recovery in 2005–2020. • The effectiveness of NbS measures in improving eco-environmental quality of Beijing green belts is confirmed. • The influence of NbS measures on eco-environmental quality of Beijing green belts is spatial-heterogeneous. The green belts are indispensable constituents of urban spatial structure, exerting substantial impact on the urban eco-environmental quality. “Nature-based Solutions (NbS)” measures provide a new means to addressing urban sustainability challenges. Taking Beijing green belts as the research object, this study analyzed the change of eco-environmental quality and its driving factors, with a particular focus on the driving effect of NbS measures. Our analyses revealed several key findings. As data from 2005 to 2020 indicate, the process of land use change exhibits a spreading trend from inside to outside, reflecting the characteristics of industrialization-driven urbanization. The eco-environmental quality of the green belts demonstrated a U-shaped trajectory, initially declining before showing signs of recovery. Notably, the first green belt experienced a relatively lower eco-environmental quality, with a persistent decline throughout the studied timeframe. From the perspective of ecological contribution rate, the negative effect of land use change outweighted the positive effect, resulting in an overall decline in eco-environmental quality. This study confirmed the driving effect of NbS measures on eco-environmental quality improvement. Specifically, Green Infrastructure showed a significant driving effect of the two green belts, while Ecological Infrastructure only demonstrated a significant driving effect in the second green belt. In light of these findings, future implementations of NbS measures can be more precisely targeted to optimize the resilience and sustainable development capacity of cities.